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Is it safe?
Yes. The African bush is safe, quiet and far away from any danger. During the night, your security is assured by our Maasai watchmen, who patrol the camp after dark and escort you to your cottage after dinner. During the day, our professional guides will instruct you on how to approach the animals in the safest way, either on your game drive or your walking safari. Historically, the number of accidents involving humans and wild animals has always been very low: Homo Sapiens is the most feared predator of all…. Besides, Kenya is a peaceful nation, where a remarkable democratic transition took place in 2003. Travelling to or from Kenya or from Nairobi to the bush poses no threats.
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When is it the best time to go?
Saruni is open all the year round and a safari is recommended on any month of the year. The resident population of wild animals and birds remains spectacular from January through December, with one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in the African continent. Some national parks in Easter Africa are very seasonal, but the Masai Mara offers is a non-stop stunning experience. However, there are five-six months of the year when the number of animals is really exceptional: from July to October-November (it depends on the year) the famous Great Migration reaches the Masai Mara ecosystem from the Serengeti. Over two million animals – zebras and gnus are the most prominent – head north and cross the Mara river, in huge herds that search for water and fresh grass. It’s the greatest natural show on earth and if you can visit Saruni during that period you’ll go back home with extraordinary memories. There are two rain seasons: the “long rains” of mid April-May and the “short rains” of November. A safari during these wet weeks is an interesting experience: the Masai Mara is incredibly green and beautiful, wildlife is abundant and the sky has unusual colours. Sometimes it rains for several hours in the late afternoon into the night and the weather is nice during the morning. Sometimes it rains during most of the day. You are rewarded with the feeling that the Masai Mara is entirely for yourselves, like a private Garden of Eden.
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What should I wear?
Somebody said that Africa is a cold continent blessed by a hot sun…. Please remember that Saruni sits at an altitude of 2,000 metres (over 6,000 feet) and that temperature variations are similar to that of an Alpine or mountain location during the summer. It means that weather in the Masai Mara is dry, warm to hot during the day and dry, cool to cold during the night. You’ll want to have a couple of pullovers, both long and short trousers, good solid walking shoes (the same you’d wear on a mountain trek). Colours should make you less conspicuous as possible, so choose all the different shades of green, brown, yellow or red that characterize the African soil and vegetation. Bring a water-proof jacket, a hat and sunglasses.
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What equipment should I bring?
The most important things are your sun protection cream, your binoculars, your camera or video equipment, with films. Bring your own flash light or torch: if you don’t have one, we’ll provide you with one. Bring birds’ or mammals’ “field guides”: you’ll find these books very useful during your safaris. If you buy souvenirs or other objects at the camp, you are expected to pay in cash (preferably in US dollars) to avoid surcharges.
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Do I need a visa?
Yes, but you can obtain it on arrival at the Nairobi international airport. It costs US$ 50, but can be paid in Euro and in British pounds as well. You can also obtain your visa from any Kenyan embassy or high commission prior to departure.
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Can children go on safari?
Yes, expecially over the age of 8-10 years. For the parents, to go on safari with your children can become a most exhilarating experience. Children immediately connect with nature and animals, show great curiosity and ability to learn. They normally find the unusual circumstances exciting and absorbing. Obviously, children might need special arrangements and we are ready to cater for them.
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Can my food requirements be accomodated?
Yes, our first class kitchen can prepare meals according to your instructions, from vegetarian to kosher or halal. Please warn us in advance.
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I love the animals, but I would like to learn something about the people too. Can you organize for me a cultural or anthropological safari too?
Of course. You are going to be encouraged to meet the Maasai communities who live around Saruni, in a very simple and non-commercial way. We can take you to their “bomas” and our guides and trackers (several of whom are Masai) are more than happy to share with you stories, traditions, habits, problems of the people who own the land where we are. The protection of this ecosystem is pursued by the Maasai because of their own culture and values, not because they “learned” it from experts. Moreover, the fine balance between progress and conservation, development and tradition is something that can be seen and studied at Saruni and it’s actually one of the reasons why we built Saruni in the Masai Mara, a wilderness that is going through some important changes and one of the areas where several, important experiments are taking place.
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Why is Saruni eco-friendly?
Because we invested in technology that allows us to minimise our environmental impact. Electricity (220 volts), for instance, comes from the sun, even if we have a silent diesel generator as back-up. We built Saruni using mostly local materials and employing local people. We dispose of our rubbish in a correct way, bringing back to Nairobi the glass and the metal. We collect rainwater and recyle it. Firewood is limited to our fireplace: water is heated using solar panels.
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How do I travel to Saruni?
Once you arrive in Nairobi (several airlines have daily flights to Kenya’s capital, check with your travel agent), there are three ways: by car, by scheduled flight and by chartered flight. The distance between Nairobi and Saruni is approximately 240 kilometres and it takes about five hours. The road is not good. The flight lasts less than one hour and we will be waiting for you at the airstrip, ready to begin your adventure. Air Kenya, Safarilink and other airlines fly to the Masai Mara, landing at an airstrip called Ngerende on the banks of river Mara. It takes 40 minutes from Saruni to Ngerende, but we normally take you on a game drive because the areas between the airport and the lodge are full of game and it’s worth starting your safari as soon as you disembark from the airplane. You can also charter your own plane and land at an airstrip that is only 15 minutes away from Saruni. Your booking agent will most likely arrange this for you.
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Do you have a private airstrip?
Yes, it is called Ngoswani, it is at 5 km from us and the coordinates are: S 01.07.821 E 035 18.517
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What health precautions do I need to take?
It is always better to consult your doctor and to be given a personalized advice. However, we feel comfortable in giving you the following suggestions: the main areas where you might want to take action before leaving home for a safari are malaria prevention, yellow fever vaccination and hepatitis vaccination. Because of its altitude, Saruni is not in an area affected by malaria, but we advice you to choose an anti-malaria profilaxys. Among the several available, the older ones based on chlorochine are not effective. We suggest a product called Malarone, available in many countries, because of the absence of side effects and because of its effectiveness. Malaria is also avoided protecting your skin with insects repellent and covering your legs and arms if and when mosquitos are present. Mosquitos can be encountered during your safari, or during your transit in Nairobi, but they are very rare at Saruni, expecially at night. Yellow fever vaccination is not compulsory in order to enter Kenya and yellow fever in itself is not a major threat, but we advise you to get it: it lasts for ten years and gives you peace of mind. When travelling, hepatitis is always a concern and we advice you to consider a vaccination for the A type.
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What about snakes, insects, bugs?
It’s very unlikely that you are going to be disturbed or scared by snakes, insects and bugs. Yes, the African savanna is home to snakes and insects, but you rarely see them and if that happens you are going to see them from safe distance. In a very dry, cool, sunny area like ours, bugs and insects are not likely to play a major role in your safari… and you’ll certainly see more elephants and lions than snakes.
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What if there is an emergency and I need to be evacuated for health reasons? Is Saruni too isolated?
No. Amref, the flying doctors’ organization based in Nairobi and one of the most extraordinary humanitarian organizations in Africa (see www.amref.org), is specialized in medical evacuations. Their air planes, some fitted with operating theatre and resuscitation room, can take you back to Nairobi and to its modern, efficient private hospitals in less than one hour and can sue our airstrip. All you need to do is to subscribe to their insurance: it costs very little and gives you total peace of mind. If, as most likely, you are not going to use it, you’ll know that your contribution is helping Amref to run its health projects around Africa. To buy an Amref insurance please contact us or ask your travel agent.
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How long should a safari be?
It really depends on how much time you have at your disposal. In general, if you are travelling from Europe of from the United States, you should plan to have at least a week in Africa. A period of ten days-two weeks would allow you to have an even better experience. There are two ways to do a safari: one is to focus on one area and location and spend there all your time, the other is to tour several lodges and locations, spending two or three nights at each of them. In the first case, you get to know much more of the area that you choose, you establish friendships and personal relationships with your hosts and with many of the guides and people who work at your camp, you get to know the area from all its different perspectives: early morning safaris, night safaris, the bush breakfast or the bush dinner, dawn and sunset, the wildlife but also the people and their customs, photography and pure contemplation, the walking and the driving… The second type of safari allows you to taste the incredible variety of landscapes that Kenya and East Africa can offer. From the very hot deserts to the snows of its highest mountains.
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How can I book a safari?
In many countries there are specialized tour operators and travel agents with a considerable experience of African safaris. For a list of travel agents please
click here.
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How much does a safari cost?
A high quality safari in Africa used to be a very expensive holiday, affordable only by the rich and famous. The glamour of those days is still part of a well-organized safari, but times change and so does accessibility. Obviously, the cost of a safari varies according to some variables: how many internal transfers you require, if you fly within Kenya with scheduled or chartered planes, how many people are travelling together, which extra activities you require. In general, you should budget an all inclusive cost of about $ 3-500 per day per person (flights not included)
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And, by the way, you are not hunting animals, are you?
No, we are not. Hunting has been abolished and forbidden in Kenya in 1972. All we do is to capture the wild animals and the beauty of Africa with our cameras and with our eyes.
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One ethical question: I know that Africa is a very poor continent, so is it right to go to Africa in a style that is not affordable by most Africans? How can I enjoy the beauty of the place knowing that Africa is affected by so many problems?
On safari or sitting around the fire in the evening, we’ll have many opportunities to talk about this and to share our feelings. But let be assured of a few things, before you leave home and before you book your safari: your visit will make possible for many families to live and to fight those problems. Also, your visit will allow us, the Maasai people and Kenya in general to protect and preserve its nature, which belongs to the humankind exactly like any major museum, art collection or monument in London, Paris or New York. Africans will not perceive your visit as post-colonial tourism: on the contrary, they would perceive your lack of interest in them and in their land as another demonstration that the rest of the world does not understand or does not care about Africa. Too problematic? Don’t worry, it’s going to be fun. Yes, Africa’s problems are huge, but its achievements are also impressive, even if they rarely find space in the newspapers. Africa can be as joyous, lively and dynamic as any Western society. It’s a complex, fascinating place where it’s misleading to have pre-conceptions. It’s a land of extremes, well worth for you to come and see with your own eyes.
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Can I ask you a question that is not listed here?
