Another edition of the Porini Camps news update and well worth reading.

Greetings Porini Enthusiast!

It has been a remarkable summer with a series of unprecedented and dramatic events in our beautiful country. As we get closer and closer to mark the 50th anniversary of Kenya’s independence, we continue thriving and building our stairway to a Magical Kenya. In the last two months, Kenya has been tried and tested, but as a nation we have stood together as one. The tourism sector continues to hold its ground as visitors maintain their pledge of "experiencing Kenya!" Some visitors have turned from one timers to Friends of Kenya and visit our nation every other year, and pass on their experiences to their children, who then create their own relationship with Kenya. To all of you, it is always a pleasure to have you here, and from the bottom of our Kenyan hearts, we want to say "Karibu Kenya" – the place of Magic!

With best wishes,

Aleema

Aleema Noormohamed
Marketing Executive

Porini Safari Camps

We are proud to announce that Porini Safari Camps won two prestigious awards of the travel industry at the World Travel Awards 2013, held on the 16th of October 2013, at the Safari Park Hotel, in Nairobi. We were presented with the awards for "Africa’s Leading Tented Safari Camp" and for "Kenya’s Leading Safari Camp Brand". Branded as the "Oscars of the Travel Industry", the World Travel Awards serve to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the global travel and tourism industry.

We could not have done this without you – thank you! To each and every one of you, we want to thank you for supporting Porini Safari Camps which directly make a very significant contribution to the local communities and conservation.

The Camp is located in Ol Pejeta Conservancy – a 90,000 acre wildlife conservancy situated between the foot hills of the Aberdares and the magnificent snowcapped Mount Kenya. Ol Pejeta Conservancy boasts an astounding variety of animals including all the "Big Five" (the endangered black rhino, leopard, elephant, buffalo and lion) as well as a sanctuary for rescued chimpanzees, and also incorporates the smaller Sweetwaters Game Reserve. The combination of amazing wildlife and stunning views across the open plains of Ol Pejeta guarantees an unforgettable safari experience.

Porini Rhino Camp is hidden in a secluded valley and set amongst shady acacia trees on the banks of a seasonal river. The camp consists of 6 spacious guest tents, each comfortably furnished with en suite bathrooms, flush toilets and safari showers. The camp is very environmentally-friendly with solar powered lighting and no generator. Each tent has been sited to have beautiful views of the surrounding area.

Even though we are entering the low season, this is a good time as any to visit Kenya. All the big 5 have been spotted in Ol Pejeta and African wild dogs have recently given birth to 17 wild dog puppies right near Porini Rhino Camp! Have a look at this video of the puppies! Please get in touch with your agent for more information.

For more information on Porini Rhino Camp, please click here.

Of the eight adult females constituting the Ol Kinyei Pride (so named because they spend most of their time in the Ol Kinyei Conservancy) the female candidate selected to be collared – Nenkume – was chosen as she has split from the main group, most likely, because she is currently the only female with no cubs. Over the last few weeks she has been moving into the area immediate north of Gamewatchers Adventure Camp. Nenkume was selected for the following reasons:

• Due to her location she is probably one of the first lionesses to leave the Conservancy when their prey disperses and venture onto community land and possibly come into conflict with people;
• She has no cubs; and
• She is not often seen by tourists.

A collared Nenkume – photo by Mara Lion Project

Human-wildlife conflict is a very big threat to the already vulnerable lion populations of Kenya. The successful collaring of Nenkume, however, allows the lion researchers present in the Mara conservancies to monitor the resident collared lions’ movements when they enter community land where they can then become the victims of retaliatory attacks due to predation of valuable livestock. In order to provide better protection for lions leaving conservancies it is vital to document how far and where these lions go and what influences their movements.

Nenkume is a healthy lioness in perfect condition and we look forward to following her closely in the coming years.

For further information about the various conservation programmes that Porini Safari Camps support, please contact Chantal Migongo-Bake – Conservation and Corporate Social Responsibility Manager.

You can also track Nenkume’s movements online by visiting map.mnlp.org

The lioness creeps up from behind, stealthily making her way to the other side of the road. She’s on a mission.

We follow her stride which leads to a herd of gazelles – a male and his large harem oblivious to the danger lurking by. The herd is frolicking by a muddy river with scattered rocks and bush under the spectacular Maasai Mara sky.

Suddenly the gazelles break into a run but the lioness has crept close enough to pounce on her quarry. We keep our distance as she drags her lifeless victim up the ridge and settles to enjoy her meal.

It is unusual to see a grown up lioness hunting alone, but a plausible reason is that the males have not yet formed strong territories so some of the females are out on their own, waiting for a mate to come along.

To continue reading, please click here.

Action in Porini – "It’s a Cat’s life…"

All photo credits go to Meshak Sayialel – a driver guide with Porini Safari Camps

Kenya is magic. We want to tell the world that it is. The Magical Kenya Travel Expo was held this month between the 18th and 20th October at the Kenyatta International Conference Center. Porini Safari Camps had a stand at the expo and we met with various international agents, and local individual travelers. Agents from across the globe are keen to sell Kenya as a destination, and we were happy to see their enthusiasm in our products.

The Magical Kenya Travel Expo is a high profile international tourism exhibition hosted by the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB). It is one of the fastest growing exhibitions in the tourism industry aimed at raising the profile of the destination. It has become an important and influential platform for tourism networking and business transactions.