Tuesday, January 31, 2012

WALK THE FOOTSTEPS OF A MASAI WARRIOR

Kenya (01/12) – For one week, or even a few days, leave behind overbearing technology and be transported to a life as a junior warrior in the plains of the Masai Mara. With the Warrior for a Week program at Saruni’s three safari lodges - Saruni Mara, Saruni Samburu and Saruni Samburu - anyone can learn the survival skills of world class warriors.

Each individual is trained and taught in the same way as a junior warrior of the Masai. Under the tutelage of their ‘Moran,’ or Warrior class, guests gain survival skills, become naturals with a bow and arrow, track animals, craft tools and build a nomadic home. Under close instruction, the apprentice sees how the Masai and their warriors view the world and live amongst its wild creatures. Experience first-hand the bush skills, folklore and ancient wisdom of these unique people and their way of life.

Consider this a rite of passage – arrive in Kenya a tourist, leave a warrior.

No other adventure offers this exploration and education of wildlife, wilderness and ‘life’ from one of the most well-known and interesting cultures left in Africa, the Masai. The traditions and semi-nomadic heritage of the local people are an important part of the experience at Saruni Mara, Saruni Samburu and Saruni Wild. And in the Masai Mara, these bush skills are a necessity for survival.

Saruni Mara is set in a remote valley of forests and hills overlooking the open savannas within the most exciting wildlife sanctuary of Africa, the Masai Mara. Accommodation is for 14 guests in six uniquely styled cottages. Each cottage has elegant Italian bathroom fittings, polished wooden floors and large bathrooms with canvas fronts that can be opened to offer a “shower with a view.” The lodge also offers its own private spa treatment center, the “Masai Well-Being Space.”

Saruni Mara’s sister camp, Saruni Wild, is an exclusive tented retreat in the same Northern area of the Masai Mara. With only three tents, it offers the ultimate private safari experience.

Saruni Samburu’s five villas are perched on a rocky outcrop in the Kalama Conservancy overlooking waterholes where the famous Samburu elephant, leopard, giraffe and zebra gather to drink. A fusion of large spacious houses with bold and dramatic African details, Saruni Samburu is the first and most exclusive design lodge of its kind in Kenya.

Saruni Mara, Saruni Samburu and Saruni Wild are part of Cheli & Peacock’s ‘C&P Portfolio’, a collection of 14 eco-tourism lodges located in the best parks of Kenya. Each property has its own footprint and style with a common theme: a luxurious elegance with conservation initiatives.

“Warrior for a Week” is an included activity at the Saruni properties; therefore, there is no additional fee required to take part in this cultural activity. The activity should be booked in advance.

Saruni Mara’s and Saruni Samburu’s rates start from $390 per adult/night. Saruni Wild’s rates start from $910 per night, for a party of four. These all inclusive rates exclude flights, conservation fees, spa treatments and champagne and luxury spirits.

For additional information, visit http://www.chelipeacock.com/ or call +254 (0)20 6003090/1.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

SILENCE IS GOLDEN: “KALAHARI SAFARI OF SILENCE”

LONDON, England (01/2012)- EXPERT AFRICA, one of Southern Africa’s leading designers and operators of personalized tours, is offering a Kalahari Safari of Silence in response to a trend to escape the noise of everyday life. “Botswana’s Kalahari is a vast and often silent wilderness. We believe that it’s an ideal place for those seeking solitude,” says EXPERT AFRICA’S Managing Director, Chris McIntyre.

The thirst for silence is evident in the rise of travelers looking for “retreats,” places free of TV, Internet, computers, cell phones and other electronic devices, where luxury is the location. Some of these are “reading retreats,” others are spiritual; still others are trips into the wilderness, such as EXPERT AFRICA’S Kalahari Safari of Silence (see rates and details below). A recent column in the New York Times lamented the absence of silence in our lives, saying, “There will be fewer and fewer of what Virginia Woolf called ‘moments of being,’ intense sensations that stand apart from the ‘cottonwool of daily life.’”

One place to experience “moments of being” is in the middle of the northern Kalahari, an area of huge, flat saltpans. The Makgadikgadi and Nxai pans were at the center of a great lake that dried up thousands of years ago, leaving behind some of the largest saltpans in the world. It’s a harsh, sparse landscape, but it offers isolation as complete as anywhere in Southern Africa, and a wealth of hidden treasures. The pans play a vital role in the area’s ecosystems; their geology is unique, their history is fascinating, and they’re incredibly photogenic.

There’s a saying that the silence is so complete in the vast, silvery-white Makgadikgadi Pans that you can hear your own blood flowing. Occasionally, the pans host fleeting herds of Kalahari game, but essentially this is a wilderness. For most of the year, these great pans cover some 3900 square miles of the Kalahari in a thin crust of salt. It’s an eerie, other-worldly environment. “Around January to March, if the rains have been good, the pans flood,” says McIntyre. “Then grasses spring to life, and often flamingos arrive, together with a huge migration of zebra and wildebeest. Although unpredictable, this is one of Africa’s great wildlife spectacles.” Another spectacle is the millions of stars that can be seen through the pollution-free environment.

McIntyre’s expertise is based on years of travel and research within Southern Africa. He is the author of more than a dozen guidebooks to Southern Africa, from the first English-language guide to Namibia and Botswana, first published more than 20 years ago, to all three editions of the Botswana guidebook published by Bradt Travel Guides.

KALAHARI SAFARI OF SILENCE

Rates for the 10-night safari that includes Botswana’s Nxai and Makgadikgadi pans as well as the Okavango Delta start at US $5,183 per person sharing.

Flights ex-Maun, Botswana
4 nights Nxai Pan Camp, Nxai Pan
3 nights Kwara Camp, Okavango Delta
3 nights Camp Kalahari, Makgadikgadi Pans

Includes:
All flights and transfers, starting in Maun and ending in Maun.
All meals, non-premium drinks (including South African wine, beers and local spirits) and activities.
All park fees.

Excludes:
Flights to and from Maun, Botswana
Any fine wines, champagnes and premium spirits

For more information, visit: www.expertafrica.com or + 44 20 8232 9777