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OL KANJAU
CAMP
OFFICIAL CATEGORY (Ministry of Tourism Classification):exclusive
LOCATION:
Amboseli National Park, approximately 260 Kms (4 hours)
from Nairobi on the border of Kenya and Tanzania.
Access
• By
daily Schedule flights to Amboseli, Airkenya/Safarilink.
• By
private charter directly to Amboseli;
• By
road, a four-hour drive from Nairobi.
• By
road from Namanga (Tanzania Border), a two-hour
drive.
DESCRIPTION:
Ol Kanjau, the “Camp of the Elephants”, is a traditional
style tented camp just three kilometres east of Amboseli
National Park. The elephant population of the greater
Amboseli Basin at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro now numbers
1000 animals in over 50 matriarchal families and
associated bull groups. The Amboseli elephants have
perhaps the oldest and most intact social structure of any
elephant population in Africa. They are also the best
known and well studied.
NUMBER OF ROOMS:
Accommodation is in
six
twin spacious and luxurious tents, with large comfortable
beds, safari style bathroom, with bucket
showers, hot water available at any time of the day and
evening. A traditional safari mobile tented camp. Lanterns
light each tent in the evening.
Meal
Plan:
Full
board accommodation, including soft drinks, beer and house
wine.
Activities:
In addition to close elephant watching some of the other
activities which are possible from Ol Kanjau camp include,
day and night game drives through the plains of Amboseli,
bush walks, bird watching in the vast wetlands and swamps
of Amboseli and the woodlands. The Rainy have a special
and unique relationship with the Masai allowing for visits
to neighboring Masai settlements. For a real thrill guided
walks with habituated baboon troops. You’ll also get an
inside view into the on going conservation ecology studies
which help balance the needs of pastoral people and
wildlife and ecosystem conservation.
Special Feature:
Mike and Judy Rainy, their daughter Jessica and son-in-law
Jeff Worden, are conservationists and ecologists who
uniquely provide the ideal base in Amboseli from which one
may observe and share in the lives of these most
magnificent elephants. The Rainys and Wordens combine
ecotourism and conservation science in a very special way
that helps visitors play a part in securing a long term
future for these elephants in Amboseli. Their goal is to
help secure an area that can grow with the expanding
Amboseli elephant population, and which can also
accommodate the needs of the Maasai pastoral people who
own the land around Amboseli Park. Ol Kanjau Camp reveals
in very special way the ecological, behavioral, and
conservation patterns of animal lives to a visitor that
can take a few days to appreciate, observe and wonder
about – the accumulation of natural history information
that the Rainys and Wordens and many other have taken
decades to build.
Conservation Projects
A unique conservation effort at Sirata Suruwa links the
Rainys' knowledge of wild animal behavioral ecology to the
cultural ecology of Maa speaking people, an effort that
seeks to diversify the economy of their pastoral neighbors
by involving them in wildlife husbandry and conservation
projects. Each day wild animal numbers, distribution and
behavior are monitored closely by resident Maasai and
Samburu guardians, and you might be able to join the
morning animal count. The Rainy's are old friends of
Cynthia Moss, and have known or worked with a number of
Cynthia's researchers, who have monitored the Amboseli
elephant families for more than 25 years now, on a daily
basis. You can't ask for a better insight into elephant
behavior, and those that want can visit with this research
team.
Seasons
Closed
April, May and Novembe
