Masai Mara Voluntour 10D/9N

You will be picked-up today at the Nairobi airport and transferred to your eco-camp. Get settled in and then have free time to relax and enjoy your first day in Africa! Overnight in Nairobi.

Today you will take a transfer from Nairobi to the Masai Mara Community passing through beautiful rural Kenyan towns with the chance to admire stunning landscapes in the Great Rift Valley along the way. Upon arrival you will receive a briefing about the community and the volunteer project in which you will be participating and helping the local people. Have dinner and overnight at Masai Mara.
Note: Your accommodation for the duration of your volunteer project will be a campsite, with the option of staying in a Masai Manyatta cultural home (with outside bathrooms and showers) for some nights. Upon arrival in Masai Mara you will be shown both options (subject to availability)

Today you will be taken to a local school where you will help out with daily tasks, lessons and/or building projects like building tables and chairs as needed. You will receive a briefing upon arrival and given instructions on what needs to be done for the day. Help out the kids with their daily lessons, reading and writing, teaching English, sports, drama, physical education and homework. If classes are out for the day, you can also help work on the maintenance and construction of the school facilities. This project only operates while school in in session (January-March, May-July, September-November).
The program's goals are to:
- Support children in daily schoolwork
- Offer additional activities through sports, hobbies, etc.
- Help to maintain/build community homes and structures
School Schedule is as follows:
03 January - 30 March (Open)
01 - 30 April (Closed for Holidays)
01 May - 31 July (Open)
01 - 31 August (Closed for Holidays)
01 September - 30 September (Open)
01 November - 31 December (Closed for Holidays)
Classes start at 8:00am and finish at 4:00pm with a break for tea from 10:30-11:00am and lunch at 12:45-2:00pm. Each lesson last approximately 45 minutes.
While on project you can use your free time to spend time in the village to learn about the local lifestyle and the unique traditions of this colourful and vibrant community. You can also take an optional nature walk with a local guide (optional activity at no extra charge, except for a tip that you can pay directly to the guide.) If you’re in need of a break from village life, you spend an afternoon at one of the neighbouring lodges where you can swim and have a meal at the restaurant (at an extra cost on your own).

Today you will enjoy full day drives for the day to absorb the beauty and splendour of the Mara. In this country of breathtaking vistas, view its vast assemblages of plains game together with their associated predators. Mara has the largest population of lions to be found in Kenya. Other animals to be seen here include Buffalo, Black Rhino, Hippopotamus, Leopard, Cheetah, Common Zebra, Coke's Hartebeest, White-bearded Gnu, Oribi, Warthog and Thomson's and Grant's Gazelles. The bird life of Mara is as profuse as its mammalian fauna.
Have a picnic lunch at the Mara River where you can enjoy your box lunch while watching crocodiles and hippos laze around in their natural habitat. This is a great way to take advantage of your time in the park and enjoy seeing the views below and all around you. After lunch continue your game drive in search for more wildlife.
You will be dropped off back at the Masai Village at 5:00 pm for an opportunity to visit the Masai people to witness the singing and dancing that are part of their daily lives and sacred rituals. Upon arrival at the village proceed for a nature walk with the Masai naturalist guide, you will get to see herbs that are used as medication among the Masai. Return to the village where a camp fire will be lit, entertainment from both women, children and men of the village follows with a chance for you to join in their dancing. The chief will then give you stories of their culture and tradition, they will show you how the herbs seen during the nature walk are prepared and used. You will also have a glimpse into their homes and social structure, dinner will be served at the village followed by coffee and tea as you leave to return to the camp for overnight.

Have an early morning game viewing drive in the park and return to the camp for full breakfast. After breakfast you will then depart on a leisurely drive to Nairobi arriving late afternoon. Drop off at your Nairobi eco-camp.

Today your unforgettable Masai Mara Voluntour adventure will come to an end as you say goodbye to Kenya and check in for your return flight home. We wish you a safe journey for your onward travels!