Northern Africa and the Middle East - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 134

166 Amboseli porini Camp
Come to Amboseli Porini for some of the best
birdwatching in Africa, to see elephants, lions,
leopards, wildebeest and giraffes, and for
spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro. The
camp is in the Selenkay Conservation Area, a 60-
square-kilometre private game reserve bordering
the northern boundary of Amboseli National
Park. It is co-owned by the local Maasai and
Gamewatcher Safaris - a Nairobi-based travel
company which organizes Maasai-guided walks as
well as day and night safaris into the conservancy
and the national park. Track game with the
Maasai and you'll learn a trick or two from the
people who have lived here for centuries.

168 Il n'gwesi and
169 Tassia lodges
Both these luxury lodges lie
among the wild scrubland
and ancient migratory
routes of northern Kenya. Il
N'gwesi is on a rocky outcrop
by the Ngare Ndare River
on the edge of the dramatic
Mukogodo Hills. There are
six double thatched bandas
and an infinity pool with wonderful views of
the Samburu Game Reserve and the Mathews
Range. Tassia Lodge is perched on the edge of
a rocky bluff, looking out over the Northern
Frontier District towards Samburu, Shaba and
the Lolokwe Mountain. The lodge has six rooms
(including a children's bunkhouse which sleeps
six) and is a four-hour walk or a morning's game
drive from Il N'gwesi.
Both Tassia and Il N'gwesi are owned and
run by local Maasai, who lead guided safaris
and birdwatching tours in the Ngare Ndare
River Valley - where you'll have a good
chance of seeing elephants, buffalo, lions, wild
dogs, hyenas, cheetahs and leopards. This is
community-owned pastoral land, so while you're
out on safari expect to come across herders and
their cattle - and the real Africa.

Need to know Gamewatcher Safaris also
operates Maasai-guided safaris at Porini Rhino
Camp in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Mara Porini
Camp in the Ol Kinyei Conservancy and Porini
Lion Camp in the Olare Orok Conservancy. For
prices and reservations at each camp see W www.
porini.com; T [phone].

Il N'gwesi lodge is perched on
a rocky outcrop on the edge of
the Mukogodo Hills

167 koiyaki wilderness Camp
Superbly positioned for a close view of the
migration of wildebeest and zebra along the
northern plains of the Maasai Mara, Koiyaki
Wilderness Camp is the first community-owned
lodge in the Mara. It also funds the adjacent
Koiyaki Guiding School, where up to 25 Maasai
school-leavers a year are trained to become
professional safari guides. Part of their work
experience is to help run the camp, while the
more experienced Maasai guides take you on
walking safaris, 4WD safaris and night drives.
The game here is as good as anywhere else in
the park - with all those wildebeest running
around there are lots of predators about.

Need to know Fly from Nairobi to Siana ( W www.
airkenya.com; T [phone]), from where
you will be collected by arrangement. The
wildebeest migration is from mid-June to the end
of October. Wilderness Journeys runs safaris
based at Koiyaki Wilderness Camp; for prices and
bookings see W www.wildernessjourneys.com;
T [phone]. For more information
about the guiding school see W www.koiyaki.com.

Need to know Il N'gwesi is approximately two
hours' drive from Lewa (see opposite). For more
information about the camp see W www.lewa.org/
ilngwesi_lodge. You can book both camps through
Nairobi-based travel company Let's Go Safaris
( W www.lets-go-travel.net; T [phone]).