Insider Access: Raptor Rehabilitation Center, Naivasha

Visit the Naivasha Raptor Rehabilitation Centre, an unforgettable journey into the world of magnificent birds of prey and the dedicated conservationists who nurse them back to health. Nestled amidst the picturesque landscapes of Naivasha, Kenya, this centre offers a rare opportunity to witness the resilience and beauty of these majestic creatures up close.

Arriving on the grounds, you'll be greeted by the melodious calls of eagles, vultures, and owls, echoing through the air. The center's passionate staff provide guided tours, sharing their profound knowledge about the various raptor species and the challenges they face in the wild. Walking along the enclosures, you'll meet raptors of all sizes, from the regal African fish eagle to the enigmatic barn owl. Observing their graceful flight and hearing their captivating stories of survival is a humbling experience.

In addition to its educational aspect, the Naivasha Raptor Rehabilitation Center also contributes significantly to raptor conservation efforts, making it a must-visit destination for both nature enthusiasts and those passionate about safeguarding Kenya's incredible avian heritage. Contact us to include this fascinating experience to your guests' itineraries.

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Kenya Travel Dreams - volume 7

Kenya's Great Rift Valley is famous for its lakes which offer opportunities to spot wildlife, birds and nearby must-visit attractions.

Thousands of lesser flamingos once painted the waters of Lake Nakuru a bright pink, a spectacle that drew bird lovers from far and wide. Due to increase of water levels, the flamboyance of flamingos migrated to neighboring Lake Bogoria. Still there's much to be seen at the lake and the park named after it. Rothschild giraffe, lions, white rhinos, zebra, buffaloes, water bucks and flocks of terrestrial birds can be easily spotted on a game drive. Look out for the hard-to-spot leopard up on the yellow-barked acacia trees dotted throughout the park.

Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake popular for its boat rides where guests ride past pods of hippos, shoals of colorful fish and different bird species. Crescent Island is a private wildlife sanctuary on the eastern shores of Lake Naivasha. The wildlife here ranges from the very small - dikdik, spring hares and mongoose - to the large, giraffe, eland, Grant's gazelle and zebra. Your clients should not miss walking in the ‘golden hour’ before sunset to watch the animals grazing against the backdrop of water and sky burnished in the twilight. Hell's Gate National Park at the south end of Lake Naivasha offers towering cliffs, gorges, extinct volcanoes - Olkaria and Hobley's - and rock towers, all of which are very popular with climbing enthusiasts. You can also ride a bike next to Thomson's gazelle, Impala, and Hartebeest.

Lake Bogoria has been described as the jewel of the Rift Valley. The lake's shallow waters reflect the brilliance of the clear high altitude sky stretched above it and the pink winged flamingos that settle upon it to feed it. At its edges are hot springs and steaming sulphur-smelling geysers which bubble up as if from the molten center of the earth and shoot boiling jets of water up to 5 metres in the air. The park also offers one of the best places to see rare, spiral horned, greater Kudu camouflaged against the semi-arid scrubland of the park. Nimble klip-springers, leopard and caracal make their home in surrounding rocky outcrops.

There are several other lakes in Kenya's Rift Valley. Lakes Baringo, Elmentaita, Turkana, Magadi all offer amazing activities for your guests. Get in touch to learn more.

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Kenya Travel Dreams - volume 6

Welcome to volume 6 of the Kenya Travel Dreams series where we share wonderful insights into Kenya. Today’s article shines the spotlight on the beautiful Kenyan coast. The Kenyan coast is known for being a tropical paradise of palm fringed sand beaches by the Indian Ocean. We wish to highlight our favorite spots on the Kenyan coastline which are perfect for relaxing after spending several days on safari.

A stay Lamu feels like taking a step back in time. A former Swahili settlement, Lamu residents still hold fast to their exotic culture which can be experienced in everything from their spicy food to the Arabic architecture. Lamu is a one-hour flight from Nairobi after which guests take a boat to the main island. During their stay, they can take a dhow ride to neighboring Manda and Pate Islands, explore the narrow, winding streets of Lamu town on a donkey or on foot, or, do nothing at all.

Diani beach is Kenya’s most popular beach destination, with good reason. This multiple, award-winning beach offers 17 miles of soft, white sand, lush greenery surrounded by the emerald waters of the Indian Ocean. Diani is accessed through Ukunda airstrip - a 50-minute flight from Nairobi. From swimming with dolphins to kite surfing, there’s tons of on and off water activities for your guests to indulge in.

Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya and the gateway to the country’s north coast. Home to several excellent beaches, Mombasa also occupies a special place in Kenya’s history. Fort Jesus is a fort built by Portuguese in the 16th century to protect the old port of Mombasa. The museum hosts the spectacular sound and light show about the history of the fort complete with flowing robes, flaming torches and an amazing dinner under the stars.

Our East Africa Coast webinar offers an in-depth look into both Kenya and Tanzania's coastlines including where to stay. After a couple of days on safari, your guests deserve relaxing downtime before they head back home. Contact us to make it happen.

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Kenya Travel Dreams - volume 5

Welcome to volume 5 of our Kenya Travel Dreams series! Today we focus on the expansive Laikipia region, the conservancies dotted throughout the area, and where to stay in each one.

The Laikipia region is a broad swathe of game-rich grasslands and hills that stretch from the slopes of snow-capped Mount Kenya to one side and the wild deserts of the north to the other. Vast ranches have been transformed into private game reserves and several local communities in the area have joined the ranches to form a huge protected wildlife haven.

Laikipia holds the second highest number of wildlife concentration in Kenya, after the Masai Mara. Unlike the Mara though, Laikipia is home to some unique wildlife species including the gerenuk, grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, oryx, kudu, the African wild dog, chimpanzee and the black and white rhino.

Another reason why we love Laikipia is the sheer number of activities that can be done in the region. At A&K, we firmly believe that a safari should be more than a game drive. Quad biking, buggy riding, horse and camel riding, bi-plane and helicopter rides and walking safaris are just some of the activities offered in Laikipia.

Laikipia can often be a confusing area with various individual conservancies dotted across the region. In our Understanding Laikipia webinar we will go through Lewa/Borana, Segera, Loisaba, Ol Pejeta and Solio conservancies and our favourite properties in each one.

Contact us should you have any questions on Laikipia and we will be happy to answer them.

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Kenya Travel Dreams – volume 4

Welcome to Kenya Travel Dreams series! Today we talk about elephant-rich Southern Kenya. Southern Kenya comprises of two main parks - Amboseli and the Tsavos.

The snow capped peak of Kilimanjaro rising above a saucer of clouds dominates every aspect of the Amboseli National Park and provides a backdrop to a spectacular display of wildlife –lion, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, a host of plains game and most conspicuously, elephant. The herds of elephant in Amboseli are some of the most researched in the world, thanks to the Amboseli Elephant Trust which has spent over 40 years collecting data on these gigantic mammals.

We can organize a visit to the trust where a morning visit takes you around the Centre and sometimes out in the field to watch and follow a family, with all their history explained. They will explain the silent language of elephants, low frequency “Infrasound” that can travel up to ten kilometers and their audible language from reassuring rumbles to frightened trumpets and squeals.

Tsavo National Park is the biggest national park in Kenya, covering almost 22 000 square kilometers of the country's mass, making it one of the largest wildlife conservation areas on the planet. The park is made up of Tsavo East and Tsavo West which together conspire as one of Africa's greatest wilderness reserves - bigger than Wales.

The 9,000-square-kilometre expanse of Tsavo West, thanks to the rivers that are sustained by Mt Kilimanjaro which stands sentinel over this corner of Kenya, supports an abundance of wildlife, from elephant and buffalo to lion, leopard, oryx, lesser kudu and klipspringer. This is the ancient land of lions; during the construction of the Uganda railway in the late 19th century, an especially insatiable pair sustained a nine month campaign upon those laying the line. Even the dangerously depleted black rhino are making a tentative comeback in a small, fiercely-guarded sanctuary. The park's undisputed showpiece is the crystal clear bounty of Mzima Springs, mzima means alive in Kiswahili, appropriately so for this is an oasis of whispering Raphia palms and giant fig trees where Kilimanjaro's snowmelt pumps over 50 million gallons of water out of the ground each day.

Tsavo East is the larger of the pair - nine times bigger than the Mara - and the older. It is famous for its enormous herds of red elephants; more than 10 000 of them live and move through the park. Despite sharing a name, Tsavo East is very different to Tsavo West; they host quite different ecosystems and bear entirely different faces: Tsavo East is flatter and much drier than Tsavo West; it epitomizes quintessential African bush, mile upon mile of arid, thorny scrubland sweeping to a dart straight eastern horizon where the land meets the Indian Ocean and where the great river that runs through the park ends its journey. Along it's sandy banks, beneath the shade of doum palms whose fronds rattle papery in the breeze, you'll witness huge herds of elephant slaking their thirst and slapping mud to their skin as salve to sunburn and insects.

Mombasa, in Kenya's north coast is only three hours away from Tsavo and would be a wonderful end to a Southern Kenya safari.

Contact us to include Amboseli or the Tsavos to your client's itinerary.

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Kenya Travel Dreams – volume 3

Welcome to the third volume of our Kenyan Travel Dreams series. Today we’re going to focus on the Masai Mara Conservancies.

The Masai Mara is the jewel of Kenya’s crown; 1,500 square kilometers (580 square miles) of broad biscuit-colored savannah sprawls as home to huge numbers of birds (almost 600 species) and the most spectacular array of wildlife. Bordering the Masai Mara are a number of conservancies with incredible properties. In our Masai Mara Conservancies webinar we take you through the reasons why you should stay in a conservancy. The main attribute is exclusivity - each conservancy allows a limited number of camps which means fewer guests and vehicles during game drives ensuring a private experience. The conservancies are particularly keen on conservation and have strict game viewing rules.

We focus on three major conservancies today – Mara North, Olare Motorogi and Naboisho Conservancies. We tell you about the landscape, our top three properties and the activities that can be done in each one.

We hope you enjoy this episode. Get in touch in case of any questions. Keep well and keep safe!

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Kenya Travel Dreams - volume 2

Welcome to the second volume of our Kenya Travel Dreams! Today we talk about an Insider Access activity in Nairobi. An Insider Access Activity is an activity exclusive to Abercrombie & Kent which is designed to enhance your guests experience in the country and make your proposal stand out from your competitors.

Half day Nairobi Vintage Vehicle Excursion

The city of Nairobi has a long colourful history and the suburb Karen is amongst the prettiest of them all. This green, leafy oasis is named after Karen Blixen as it is here where she "had a farm at the foot of the Ngong Hills' and where her house still stands today. There is so much to see and do in the area but what better way to cruise down the leafy lanes in a vintage vehicle? There are a huge range of beautifully maintained classic vehicles, each of which has won at the prestigious Concourse d'Elegance, for you to choose from; perhaps Rolls Royce Phantom or a Bentley? However, our favorite has to be the car driven by Robert Redford in Out of Africa - the international SS Safari Wagon. You will be collected from your hotel in your superb vehicle and taken on a tour of the suburb where you have the opportunity not only to see Karen Blixen's home but also visit the Giraffe Centre and the Elephant Orphanage.

To book this excursion, please contact us.

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Kenya Travel Dreams – volume 1

While the world as we know it may have changed, we are hopeful that borders will open, flights will take off and travel will resume soon. In the meantime, we are taking this opportunity to start our Kenyan Travel Dreams – a collection of news items designed to educate you on all the magical things that the country has to offer.

In this first episode, we have an insightful Focus on Kenya webinar that will give you the chance to learn about Kenya. The webinar gives an overview of Kenya, its national parks and reserves, the flying and driving times between them. In addition, it gives the gold, silver and bronze accommodation options that we recommend for your guests’ stay in each area.

We hope you enjoy this series and should you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Stay safe and stay positive.

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A&K Philanthropy: Safe Water for Schools Initiative

Access to clean drinking water is a huge challenge in East Africa, more so for communities living in rural areas who depend on unpurified water sources such as streams, lakes and rivers. As a result, water borne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid and other health complications arise causing untold suffering.

A&K Philanthropy has partnered with LifeStraw to provide safe drinking water for school children in the Masai Mara. The Safe Water for Schools initiative utilizes LifeStraw's community filter, a high-volume water purifier that converts contaminated water into safe drinking water by removing bacteria, viruses and protozoan parasites. So far the initiative has benefited over 16,000 Maasai students.

Include a visit to Enkereri Primary School in your clients' Masai Mara safari and let them see the LifeStraw filter in action.

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