January 2013 News

Laikipia Wilderness January2013

 

Happy New Year to all and best wishes for a wonderful year ahead. We can hardly believe we have been up and running now for 6 months. After a steady start in July, by December we were very busy and the year ahead looks strong so we are feeling very positive!

Camp is great, our staff have become a strong team, and many of them had never had a job before, let alone looking after international tourists. Slowly everything falls into place and the morning tea and coffee in the tents is no longer accompanied by milk in a gravy boat. We have had guests of all ages, children as young as 2 and others in their 80’s. Families, couples, walkers, birders, photographers and all round safari goers. They all seem to love the spot we are in, the simple camp, hottest showers in the bush and biggest bathrooms, comfortable and homely but not over the top. Our towels were recently voted the best on safari but our pet Augur buzzard has since taken to perching on the grass walls of our guests’ bathrooms, showing off by attacking their towels of which she has shredded four, eyeing guests on the loo, and more recently she joined one rather beautiful girl in the shower and hopped down onto the shower mat and spread her wings and had a good shake alongside her. We now think it must be a he not a she.

Wildlife has been amazing. We do not live in the Masai Mara but the diversity of mammals is huge and the setting unbeatable. Big herds of elephants and giraffe, some great leopard sightings, aardwolf, striped hyena and of course the wild dogs. Since we opened in July last year we have had several groups of professional wild dog photographers as well as plain enthusiasts and they have managed to follow the dogs and access them in a way which is becoming increasingly unique in Africa and which only private conservation areas can afford the freedom. Our local pack produced 12 pups in October and we sighted them for the first time between Christmas and New Year since when we have followed them almost daily. 

 

Special Offers: We have a busy year ahead but are always keen to make life easier for everybody so here are two offers for the whole of 2013 for 2013 bookings only (for bookings made after 20th January 2013).

• 5 nights for the price of 4 in mid and low seasons
• Families with 3 or more children sharing a tent, the youngest child goes for free
• (Accommodation package only, not Conservation Fees on both offers)

More news soon and if you are planning a trip to Kenya this year, come and see us.

Best wishes,

Annabelle and Steve