5 Days
From US$3,040
Porini Equator Safari
Porini Maasai Safari
5 Days
From US$3,185
Porini’s Masai Guides – a photographer could not hope for more!
Travel Guide
Porini’s Masai Guides – a photographer could not hope for more!
Here, first-time Porini Safari Camps guest Todd Martin from Canada shares his thoughts on his safari experience (and some wonderful images!) following his recent trip …
My wife and I enjoyed an amazing 12 nights at four Porini Camps, having had a spectacular safari, in every possible way, from start to finish. We spent three nights at each of Porini’s Amboseli, Rhino, Mara, and Lion camps. I’ve already provided feedback to Gamewatchers as to how wonderful the camps and the staff were, the amazing food, the plethora of amazing animal sightings in the conservancies, blissfully free from “vehicle mobs”, and the unforgettable bush breakfasts and sundowners, but I wanted to provide this separate commendation for our Masai guide teams.
Being an avid hobbyist photographer, both wildlife and landscape, my “needs” on a safari go well beyond just great animal sightings. Sky conditions, light conditions, light angles, and juxtaposition of the animals and landscapes to sky and light are what matter in coming home with “keeper” photographs, rather than mere “documentary, I was here” type shots. The open game drive vehicles at the Porini camps, as opposed to the pop-up top “bubble busses” pre-dominant in the National Parks, the ability to off-road in the Conservancies, and the ability to get out of the vehicle and shoot from the ground when safe, were essential ingredients to coming away with the photographs I sought. Most important of all are guides and spotters who can find the animals, understand what photographers are looking for, and position the vehicle in exactly the right spot for keeper photographs considering light and sky conditions.
The Porini guide teams (driver and spotter) at each of the four camps we visited delivered terrifically in every sense.
At Amboseli Camp, Ben and Moses were our guide team. One morning just before sunrise, Ben spotted a giraffe, gauged its pace, and hurriedly positioned the vehicle ahead of the giraffe’s direction of travel, and stopped. A minute or so later, the giraffe arrived in front of us just as the sun broke through the clouds, yielding beautifully colourful backlit conditions, resulting in one of my many keepers.
During our day trip into Amboseli, Ben and Moses sighted a large flock of flamingos, observed that they looked ready to take flight, and hurriedly got us into position. Sure enough, within a few minutes of our stopping, the flamingos took off en masse, enabling a wonderful sequence of photos. There were other great photo opportunities in Amboseli, but the flamingo mass take-off was for me the stand-out.
Ben and Moses informed us it had been several months since any cheetahs had been sighted at Selenkay Conservancy. Early one morning, however, Ben saw something in the distance, stopped the vehicle, grabbed the binoculars, and excitedly exclaimed “cheetah”, over one kilometer distant. In fact, it was two cheetah males, and we enjoyed nearly 15 minutes with them in beautiful golden early morning light. How Ben was able to see them over a kilometer away, even with binoculars, astounds me.
Next up was Rhino Camp, where our guide team comprised Joshua and John. Conditions were cloudy and often rainy, but on our first afternoon our guide team spotted a bit of clearing and raced us into position to photograph a rhinoceros, near the watering hole in front of camp, with sunbeams in the background. It made for one of my favourite animal-scapes of the trip.
Shortly after the rhinoceros shot, we spotted some cape buffalo kicking up some dust just as the sun was setting and the light turned golden. Our guides got us into position to photograph this group with the dust backlit in the warm light, adding wonderful atmosphere to the photo.
While watching a resting lion pride one afternoon, our guides spotted a lion on a kill in the far distance, which happened to be the watering hole right in front of camp. Away we went, and I took great delight photographing two lions, feeding on a fresh warthog kill, about 6 m away from the photographic hide in which I had been ensconced not two hours prior. All four of the Porini camps we visited will get you “up close” to the action, and you don’t even have to leave camp!
Jackson and Dalton were our guide team at Mara Camp. For our first sundowner there, Jackson spotted two wildebeest, and drove us some distance away to position the wildebeest against the sky, and on higher ground relative to our location, as the sun was setting. There, we got out of the vehicle, had our sundowners, and snapped wonderful photos of the wildebeest in front of the fiery sky as the sun vanished into the horizon.
Our day in the Mara National Reserve began with a sunrise balloon trip. Once reconnected with Jackson and Dalton mid-morning following the balloon outing, they took us to the Mara River. We found a large group of Wildebeest on the opposite bank, seemingly wanting to cross, and a mob of at least a hundred other vehicles on our side.
The herd then backed away, and started moving downstream. Jackson immediately pulled out and drove downstream to follow, and re-positioned us, just as the wildebeest (and later, zebra) started to cross.
Unlike most other vehicles, we were perfectly positioned with a side view of the crossing, which lasted upward of 30 minutes, of hundreds if not thousands of wildebeest. The guides had rolled back part of the canvass top and got us to stand on the back seats, which gave us the best vantage point and angle from which to shoot. The most poignant of the hundreds of frames I shot were of several wildebeest successfully crossing while another valiantly fought for, but lost, its life in the jaws of a crocodile.
Jackson and Dalton provided us many opportunities to photograph multiple lion prides, particularly in late afternoon golden light. The presence of playful cubs was a bonus. We came upon one pride all seemingly sleeping and resting – but our Masai guides saw the lead females stirring and anticipated a burst of activity. Sure enough, the pride stirred, the cubs cavorted and suckled, and wonderful photos were the result.
At Lion Camp our guides were Chris and Ezekiel. Late one afternoon, they spotted a male Lion crossing an open field and raced to get ahead of his path, and to position him in front of an increasingly colourful and dramatic sky. This resulted in many wonderful “animal-scapes”, and it only got better when the Lion began roaring, proclaiming his dominion.
One evening just prior to sunset, our guides spotted a group of zebra, and drove to lower ground placing the zebra on the horizon, checked the surrounding area for safety, and allowed us to get out of the vehicle for a better photographic angle. The result was many photos of the zebra against a dramatic, fiery African sky with rain shafts adding to the magic. Our team knew exactly where to position us for these shots, and kept right with us as we moved in case we needed to return to the vehicle in a hurry.
On one of the morning drives, we were photographing a leopard crossing an open field. Several other vehicles were present. As soon as the leopard approached bush and cover, Chris sped us away, to place us in perfect position to photograph two Giraffe just as the sun was rising over a ridge. We had been so engrossed with the Leopard that we were not even thinking of or aware of this opportunity, but Chris was. Ours was the only one of the vehicles on the leopard sighting that got these sunrise shots.
One evening, we watched a resting Lion pride. Despite not much action, Chris suggested we have our sundowner there, in the vehicle. As we did, the sun set, the sky lit up, and the lead lioness began to stir, and the result was perhaps my favourite animal-scape of the entire trip. Our guides knew that we had a great scene, and needed only to await the magical light in which to frame it. Sipping a gin and tonic whilst shooting this scene certainly added to the pleasure.
These anecdotes are but a few of many examples of the knowledge, awareness, and skill of Porini’s Masai guide teams at maximizing great photographic opportunities. Together with the abundance of wildlife in all four of the conservancies we visited (plus Amboseli National Park and the Mara Reserve), the ability to off-road and alight from the vehicle in the conservancies when allowed and safe, and Porini’s open-sided game drive vehicles, I can imagine no better set of circumstances for avid photographers to come away with images they can be proud of and treasure. The lack of vehicle mobs in the conservancies (we were frequently the only vehicle on a sighting at any give time) further enhances quality photographic opportunities.
To Ben, Moses, Joshua, John, Jackson, Dalton, Chris and Ezekiel, thank you so much for an immensely enjoyable safari, your photographic acumen, great conversation, wonderful bush breakfasts, and terrific gin and tonics at sundown! You made this particular hobbyist photographer very happy indeed, and I hope to see you all again!
Review & Images courtesy of Porini Safari Camps guest Todd Martin
Find out more: Porini Safari Camps
Expansion of our Digital Learning Initiative
Conservation
Expansion of our Digital Learning Initiative
We’re delighted that Endonyo Narasha Primary School has joined our Gamewatchers digital learning initiative, making it the fourth school enrolled from the communities surrounding our Ol Kinyei Conservancy.
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 Oloibormurt, Kishermoruak and Ilmochin Primary schools already 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.
Find out more:
To learn more about our various Community Projects and how you can help, see: Supporting Communities …
Maasai Mara Big Cat Safari
5 Days
From US$2,941
Porini Ol Kinyei Safari Cottages: initial guest reviews
Travel Guide
Porini Ol Kinyei Safari Cottages: initial guest reviews
Our brand new Porini Cottages in Ol Kinyei Conservancy opened just a few weeks ago and some of our first visitors have been sharing their comments and reviews.
- “Greatest experience in Kenya! Shows how humans and nature can coexist and still have sustainable luxury. Thank you to all the team!”
- “A home away from home created amidst the unique flora and fauna of African savannah. Very authentically created cottages with superb and unique interior.”
- “Absolutely amazing! Professional driver guide and staff who took very good care of us paying attention to the finest level of detail. The accommodation is very comfortable, food is amazing and the wildlife touring is fantastic. Highly recommended!”
- “Great stay at Porini. Really love our driver, spotter and the camp manager. They took great care of our large group of 21 people and treated us like family. That’s the best part of our African safari experience .Cannot wait to come back sometime in future.”
- “Absolutely outstanding! The place is amazing and the view unbelievable. The staff make us feel like royalty and are extremely polite.”
- “Amazing experience with very nice, friendly and warm staff. The game drives were a lot of fun and the guides were very knowledgeable. The amenities were superb. Would absolutely recommend!”
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.
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.
Find out more about this unique accommodation in the heart of the Masai Mara ecosystem here: Porini Ol Kinyei Safari Cottages …
Ol Kinyei Conservancy: A Wildlife Paradise in Masai Mara
Conservation
Ol Kinyei Conservancy: A Wildlife Paradise in Masai Mara
In our latest video, “Exploring the Rich History of Ol Kinyei”, you can discover the history of Ol Kinyei Conservancy, one of the pioneer conservancies in Kenya’s Masai Mara.
Established in 2005, Ol Kinyei has been a trailblazer in conservation efforts, making it the only IUCN Green List Protected area in the Mara ecosystem.
Ol Kinyei and its surrounding area now has one of the highest densities of big cats, providing the best possible safari experience for wildlife enthusiasts. There are great wildlife viewing opportunities within the Conservancy year-round, and from here visitors get to witness the annual Loita wildebeest calving in February and March. In addition, guests can choose to visit the Masai Mara National Reserve.
The Conservancy is now home to Porini Cheetah Camp, Porini Mara Camp and the newly opened Porini Ol Kinyei Safari Cottages.
Find out more:
The Conservation Concept Giving Kenyan Communities a Brighter Future
Conservation
The Conservation Concept Giving Kenyan Communities a Brighter Future
An alternative approach to wildlife conservation in Kenya called ‘the conservancy concept’ is helping to create a sustainable future for animals, local communities, the environment and visitors alike for the very first time – and the son of British emigrants to Kenya is one of those at the forefront of the movement. Jake Grieves-Cook’s parents moved to Africa in 1948 and he grew up and went to school in Kenya where has now been involved in the country’s safari tourism industry for over 40 years. He runs the award-winning Porini Eco-Camps sited in Nairobi National Park, Laikipia, Amboseli eco-system and the Mara, including at Ol Kinyei Conservancy, which borders the north-east corner of the Maasai Mara National Reserve – famous for its incredible array of wildlife, from lions and leopards to cheetahs and wildebeest.
His site is one of many conservancies across the country which operates on land leased from local communities. The idea has been hailed as defining a new era of ecotourism in the East African country – and has proved such a success there are now more than 7.5 million acres of conservancy land across 22 counties.
Conservancies means local communities directly benefit from the use of their land and willingly host and protect wildlife populations – reducing the previously troublesome human/wildlife conflicts which have been known to arise from poaching, farming and the construction of infrastructure.
The renowned elephant conservationist
The renowned elephant conservationist Cynthia Moss recently described the establishment of conservancies in Kenya as “the single most successful conservation initiative since the creation of national parks in the 1940s”. She added, ” Conservancies protect land for Kenya’s wildlife and even more important create sanctuaries of safety. In addition conservancies bring benefits in the form of direct payments and jobs to the people who share their land with wildlife.”
Kenya’s spectacular flora and fauna
Mr Grieves-Cook added that the approach was also conserving Kenya’s spectacular flora and fauna outside of parks and he and his team are keen to spread the word to encourage more communities to follow suit.
He said: “The conservancy concept enables small landowners to pool their resources to create large tracts of land which can be set aside for wildlife and to join in partnerships with safari operators to generate incomes from wildlife tourism as an alternative form of land use. Visitors have quickly learnt that staying in small camps inside the conservancies offers a very rewarding experience and the word is spreading that this is one of the best ways to go on safari in Kenya and that it is contributing to conservation as well as to making it possible for benefits to reach the communities.”
Find out more
This Video Interview with Jake Grieves-Cook gives more information on the conservancy concept in Kenya. (Note this interview was in 2015 when visitor numbers had declined owing to fears about global terrorism, hence the comments at the end. Thankfully in the ensuing years the situation improved greatly with increasing visitor numbers and today travel to Kenya is flourishing.)
Introducing: the island of rainforests, orchids and lemurs
Travel Guide
Introducing: the island of rainforests, orchids and lemurs
We are very excited to announce that we have expanded our collection of tours with the addition of the incredible Indian Ocean island of Madagascar!
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.
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Supporting Wildscreen Festival 2023
Conservation
Supporting Wildscreen Festival 2023
We are proud to be partners and supporters of Wildscreen Festival which was held in Nairobi in June 2023. See the short film celebrating Nairobi National Park.
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.