Travel Guide
Gamewatchers Safaris: Highlights of 2023
As 2023 draws to a close, we’re taking time to look back and reflect on the past year and what it has brought to us here at Gamewatchers Safaris and Porini Camps.
We’d like to thank our clients and travel partners for all their support during this year. This has enabled us to continue our work to protect conservation areas for wildlife and support our local communities.
Here are just a few highlights of the year:
Wildlife Highlights & Photographer Guests
Guests at our camps have had some sensational wildlife viewing throughout the year and we have been very lucky to have hosted many professional photographers who have kindly shared with us some wonderful images.
One of these was first-time Porini Safari Camps guest Todd Martin from Canada who has shared his thoughts on his safari experience (and some wonderful images) following his recent trip.
“All transfers, internal flights, and logistics were flawlessly executed by the Gamewatchers team, with not a single hiccup. We were in great hands from start to finish. The four Porini camps were superb, as were their teams. The accommodations, food, teams, and animal sightings were fantastic”.
You can read Todd’s full review and see more of his images in this blog: “Porini’s Masai Guides – a photographer could not hope for more!” …
Launch of new wildlife conservancy and camp: Mara Ripoi Conservancy & Porini Giraffe Camp
Our focus for over 30 years now has been to use small scale tourism to protect habitat in partnership with communities in Kenya. Due to an ever-increasing population, land use change and other factors it is crucial that wildlife corridors are created and protected to ensure that there is a genetic flow of wildlife and that the current safe areas of habitat don’t become ‘islands’.
As such, we have become founding tourism partners of the new 13,500 acre Mara Ripoi Conservancy which is located next to our Ol Kinyei Conservancy (Masai Mara) and with this we can create a protected corridor for wildlife along the Ripole River that comes into Ol Kinyei. This is a great area for observing many animal species, and particularly for the big cats (lions, leopard, cheetah). The open plains attract large numbers of wildebeest that come up through the Mara Reserve and Siana conservancy and these, in turn, attract the predators.
The brand new Porini Giraffe Camp opened in June within the Mara Ripoi Conservancy with six spacious guest tents (each comfortably furnished and with private facilities including shower and wc). The camp will be fully inclusive of meals, snacks, selected drinks, game drives / activities.
Launch of the Porini Ol Kinyei Safari Cottages
The Porini Ol Kinyei Safari Cottages are four new cottages which opened in August in Ol Kinyei Conservancy. Just like our Porini Camps, they are fully inclusive of meals, snacks, selected drinks, game drives / activities.
With no permanent structures, our tented Porini Safari Camps have been designed to leave no footprint on the land on which they have been placed. But, for those guests wanting a more substantial accommodation, the Porini Safari Cottages do have a traditional solid structure but they have also been carefully planned to ensure that there is minimal impact on the surrounding wilderness.
The building has been kept low-rise and every effort has been made to use local / natural materials so that it is in keeping with the environment. We have also ensured that we have kept within our policy regarding maximum guests per acre of land (1 room per 700 acres) by closing one of the tented camps within the conservancy.
These are perfect for those travelling with friends or family and wanting something a little different. Each cottage has four en suite rooms with hot and cold running water, inside and outside showers, fireplace, media room with TV and an outside campfire seating area.
The cottages each have a kitchen at the back with their own personal chef and guests will be hosted by their safari guides.
See more on our web site: Porini Ol Kinyei Safari Cottages …
Porini Safari Camps awarded TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice
Many travellers take note of reviews on TripAdvisor when planning where to stay and we are pleased to note that all of the Porini Safari Camps have been recognised as TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice winners. The Travellers’ Choice Certificate is given only to establishments that consistently achieve Excellent traveller reviews for at least five consecutive years.
With the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Certificate based on guest reviews, the accolade is a vote of confidence in our camps and to our continued commitment to excellence. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our past guests that have taken the time to leave reviews for our camps and services, either via TripAdvisor, as a video or as a Safari Diary on our web site.
Porini Camps voted as “Kenya’s Leading Safari Camp Brand”
We were delighted that Porini Safari Camps won the category of “Kenya’s Leading Safari Camp Brand” at the prestigious 30th Annual World Travel Awards (the “Oscars of the Travel Industry”)! The Africa, Indian Ocean & Middle East Awards were declared at a colourful ceremony held at the Atlantis The Royal Dubai hotel in the United Arab Emirates.
Revamped Mess & Lounge Tent at Porini Mara Camp
Our team at Porini Mara Camp has been working hard with upgrading the Mess / Lounge area to ensure that it is as comfortable as possible for guests. Take a look around the new space in this video.
Porini Mara Camp is situated in Ol Kinyei Conservancy, which is a designated wildlife conservancy that borders the Masai Mara National Reserve. The location offers a more private and exclusive safari experience compared to staying within the main reserve. Guests have the opportunity to see a diverse range of wildlife. Day and night game drives by 4×4 vehicle and guided nature walks are all included.
Find out more: Porini Mara Camp …
New web site: porinisafaricamps.com
Have you seen our new web site? We now have porinisafaricamps.com as an additional and dedicated space for the camps that we own and operate: ie our Porini Camps, Porini Cottages, Nairobi Tented Camp and Rhino River Camp.
Our current porini.com web site will remain as our main site for Gamewatchers Safaris, but do take a look around the new site for more details about our collection of properties in Kenya.
Expansion of our Africa collection
This year we have introduced some exciting new destinations to our program, including Mozambique, the island of Madagascar and Republic of Congo.
We have included Mozambique as an add-on to South Africa in this new itinerary: 12 day South Africa & Mozambique tour
This lets you explore the wonders of Cape Town and its surroundings, then enjoy the thrill of a Big Five safari in a private nature reserve in Kruger National Park before flying to Mozambique to relax on the white-sand beaches of the Indian Ocean.
Madagascar is a wildlife-lovers’ dream with ancient rainforests, unique bio-diversity and many rare and endangered plants and animals – including over 100 species of lemur. There are also some spectacular white sand beaches on which to relax at the end of a busy tour.
We are featuring a choice of itineraries including 9, 11 or 13 day options taking in the highlights of the island and, due to convenient flight connections from Nairobi (just over 3 hours), Madagascar can also be combined with any of our safaris in Kenya. See details here: Madagascar …
And for those wanting a different experience of Africa we have added tours in the Republic of Congo.
Located in Central Africa, the Republic of the Congo is wild and unspoilt and captivates visitors with an abundance of natural beauty and pristine wilderness eco-systems.
Our brand new Congo program features a choice of tours to the Odzala-Kokoua National Park, including: 8 Day Odzala Discovery Safari …
Supporting Wildscreen Festival 2023
We were proud to be partners and supporters of Wildscreen Festival Nairobi 2023. This prestigious event is aimed at celebrating the role of Kenya and Africa in the international wildlife film industry and elevating African storytellers within the global wildlife storytelling industry.
A short film “Karibu Nairobi” was produced for the festival by Clement Kiragu, featuring renowned conservationist Paula Kahumbu. Beautifully shot, the film shows the magic of Nairobi National Park and the importance of protecting it. Our Nairobi Tented Camp (situated within the park) supported the production crew during filming.
Supporting Communities in Amboseli
Expansion of our Digital Learning Initiative
We have been supporting schools in the communities surrounding our Ol Kinyei Conservancy with digital learning resources. This smart learning project is a collaborative effort with WiLearn 4 Life, backed by the PD Foundation, with a mission to empower the community with digital and tech skills. WiLearn 4 Life’s CEO, Roland Diethelm, personally delivered digital learning equipment last month and students and teachers were trained on its usage.
We have numerous schools now receiving this program which greatly benefits remote schools and complements Kenya’s DigiSchools project which offers efficient charging solutions for tablets via solar-powered kits.
Photography Training for Safari Guides
We were excited to have award-winning photographer Alison Mees training our guides at the Rhino River Camp in Meru and Porini Rhino Camp in Ol Pejeta on better fieldcraft when it comes to guiding wildlife photographers during game drives. Alison is a wildlife expert, conservationist and qualified guide with a passion for wildlife and photography.
Ideal for photographers, Porini Camps operate open-sided 4×4 safari vehicles with each person guaranteed a “window” seat. In addition, our well-trained and experienced safari driver-guides know how best to position the vehicle for you to take the perfect shots.
Porini Rhino Camp featured in “Kwetu Laikipia”
Publication “Kwetu Laikipia” featured a great article on our Porini Rhino Camp, highlighting the popular photography hide.
The hide is carefully placed just a few meters from the camp’s mess and lounge area, overlooking a waterhole which regularly attracts wildlife such as zebras, lions, elephants, buffalo, baboons, gazelles, waterbucks, birds, and more. This enables guests to observe and photograph wildlife safely, yet in close proximity.
This eye-level image of a Cape Buffalo was taken from the hide by our colleague Julie Roggow.
National Tree Planting Day in Kenya
In November our staff took part in Kenya’s first National Tree Planting Day. This vital initiative saw the entire nation join forces in support of the environment.
The day, 13 November, was declared a “special holiday” and we contributed to Kenya’s ambitious goal of planting 500 million seedlings this year and the longer term target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032. It was encouraging to see so many people dedicated to a greener, more sustainable future.
