Ndege News - December 2021

ndege DEC 2021 - FEB 2022 | www.ndegenews.com

AIRKENYA EXPRESS, AEROLINK UGANDA & REGIONAL AIR INFLIGHT MAGAZINE

NEWS

Leopard Gorge

From Kandili Ol Kinyei Conservancy

From Porini Mara Treasured Tea

Not Wishy Washing With Water

PY Y CO WA R U EA YO TAK TO

BOOK ONLINE

www.airkenya.com www.regionaltanzania.com www.aerolinkuganda.com

NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 1

W: www.lakebogoria-hotel.com

Lake Bogoria Spa Resort

2 | NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

@BOGORIAHOTEL

Lake Bogoria Spa Resort

inside

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DEC 2021 - FEB 2022

REGULAR 05

Welcome Note

06

Word From the Editor

08

Airkenya News Update

12

Destination News

14

News Update

09

FEATURES 16 Ol Kinyei Conservancy From Porini Mara

17

20 Leopard Gorge from Kandili 24 Savage Stream 28 Not Wishy Washing With Water 32 Suyian Soul 34 A Ramble around the Rift 38

Treasured Tea

40 Where to Travel in Kenya with Your Family

21

30

33 47

WELCOME NOTE

Welcome on board Dear Reader, Welcome on board! Travelling today is indeed not an easy task considering all the red tape and COVID 19 protocols that one need to comply with. For this reason, your presence today onboard one of our aircrafts is truly appreciated; rest assured that we have all hands on deck so your journey with us will be safe, pleasant and arrival at the destination as smooth as possible.

Unfortunately, the pandemic affected the aviation industry in a manner that never happened before. A number of Airlines experienced financial stress that in some cases precluded their full recovery. Fortunately, that was not the case for the Airkenya Group of Airlines. We managed to navigate through these incredibly difficult times always making sure to stay focused on the group’s survival. During the lockdown period, all aircraft were grounded.

Nevertheless, we continued to provide aircraft maintenance, kept flight crews current and avoided staff layoffs. When the time came to turn the key on, we could start operation without delay and with confidence that safety and operational efficiency were not affected by the long closure.

The Airkenya Group of Airlines's quick reminder of their base of operation in East Africa: Regional Air Services, Aerolink and Airkenya hub out of Arusha, Tanzania, Entebbe International Airport, Uganda and Nairobi Wilson Airport, Kenya respectively. These three airlines give the group the strength and capability to offer

our clients the “easy” regional connection, a product which is quite unique in its form as it provides a number of possibilities and solutions that help our customers make the right decision when planning for their holidays or business trips.

Undoubtedly East Africa offers all the skies, savannas, mountains and sea destinations that you could wish for. It’s all about making the right decision; a plan that allows you to experience all of that beauty in one trip. Perhaps it’s the holiday of your lifetime, then this Airline group is the right choice. We know and never forget that customers have many options to choose from. But, if you give us a try, I am sure you won’t regret it!

We are also happy to announce that in October 2020 the Group added a 37-seater Dash 8-200, an ideal aircraft for inter-regional connection due to its fast speeds and excellent performance. It will also add capacity for the group to accommodate frequent charter

requests involving large groups of passengers wishing to fly together.

With all the above in mind, first and foremost a big thanks for choosing to fly with us today or just taking the time to read this introduction and the pages to follow. You will find articles and colours depicting a region that is truly blessed by a beauty that has no equals.

Be safe!

Captain Dino Bisleti Managing Director.

Unfortunately, the pandemic affected the aviation industry in a manner that never happened before.

A number of Airlines experienced financial stress that in some cases precluded their full recovery.

Fortunately, that was not the case for the Airkenya Group of Airlines. We managed to navigate through these incredibly difficult times always making sure to stay focused on the group’s survival.

NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 5

WORD FROM THE EDITOR

Karibu

Editor Rupi Gill Publisher The Business Platform Ltd P O Box 103364-00101, Nairobi.

Tel: 254-20-3587879 / 722-770367 Email: info@businessplatform.co.ke Advertising Peter Ondabu Cell: 0722-770367/ 0736-375111 ondabupeter@gmail.com Design and Layout Digital Colour Business Ltd. info@digitalcolourbiz.com Stories & Photos Rupi Gill NDEGE which means aeroplane in Kiswahili is a quarterly Magazine publication of AIRKENYA Express Limited

I

t’s been a couple of years of eating in bubbles with fireside stories of all imagined and unimaginable things. And so, this issue emerges as one full of revelations and resolutions, gathered from tales around those whose company we have cherished.

Lucky as we are for the sunlight, the spaces of fresh air, the bio diversity around us and the blue waters of our lakes still high. We feel luckier still, encouraged by the new directions that people have taken in forward thinking businesses. From bio diesel to compostable or refillable packaging and hobbies that became sustainable, our thinking is all about togetherness.

Travel with us to Ol Kinyei, a conservancy that has won its place on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green List. And to Leopard Gorge, that is remarkably rich terrain for artists and scientists alike. The mighty Maasai Mara - where action happens not only during

the migration of Wildebeest. In February, when the Gnu are calving at Ol kinyei, there is plenty to marvel at.

Amboseli - home of the Elephant Trust and evidence of Big Life Foundation’s work, is a delight any time of the year. It’s swamps attract families of big ears and stalky legged avian flocks all day long. Laikipia, Kenya’s rugged north, which has had severe droughts and related troubles was full of flowers when I travelled. Next time you are in the wilderness I hope you’ll take some time to understand the variety of wild plants - many medicinal and deserving of our reverence.

In this issue, tribal wisdom seeps into the narrative to explain my feelings of togetherness.

Wilson Airport P.O. Box 30357 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya Reservations Tel: (254-20) 391 6000 Email: resvns@airkenya.com The magazine focuses on tourism, hospitality, travel, leisure and aviation related news in the East African region and beyond.

The views expressed in NDEGE NEWS Magazine do not necessarily reflect those of either AIRKENYA EXPRESS, REGIONAL AIR SERVICES and / or AEROLINK UGANDA. © 2021 All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced by any means without permission from the Publisher.

Happy Holidays.

Rupi Gill, Editor.

PY Y CO WA UR E A YO TAK TO

COVER PHOTO © RUPI GILL 6 | NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

Mall

Work in Progress

Club House

Golf Course

Located in a scenic area in Thika, Kiambu County amidst the famous Kilimambogo Hills, combined with top-notch urban amenities, this development is your serene heavenly home.

The master-planned, gated community offers residents uppermost infrastructure, in a secure and peaceful environment and a host of on-site amenities and services devised to maximize the quality of community life.

Designed with a touch of class to match your expectations in a dream home, the leisure and golf village offers an investment option that will give value for your money and meet your wildest dreams in a home.

It sits on approximately 350 acres of already subdivided and fully serviced quarter and half acre plots, with a choice of locations and aspects to suit all. The development is fully controlled to maintain the area’s aesthetic look and feel.

Buffalo City is set to have a modern shopping mall, petrol station, office space, excellent private schools, churches, a modern hospital, numerous social and recreational facilities. There shall be a 9-hole leisure golf course and a club house/golf hotel for the residents within Buffalo Hills. The club house will have a modern gym, Sauna and other social amenities.

With the cabro paved roads and walkways, solar lit street lights, 24 hour CCTV surveilance system and electric fence within the whole estate, your morning walk with your pets, your evening cycle with your kids or even your late evening drive is enjoyable and secure.

Prices: - 1/4 Kshs 5 M

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Payment plan: 30% deposit and 12 monthly installments.

P.O. Box 30649 - 00100, Nairobi.

HEAD OFFICE Tel: +254 724729883 THIKA OFFICE Tel: +254 701632511 / 0724 220846

Email: info@buffalohills.co.ke Website: www.kamuthi.co.ke

AIRKENYA NEWS UPDATE

The Samburu Project makes a Big Splash for Clean Water On October 16th, The Samburu Project, a Kenyan NGO and partner of Airkenya, held their annual gala in the virtual space for a second year in a row. The two hour live show celebrated the organization’s 15 years of providing clean water to the Samburu community while raising funds for the drilling of 5 more wells and additional programming. The event was streamed live on YouTube and a fundraising platform where viewers could bid on silent for live auction items and make donations.

The event began with a review of the organization’s growth over the past 15 years including messages of congratulations by friends, stakeholders, and celebrities like Eliud Kipchoge. Throughout the gala, videos made in Samburu

From top: TSP Executive Director Linda Hooper in Samburu; Eliud Kipchoge, Madhvi Dalal of PadMad and Airkenya pilots Cynthia Njoroge and Sokhi Akash

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AIRKENYA NEWS UPDATE

Clockwise: TSP well; Womens Workshop at Naupa Nkuriki and Well Signage with AK logo

were shown to a global audience to illustrate the life-changing work The Samburu Project is doing in Samburu county. Supporters met the health workers at Lengusaka Health Clinic, the beneficiary of solar panels and a rain catchment system. Girls from the Wamba Girls Secondary School shared their story of how water has impacted their lives and offered them the opportunity to go to school instead of collecting water all day. Women from Napau Nguriki told stories about the well that was installed in their community in 2019 and the workshop that The Samburu Project conducted on the importance of education and the harmful effects of FGM. The story of Mary Lenkupae was a crowd-pleaser. Only because she has access to water is she able to support her family from the fruits and vegetables she grows on her compound. The highlight of the evening was meeting Julia Lejade to see how clean water has impacted every aspect of her and her family’s lives.

You can watch her story on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=VAv4wAFHEqs&t=3s) Or stream the entire event: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=spikYpWi--0&t=4678s The night was an amazing success with people tuning in from around the world to raise funds to drill five more wells in drought plagued Samburu. AirKenya is a proud sponsor of The Samburu Project and congratulates them on 15 years and 133 water wells in Samburu.

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AIRKENYA NEWS UPDATE

Airkenya Welcomes an Additional Aircraft to Its Fleet Airkenya has a new fleet member, a 37-seater Bombardier Dash 8-202. The aircraft, which is part of our fleet expansion program, touched down at Wilson Airport shortly before dusk on 07th January 2021. The addition of the Dash 8 will increase Airkenya's capacity to offer a seamless connection service across East Africa. Airkenya currently operates eight aircraft - two Dash-7s, three Twin Otters and three Cessna Grand Caravans.

Meet the Fully-Vaccinated Staff of Airkenya Airkenya Express, a leading regional safari airline that operates out of Nairobi, is proud to announce that its entire workforce is now fully vaccinated. The airline has taken big strides in the fight against the prevailing pandemic.

Airkenya Express MD Captain Dino Bisleti said, “Safeguarding the health of passengers and staff alike is a paramount and continuous process. Our operation commencement was preceded by the installation of hygiene stations, an infrared thermal screen, a contactless check-in service, measures for aircraft fumigation and implementation of face masks as part of our uniform. We recently partnered with AMREF to provide testing services for our passengers requiring a valid Covid-19 certificate for their onward travel. Staff vaccination was a natural succession.”

Airkenya Express provides scheduled flight services within East Africa, in conjunction with its subsidiaries – Regional Air Services in Tanzania and Aerolink in Uganda. The airline is also authorised to fly throughout Africa as a Comesaapproved operator.

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AIRKENYA NEWS UPDATE

Partnership with Amref Health Africa on Covid-19 Testing Service We are happy to announce our partnership with Amref Health Africa to provide Covid-19 (PCR) testing service.

This was on the background of overwhelming requests to provide the tests at our premise to allow clients to proceed with their safari without losing valuable time.

Application Procedure: • Submit your PCR test request via resvns@airkenya. com or operations@airkenya.com referencing the PNR of your booking.

• The request should be submitted 48 hours prior to the intended test date.

• The applicable charge is US$67 per person payable upfront through the following modes of payment: cash, Mpesa, credit card or EFT. No credit facilities are allowed.

For agents: • You will receive a test submission form from our Reservations team to be filled out by your client.

Once your client submits the form, a PDF copy will be sent to him/her via email. Your client is expected to present a printed copy of the same during the test.

• Your client will receive his/her test results via his/her personal email address within 24 hours of testing.

For Individuals: • You will receive a test submission form from our Reservations team to fill out. Upon submission, a PDF copy will be sent to you via email. Print a copy to

present to the health official during the test.

• You will receive your test results at your personal email address within 24 hours of testing.

Note: • The service is open on Monday through Friday from 0730 hours to 1630 hours. The service is unavailable outside of these working hours.

• For the service to be provided over the weekend or during public holidays, we require a minimum of 25 passengers with a minimum of 72 hours notice.

Grounded Company Started by sisters Alison and Megan Root, the company makes environmentally safe cleaning products in returnable, re-useable containers.

Their logo is ‘Welcome to the new clean. Toss the toxins.’

They make their own pure vegetable castile soap, that can be used anywhere. Starting out as a social entrepreneur, making energy efficient braziers and spreading solar lights, Megan is now selling her products online. www.grounded.co.ke In another room, shelves are stacked with jars of scoby (Symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) fermenting tea. And their label ‘Booch’ is the pro-biotic Kombucha, sold in berry, mango & chili as well as passion fruit flavours.

NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 11

DESTINATION NEWS

New map room at Angama Mara To give guests a deeper understanding of the Maasai Mara, Kenya and East Africa, Angama Mara has created a Map Room.

Comprising over 60 maps, books, photography and artefacts, the Map Room is somewhere quiet for guests to spend time between game drives, while gaining a sense of place within the region.

The Safari Collection Retreat at Giraffe Manor, Langata Safari Collection guests can now spend a day in Nairobi before departing for longer journeys in ‘The Retreat’: A new wellness facility with spa, swimming pool, indoor and outdoor spaces, serving exquisite cuisine. Located right next to Giraffe Manor, which is surrounded by a forested giraffe sanctuary.

Safari Collection are also offering a special circuit discount.. Stay for three nights or more and get 20% discount, six nights or more and get a 30% discount at Sala’s Camp, Solio Lodge and Sasaab.. Bookings can be split across the properties as well.. Valid until December 15th.

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Angama partners with Big Life and Sheldrick Angama have also partnered with Big Life Foundation and the Sheldrick Trust to secure the future of Kimana Sanctuary.. The Sanctuary faces Mount Kilimajaro and connects Amboseli to Chyulu Hill and Tsave West via a corridor that is a migratory path for wildlife particularly elephants.. The arrangement will provide the Sanctuary with funding, Agama will have access to a beautiful forested and marshy eco-system, and Sheldrick Trust will continue their anti-poaching work.

DESTINATION NEWS

Saruni Samburu given gold status

by Eco Tourism Kenya.

They join 47 properties in Kenya which have demonstrated best practices in resource use and socio-economic investment. The areas assessed include community empowerment, culture preservation & protection of local sites, chemical use, environmental conservation, energy, water and waste management.

Saruni has also become affiliated with Basecamp Explorer due to their shared passion for community conservation. This liaison will offer guests over 170,000 hectares to explore, offering a choice of seven properties in the Mara and two in Northern Kenya. 90% of their employees come from local communities and they have a career development programme that includes female guides and mangers.

African Wildlife Foundation has now started Safaris

Porini win World Travel Award

When you travel with them you will be accompanied by naturalists and conservationists, see magnificent species as well as support their protection.. They will be taking a trip to Tanzania for the Great Migration in August 2022..

Porini Safari Camps received The World Travel Awards prize as Kenya’s leading safari Camp Brand in October 2021.

Travel and tourism professionals and consumers voted for them due to their commitment towards helping preserve wildlife, landscapes and communities..

NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 13

NEWS UPDATE

Tanzanian Writer Gets Nobel Prize Tanzanian writer Abdulrazak Gurnah was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in October this year for works that explore the legacies of imperialism on uprooted individuals.

Gurnah, who was born and grew up on the island of Zanzibar but came to England as a refugee at the end of the 1960s, was honoured "for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents," the Swedish Academy said.

Gurnah has published 10 novels and a number of short stories.

He is best known for his 1994 novel "Paradise", set in colonial East Africa during the First World War, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction.

The theme of the refugee's disruption runs throughout his work.

Born in 1948, Gurnah began writing as a 21-year-old in England.

Although Swahili was his first language, English became his literary tool.

The Nobel Prize comes with a medal and a prize sum of 10 million Swedish kronor (about 980,000 euros, $1.1 million).

Abdulrazak Gurnah

Ugandan Refugees get Broadband Uganda hosts over 1.4 million refugees who make up 3.6% of the country’s total population of 45 million. Most fled conflict and violence in South Sudan and DR Congo.

The plight of refugees from lack of water, shelter and clothes is obvious. But little attention has been given to elements like internet connectivity. Internet connectivity has become essential to their daily lives.

The UNHCR in collaboration with Avanti communication has installed satellite connectivity to these refugees. Satellite broadband is being used by refugees to access jobs and grant opportunities.

Apart from the internet connectivity, the refugees were also provided with laptops, tablets and maintenance and customer support. The target is to make them self-reliant and ease pressure on the host country.

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NEWS UPDATE

Bio Diesel Sets Foot in Kenya with Giloil Company The big word is zero waste. Companies at the forefront of turning waste into fuel include Giloil, East Africa’s first producer of bio diesel, made from used cooking oil. In a state of the art refinery, Giloil are set up to collect used cooking oil and deliver a clean fuel for vehicles, generators and industrial boilers.

All reports indicate that we must stop burning fossil fuels. By recycling cooking oil, carbon emissions are controlled and waste cooking oil does not end up clogging sewage or polluting water systems. Bio diesel is much cleaner, emitting significantly less carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrocarbons and other toxic pollutants.

And it is fully bio degradable.

Terra Safi Packaging available in Kenya A company that has 100% compostable take away packaging is Terra Safi. Their “plastic” is made from corn starch and plates from sugar cane bagasse – fibre waste. Because not everything, companies say is recyclable, is recycled. In fact 90% still ends up in land refills. Even recyclable things often are not recycled due to contamination with food materials like oil from melted cheese on pizza that were packaged in them.

Terra Safi have partnered with Sinergetika, a European innovations company that finds solutions to produce energy from renewable resources such as sun, wind and biomass.

Terra Safi moto: “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children” Look out for their products at the following destinations: Kicheche, Naibor, Atua Enkop, Lewa Wilderness, Off Beat Mara, and Safari World Tours.

NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 15

FEATURE

Ol Kinyei Conservancy

From Porini Mara

Ol Kinyei conservancy is one of 15 in the world, accorded a place on the IUCN’s green list. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has awarded Ol Kinyei, Lewa and Ol Pajeta, in Kenya, that accolade

M

y friend and I stroll from our tent, which is one of six, that meander on the banks of the Olaitole stream. We sit medieval style at the mess table, eating wild honey gathered by locals from the surrounding bush and listen to the international banter - all excited.

We are on the eastern side of the conservancies north of Maasai Mara National Reserve.

This morning, we walk around the property with Jimmy Lemara, a senior guide and a wizard of plants.

His father was a herbalist, and he fascinates us with his deep local knowledge accompanied by latin names that roll off his tongue as if they were his native language.

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I’m familiar with at least one – Acokanthera schimperi, the poison arrow tree, which is in itself a double edged sword. On the one hand, the ripe fruits are bitter-sweet to taste and an important famine food. On the other hand, when unripe, the fruit and seeds are highly toxic with many cases of accidental poisoning of children and birds. All parts of the plant are poisonous with the only treatment of arrow wounds being excision of flesh and sucking out the blood. The plant contains glycosaid oubane which in small doses is used to treat cardiac arrhythmias.

It has been found to have strong anti-microbial properties and help heal wounds.

Nearby is a shrub of Rhus

natelensis, which is an anthrax anti-dote. Maasai apparently will still eat meat from livestock that died of anthrax poisoning. Castor oil plant contains ricin, a potent toxin; and so we learn that pretty much all medicinal plants have the potential to kill.

He continues to tell us of other paradoxes. The Croton megalocarpus was introduced as a forest tree but it killing the orange leaf croton. We see Carissa edulis’s red berries turning purple and I remember a jam I can buy in Nairobi.

The African Olive is sacred and can only be used for toothbrushes not to be cut down for bomas –fencing, as ancestors live in it.

There’s an undeniable passion for

FEATURE

CLOCKWISE: Sunset; King fisher; Gnu with calf

plants in Jimmy Lemara’s voice, the same fervour of feeling that Simon Nkoitoi has for his homeland.

Ol Kinyei conservancy is one of 15 in the world, accorded a place on the IUCN’s green list. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has awarded Ol Kinyei, Lewa and Ol Pajeta, in Kenya, that accolade.

Simon Nkoitoi, the senior warden here told me this. He’s in charge of a conservancy that is effectively managed and fairly governed.

He is also the founding principal of the Koiaki Guiding School in Naibosho where both boys and girls are trained for camp tourism internships. Porini camps have sponsored many of their own guides

NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 17

FEATURE

to attend Koiaki school. Simon Nkiotoi adds that the company has good community relations, also providing night time bomas – enclosures for domestic animals – with chain link and gates using posts made of recycled plastic that do not encourage deforestation.

On our game drive, we observe a family of Hyenas. Two young ones play fight, waiting for their mother near their den. Hyena mothers are some of the most attentive. She will have just one to three cubs who rely on her milk exclusively for six months. And she may continue to nurse them for up to a year. Despite being pack animals, even related hyenas will not cross suckle, meaning it’s all down to the mother. Further studies in collective problem solving and complex social behaviour have shown that hyenas show signs of intelligence that rival that of chimpanzees.

We watch a cheetah with her cubs for a long time. The cubs are curious and come from behind their mother every so often to see what we’re up to and wonder what the point of all our gazing is.

Before the great ball of fire begins to set in the sky we are lucky to come across the rare sighting of bat eared foxes. Mostly nocturnal and mating for life, this family has come out to catch the last rays of sunshine.

Babies are everywhere on the plains. We are visiting at the end of February. The Loita Wildebeest are calving in Ol Kinyei, the same time as the main Serengeti migration calving is happening in Ndutu. Almost all the females are pregnant, giving birth or have young calves. This attracts the big cats and there’s a lot of action at night, which may be glimpsed on a nightdrive from Porini.

Porini camps in Ol Kinyei and Selenkei adhere to one tent per 700 acres. In the 18600 acres here,

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FROM TOP: King fisher; Hyena Cub; Buffalo

there are just 25 double tents for visitors. There is also just one four wheel drive per 1000 acres. There are no tourist partners here either, only Porini vehicles, which makes this conservancy very exclusive for game viewing. Even their tents are temporary, another two camps are

mobile and set up only for the high season. Their whole approach is modern and eco conscious with refillable toiletries, steel water bottles and fire briquettes in use.

Porini Camps are managed by Game Watchers Safaris. Visit www. porini.com.

Investor Needed 9 Hole Golf Course / Golf Hotel

The 9 hole Golf course sits on 108 acres and is located in Thika, 7.5km from the Thika superhighway, 5km from Thika Garissa road and 1km from the Greater Eastern bypass. It overlooks the scenic Kilimambogo mountain. It contains a 5 acre dam meant for recreational facilities.

It is strategically located within a gated community offering ready customers an ideal opportunity for a golf hotel

It’s therefore ideal for a Golf hotel.

For offers contact: 0700298726 / 0777300042

NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 19

FEATURE

Leopard Gorge

from Kandili

We know we’ve arrived at Kandili Camp, when Maasai women greet us with a song.

Kandili – Kiswahili iteration of candle, will be the only night light in 200 hectares of private conservancy 20 | NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

Our four by four traverses the endless red oat grass plains, now dotted with white flowers and a lone acacia. Then it’s all behind us and we are in a small gorge that cuts through a forested area in Leopard Gorge, just west of Mara North. Instinctively we look around for lurking predators. We pass a foetid pool with Hippos basking in their stench, and we move on, seeking lions, even though this terrain, pitted with rocks is surely better for the spotted cats. BBC’s

FEATURE

Maasai women

mucous, ear wax, ticks and other parasites embedded in hair or fur.

And just when you thought they were pretty, helpful, creatures you’ll see them picking on wounds to suck up blood as well.

We know we’ve arrived at Kandili Camp, when Maasai women greet us with a song. Kandili – Kiswahili iteration of candle, will be the only night light in 200 hectares of private conservancy. But it’s not yet sundown and we take a stroll.

(British Broadcating Corporation) documentary series, Big Cat Diary, was shot in this gorge and we drive past the marsh of the Marsh Pride Lions, whose lives were filmed over many years.

Oxpecker’s trills surrounds us as one rides on the back of a running Eland. There is no immediate danger here, the oxpecker hasn’t alerted the Eland it just doesn’t want to give up its feast, and is hanging on. Oxpeckers are opportunistic feeders – they clean up nostril

Peter Maitai is our guide and he tells us his name means leather belt that fastens a cow bell. While we’re wondering if that’s a good name for a herder, he elaborates that he’s named after his ancestor – a great grandfather who lived a long life and was very talented at making these belts. We discuss naming practices and he says “never name a kid after a young man who died”.

Jackal

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FEATURE

We come back to the fire pit already lit and a table set under the canopy of an Acacia for sundowners. We eat a delicious dinner and our curiosity is piqued by every person we meet.

We pass poisonous thistles that also make medicines, thorns that are used for piercings, barks that help digest protein and petals that make natural dyes. We examine chalky droppings – Hyena’s due to the amount of calcium/bone they consume. Maitai tells us that

22 | NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

Hyaenidea are not related to cat nor dog but mongoose. And that their white poo is eaten by hedgehogs and tortoises to make their exoskeletons (shells) and spines, stronger.

We come back to the fire pit already lit and a table set under the canopy of an Acacia for sundowners.

We eat a delicious dinner and our

curiosity is piqued by every person we meet. Even the Maasai waiting on us, has many delicious tales to tell. He knows the history of Kenya, retold around the cooking pot in the manyattas he grew up in. He says he knows the very spot where the colonial Major Hugh Grant was killed by Karambu Ole Sendeu. The famous story is captured in Rupert

OPPOSITE AND THIS PAGE: Reticulated giraffe; Eland; Hippos; Young Cheetah; Zebras

Watson’s book - Culture clash: the death of a district commissioner in the Loita Hills.

We are spell bound later by William the manager; who’s fireside stories are just as entertaining. He is a wild cat whisperer and shares his wisdom about them freely. He says you never stare at a cat; prolonged eye contact means - let’s fight.

Cheetahs are not territorial, they are nomadic on the African steppe, and migrate every so often. He tells us of his special relationship with a cheetah named Malaika, who has since gone to the Serengeti. Malaika would look out for William, walk around the camp with him, keep him company, sit on his car. Whilst she no longer visits, her daughter Tisaro has cubs and they are around, in the conservancy. Before Malaika left, she gave him a giant lick. That’s how close they were.

In another hunting (for sightings) story, he says there were a number of cars looking for two leopards that the guides knew were around,

but could not spot. After a long afternoon, William was parked watching the waning light when the two leopards emerged and hid under his car. He took that as a communication because they could have just remained hidden.

Everything feels wild yet luxurious

and the feeling of being lucky is compounded by the delicious aromas of food and the availability of drinks, comfortable tents with hot showers and flushing loos at Kandili.

To experience Leopard Gorge visit www.kandilicamp.com.

NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 23

FEATURE

Savage Stream

The sound of giant bees reaches us before we can see beyond the clumps of red leafed croton that grow along the Mara River’s tributaries.

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FEATURE

THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE: Crossing begins

We’re heading towards a colossal herd of Gnu that have gathered, still grazing haphazardly. They are chatting animatedly and the buzzing is now clearly the lowing of wildebeest, each isolated conversation sounding more like a string of nasal noohs.

Suddenly they know to gather in a line, and a long queue begins forming. The “gnuing” lifts its volume. Then the first wildebeest takes a deep breath and jumps and the others splash in behind him.

The queue begins to move faster and faster. Now at the back, a cloud of dust is forming as no one wants to be left behind. A mother calls to her calf to stay with her as she plunges into the wake of the herd.

A wide crocodile has taught her young one how to close in, roll its prey in the water before trying to eat it. The little one hatched chirping, on a swampy shore about a kilometre away and she carried it with its siblings in her mouth into the river. Here they began to swim and watch her coordinate her hunts with other crocodiles. Before the rains, the savannah was dry and bringing down a creature drinking at the river bank, was hard work.

But now, there is almost no need for coordination, there is simply too much meat in the water.

A flock of vultures is waiting by the water’s edge. Their lean days are a distant memory, as their young are now fending for themselves. Both parents have been monogamous, kept their one egg warm in turns, until it hatched; then fed their chick – filling their crops in turns with meat, flying back and forth to the nest for three months. They’ve made sure the chick has had its bone chips, because calcium

and vitamin D from sunlight are essential for its growth. Without this and other families in the flock, the savannah would be a cesspit of putrid carcasses. Because they clear up 70% of the carrion on the African continent. There are large flocks dancing about, drying their wings in intricate displays. Seeing this number you wouldn’t know that of the eleven species of old world vultures found in Africa, seven are critically endangered.

The Gnu are scrambling onto the far shore which is now slick NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 25

FEATURE

with wet mud. Weaker wildebeest lose their place in the line and get swept away with the river’s current.

The crocodiles’ instinct is to keep the marine population in check, keeping the water ecosystem from being degraded. So despite not being hungry they get one or two, whilst the others, simply float away, drowned in the water. One young one is struggling to get out of the water. The vultures wait, watching curiously. We are holding our breaths. Someone says, the birds will gorge its eyes, even before it’s dead. The younger or smaller vultures will not start feeding until their bigger parent has had a bite.

The Gnu, now in a desperate panic, tries again and again to get up the river bank in vain. For a few deadly minutes, the battle for the young Gnu is over, it is exhausted, has given up, catching its last breaths now. The crocodile continues to bask in the heat of the day as a few more vultures land noisily, close to it, on the rocks, flapping their wings and reaching their necks out to take a closer look. All of a sudden, the Gnu tries again, slips once more.

For last time, it gulps air, and with all

Gnu and vulture

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vultures feast on gnu carcass

its might, leaps out and manages to clamber up quickly, unsteadily, up the slippery slope. The spectators who prayed and those who didn’t, can’t help themselves – they cheer and clap at its success. The vultures discuss the event and the crocodiles simply float, fat in the water.

Downstream, a harem of hippos is basking, their young ones go in and out of the water with their mothers.

The young males occasionally show

each other their gnashers, whilst the largest, dominant male wallows on the river bank. Until he’s had enough of the shows of might. He yawns, his mouth opens to its full width, unveiling his massive tusks - enough to teach the younger males a lesson. Years ago, a school friend told me - in their culture, they don’t eat omnivores – that includes pigs and hippos. I’ve been told over the years that hippopotamus

FEATURE

CLOCKWISE: The plains; Hyena eating; Lion couple

are herbivores. They are largely nocturnal - consuming large quantities of plants during the cooler hours of the night - the majority of their diet. They are not predatory hunters, but they are opportunistic meat eaters. A fresh floater – wildebeest in this case – is too good to miss, and hippos will take a bite.

The Gnu on the other side of the bank gather, mothers seek their young nuzzling them eagerly, check in with their kin. Some are missing.

After a while, they accept their fate, because everyone has lost someone at some time. They continue their lives, thankful for the herd, because sometimes all you have, is each other.

This brutal understanding of nature’s way is haunting, because we spend so much time trying to sanitise it. One American study with prison inmates exposed different groups to a window with a natural scene, a plasma TV screen showing a landscape and the prison courtyard.

Viewing the real scene led to more rapid recovery of heart rates after exposure to low level stress than

the plasma screen, which was still better than the group that could only see the prison courtyard.

Further, the inmates with the natural views had fewer demands on the health care system as well.

So if you are suffering from electro magnetic stress – symptoms include insomnia, fatigue and fuzzy brain, try getting away from it all and experience some nature.

We landed at Ol Kiombo airstrip and stayed at a luxurious seasonal camp, with safari showers and flushing loos, in the midst of the action. A whole herd of Gnu grazed past us one morning, then zebras the next day.

We heard hyenas whoops near by and lion roars replying into night.

For more like that, visit www. nigelarchersafaris.com and www. onsafarikenya.com

NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 27

FEATURE

Not Wishy Washing With

Water A

ngelina’s twins were born last year and here they are pushing each other playfully before us. The team from the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, know all the elephants by name and show me how a little ear notch, crooked tusk or hairy tail gives away their identity.

All conversations keep rotating back to water. Amboseli’s rich swamp land is fed by underground rivers where egrets, pelicans, flamingoes and cranes wade amidst smaller lapwings and larks. At the Ramsar site, Dr. Cynthia Moss, is working with the Kenya Wildlife Services to make a wetland eco system area. Wetlands are an important asset in educating people about biodiversity and natural

28 | NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

processes. Water management, damning, fishing, farming and deforestation, all contribute to wetland degradation. Wetlands provide water quality preservation and nurseries for fish and other creatures, including those that feed on them. They sequester carbon and so impact storm and drought damage. A global network is now working to preserve and restore wetlands by ensuring sustainable use of their biodiversity and ensuring the livelihoods of those who depend on them.

Cynthia tells us that we need to understand hydrology more. How water works and are sound and smell linked in anyway. Micro biomes in nature talk to each other.

Trees pass messages via fungi

under the earth and the overstory of a forest that’s tall trees pick up messages in the air. We discuss how life sciences in schools must teach fencing without obstructing animal corridors, security of protected areas, use of canine units to flush out poaching and zoning where grazing can happen without intense contact with wildlife.

As we wander about the waterways watching the elephants swag about, we learn that only pregnant and nursing ones have breasts and that they’ll nurse pretty much all their lives. Here they are in paradise, little ones, teenagers and grannies. The herd of aunties and sisters remains close by trumpeting now and again at our proximity. Otherwise they seem relaxed, feed constantly and

FEATURE

All conversations keep rotating back to water.

Amboseli’s rich swamp land is fed by underground rivers where egrets, pelicans, flamingoes and cranes wade amidst smaller lapwings and larks.

Elephant family

are barely bothered by us, gazing at them. Non-resident tribes still poach here despite good community relations and networks that make it almost impossible to get away with it.

Giraffes are in decline everywhere as well, except here, largely due to the work of the Big Life Foundation.

For now we are sitting in the middle of a beautiful utopia. The Acacias are flowering, expecting rain. My friend mentions that in her area - in the thick foothills of the Ngurumans, there is a tree they call the truth tree and it’s not fooled this year into flowering. The last couple of years have seen above average rainfall with many places devastated by flood waters. Now we are expecting a drought, the rains are late, if they come at all. It’s hard to imagine NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 29

CLOCKWISE: Lesser Flamingoes; Saddle billed stork; buffalo; Flying doctors

that with so much water around.

When Kilimanjaro finally shows itself to us, it’s cap is snowy. Will our grandchildren look in awe at its majesty as we do today?

Our systems of environmental exploitation are so entrenched that we, a bunch of thinking women in the middle of Amboseli are musing on what solutions the world climate summit will provide. Leaders of rich nations are amongst the ones meeting to discuss what can be done to mitigate the effects of global warming.

Let’s work with the women to educate the comunity, my friend postulates. What changes a world is when women have money. And so, the conversations continue until we are gathered round a fire, listening to bush babies, later that evening.

I’m left with one overarching thought - If you’re thinking about doing your bit, try to save water even if you can afford to waste it.

30 | NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

Sunrise in Zanzibar

Sunset in the Serengeti

ZANZIBAR - ARUSHA - SERENGETI MORNING SCHEDULE Zanzibar AM Arusha 7:30 Kogatende 7:30 Lobo 7:30 Sasakwa 7:30 Seronera 7:30

9:05 10:30 10:30 10:30 10:30

DAR ES SALAAM - ARUSHA - SERENGETI MORNING SCHEDULE Dar es Salaam AM Arusha 8:00 9:05 Kogatende 8:00 10:30 Lobo 8:00 10:30 Sasakwa 8:00 10:30 Seronera 8:00 10:30 Timings above are estimates and will vary depending on aircraft routing

Operations: ops@regional.co.tz / +255 (0)753 500 300 / (0)786 021 102 Reservations: resvns@regional.co.tz / +255 (0)754 285 754 / (0)784 285 753 www.regionaltanzania.com

FEATURE

Suyian Soul T

he colours of the whistling thorn’s galls are a fascinating purple, iridescent blues from which emerge deep reds, when the sun is low in the horizon.

We are trapesing around in the black cotton soil of Laikipia, with ethnobotanist Ann Powys at Suyian Soul, the wildlife sanctuary and ranch she calls home.

She captivates us by pointing out red, black bottomed ants who are milking a small herd of aphids. We can see the aphids which feed on sap, being stroked by the ants with their antennae. This encourages the aphids to secrete honeydew, which the ants lap up. Ants lay their eggs in the galls of the plant and with their acrid formic acid secretions deter moths and butterflies from feeding on the leaves of acacia, Vachellia drepanolobium. In areas with no ants, the plant grows no galls. Ants seem to trigger gall production.

32 | NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

Only one blue butterfly, is allowed to land on the plant to lay its eggs under the leaves. Lycaenid is not affected, she says. Ants don’t release their formic acid in its presence. Because in this symbiotic relationship, the ants juice an enzyme from its larvae, without killing them. Plants also have their methods and no one is completely safe. They exude acrid tannins to warn their families that a browser is about. These tannins change the taste of the leaves to make them less delicious so the hapless browser who came in with the wind, just moves on. The disappearing Patas monkey however, has a special relationship with the whistling thorn.

It feeds on the gum exuded by the plant and opens the galls to eat the ants, without harming the tree.

We move on to other plants and their uses for other creatures including humans. So many plants here are revered as medicines

by local tribes. Traditionally, the Samburu have used the Acacia Nilotica for tea to help digestive disturbances. The Gikuyu, the Warburgia ugandensis, for its antibiotic effects on chest infection.

The Turkana, Pokot, Samburu and Maasai will not go on a long journey without spitting on and carrying a staff of Euclea divinorum, which has sacred status due to its highly medicinal roots and root bark.

Many useful plants we know of and many we know little of, are facing extinction. Scientists tell us the world is 1.1 degree warmer than it was before the Industrial Revolution, due to our use of coal, oil and gas. If the world reaches 2 degrees above preindustrial levels we will see cataclysmic changes in the environment. The Greenland ice sheet will melt and we will see a six foot rise in sea level, enough to swamp most coastline settlements.

We stop at a cave which has been

FEATURE

THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE CLOCKWISE: Laikipia; Ants milking aphids; Ann with a prehistoric tool; Hornbill in Laikipia; Medicines from the local area

inhabited by different people over the centuries. There have been shorter and taller bones found along with cave art and more recent artefacts. Evidence of conquests and migrations. Indigenous wisdom has suffered due to the lack of the written word which made military prowess and other related developments like fortresses, armour and technology easier to commission. In interviews with indigenous people, reports showed that tribal peoples understand why we are facing extinction. Their local knowledge of species balance may be the key to much of the work needed to be done in coming years.

Siham Drissi from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said “Biodiversity loss and climate change in combination to unsustainable management

of resources are pushing spaces around the world, from forests, to rivers to savannahs to breaking point. We absolutely need to protect preserve and promote traditional knowledge, customary sustainable use and expertise of indigenous communities if we want to halt the damage we’re doing and ultimately save ourselves.

From the insect repellent leaves of the Teclea that were embedded in mud walls, to the root decoction that digests meat really fast and leaves that were used for cleansing food gourds, if you have any such knowledge from your grandparents and their parents, it may be your duty to pass it on. Tell your children and you might just save, a species.

NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 33

FEATURE

A Ramble around the Rift

T

here’s an area between the valleys in the great rift, just about an hour’s drive from Nairobi that’s well known in Maasai land. They call it Karatatu Nyoi. A red road cuts through it, a track really, now popular with hikers and charcoal burners. This wild, winding path that hugs the sides of the escarpment as it twists and winds around the hills is the remnants of an old colonial highway connecting Kajiado to Narok. Caves pit the sides now and again and there are sites on small plateaus, where inter-tribal conflicts and battles with the Mungiki occurred during British reign and later.

I am at Oldonyo Olmaroroi - with my companion and guide, Daniel Ole Musei who is a most theatrical story teller. Oldonyo is a mountain in Maa, the language of the Maasai and Samburu peoples. Olmaroroi is a plant, abundant here, with roots whose powers include controlling blood pressure.

He points out Olkilenyei – its roots are boiled with bones, to aid digestion of the vast amounts of

34 | NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

meat that are eaten during the Ol pul - meat camps, that men indulge in. Like during Eunoto ceremony, when warriors graduate to junior elders. At the end of the age of moran, their locks are shaved and their heads covered with red ochre.

As we stroll he stops before a Mugumo – strangler fig tree, that has its tentacles around a massive boulder. The Kikuyu say if you walk around it the wrong way, you can change your sex, he tells me. The Maasai will put milk on it’s wound, if he accidently wounds it. Returning it’s milky sap is a show of respect.

Our culture demands retribution that way. In ancient times, if you knocked someone’s tooth out you’d have to give them one of your own.

Balance and equanimity was thus achieved.

But people have lost their honour these days, he tells me. Three young Kikuyus came here to cut and burn wood for charcoal. They didn’t know that the Mugumo’s sap is not good for charcoal making. And ignorant of old myths, they chopped down an

CLOCKWISE: Rift valley views; Cave interior; Mungiki Cave

old tree. It wailed as it fell. As if a curse was upon them, two of them, then raped a Maasai maiden herding her goats.

The girl ran home to her manyatta and reported the matter. In the honest tradition of the Maasai, she said one of them was innocent and

NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 35

DAY TRIP FROM NAIROBI

had tried to stop his mates from committing the crime. The Maasai elders listened and then dispatched their warriors. Now Daniel Ole Musei, has stopped and is waving his arms across the breadth of the horizon, where blue sky meets purple mountainsides. The Maasai hunted them down in the bush where they were hiding. He enacts the moran, so silent, as he stalks them. Just a swish in the air and in the time it takes for the warrior to shake one sandal off his foot, the targeted man, falls. Esayet is poison in Maa. A deadly one for arrows is made from orpopogi, ormerepari and olmorijoi plants boiled with blood of snake. It can also be used on the edges of daggers and spears.

Why did the innocent man die?

He asks the world. Was it because 36 | NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

he was unable to stop his friends from committing the crime or was it because he did not protect the sacred Mugumo tree?

My curiosity piqued, I ask; “what’s the effect on the human body of such a poison?”

And I am treated to another gory tale.

In 2003, the Soncho tribe from Tanzania, came to these parts and killed many people. The local tribesmen here, used their poisoned weapons in retaliation. In the aftermath of the battle, the bodies of the Soncho were observed as having no hair nor skin and the bones could be pulled apart easily.

Now we’ve walked a full circle and have got back to the house where I’m staying with my friends for a long weekend. As we enter the gated

compound, the water bottle gurgle of the Coucal rises above the warm air.

That’s a sign that rain is on its way. I look at the endless blue haze above me. “Not till the night”, he says.

Olmaroroi house’s Swahili architecture sits on the edge of a cliff overlooking an infinity pool, a deck with a fire bowl around which we’ll be having our sundowners.

Then I’ll be looking up at the sky and remembering Ole Musei’s entertaining words. “When the stars are not bright, a little rain; when they are dull, then there is rain and when the stars are very bright, rain is coming”.

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DAY TRIP FROM NAIROBI

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www.airkenya.com

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info@aerolinkuganda.com NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 37

DAY TRIP FROM NAIROBI

Treasured Tea A tea gourmand picks up a cup with a shark tooth edge. Swirls some tea in it. Puts in a little milk to test it’s colour. And tastes the brew, every hour. Teas brought to super markets are blends that will ensure consistency of taste. But it is the small holders whose teas change every harvest, along with climatic conditions, that are producing the best quality teas. Tea farms like Kiambethu in Limuru, where just the leaf bud is hand picked, then sent to a factory close by, before it has a chance to start oxidising.

38 | NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

According to Fiona Vernon of Kiambethu Farm, “pluckers tend to go back to the same rows and bushes they picked before - picking them carefully - that means good tea for the factory, farmer and plucker.

Tea picking machines are rather like a lawn mower and go across the bush taking more stalk which does not make the best quality tea. The soft bud and first leaf will probably make the best tasting tea. The second leaf does not make a poorer grade, it is just a larger more granular tea that does not brew so

strong. The stalks are separated from the leaf and are used for the lower grades of tea.”

Even pruning, which is done harshly every three years after which a bush is put to rest for three months, is better done by hand.

Cutting stems at an angle, brings the bush back quicker than a machine’s lopping.

Hospitality has been linked to tea ceremonies in the East where the drink has been revered for the longest time. Tea, the infusion of Camilia sinens which began in China

DAY TRIP FROM NAIROBI

CLOCKWISE: 100 year old faarmhouse; Vegetable garden at Kiambethu; Kiambethu Tea Farm; highly medicinal piper carpense in indigenous forest; Colobus; Abandoned termite nest in indigenous forest

5000 years ago, was brought to the rest of the world via ancient spice routes and adopted by the British and their colonies. India is now one of the largest producers of tea and it is their Assamese variety that is grown at Kiambethu.

The flavour of tea is affected by soil, altitude and eco system.

Kenya’s tea is now distinct from india’s Assam variety, taking on flavours from mineral rich red soils.

In some parts of Sri-Lanka and India, a red spider mite attacks tea and it has to be sprayed with neem. Kenya is lucky not to share this problem.

The only thing that will kill a bush is a root fungus, then the bush’s long tap root will have to be dug out or burnt to avoid it spreading. We’re

told, during our tea tour. As long as the soil is nitrogen rich, Kenyan tea will thrive without any spraying. And due to relatively unchanging seasons, tea here can be picked twice a month all year round. Unlike in it’s original home, where first flush tea is picked after spring.

At Kiambethu, Fiona Vernon’s family have been farming tea for five generations. Before selling it to factories, in the early 1900s, her grandfather, AB McDonell would pluck the tea leaves, air dry them, have them pounded in a hollowed-out tree trunk by two women with synchronised mortars.

It would then be sifted and the sun dried tea taken to the Indian bazaar where it was sold by tin cup measures.

Today, other things cloud the tale of tea. Studies on climate change show that some regions where tea has been thriving may not be suitable for Camillia sinens at all in the future.

Scientists are now working towards genome editing – identifying genes associated with flavanoid metabolic biosynthesis, which enhance catechin production and terpene enzyme activation and stress tolerance, which are important features for adaptation and flavour. Their hope is to make tea drought resistant in the face of rising temperatures and lower rainfall.

For now though we’re lucky to experience the hundred year old farm house, an indigenous forest with medicinal plants and a story of the first farmers who brought tea seed from India and turned it into a cash crop in Kenya. Whilst we are learning about tea, there’s a family of colobus monkeys swinging from a tree; they roll onto the roof of the house, watch us and chase each other back and forth.

To book an enjoyable lunch with fresh produce from the farm, tea tasting and tour, visit www. kiambethufarm.com.

NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 39

Where to Travel in Kenya with Your Family Vacation consideration for the whole family is a delicate balance. It is essential to factor in moody teenagers, energetic children and tired parents looking for an escape, not forgetting the young-at-heart grandparents with empty nests! All this complicates the search for a unifying destination.

Exotic beach destinations tend to top the list, yet a safari to Kenya can be a great option. Let your family come and see the wildlife of the African bush and immerse them in the Maasai or Samburu cultural

40 | NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

flare. A fly-in safari is particularly encouraged since it saves your already jet-lagged family members the agony of the long and tiring driving distance, time that you could otherwise use to create more family memories at the destination. Besides, the astounding aerial view of your destination adds on to the thrill.

With that in mind, here are our top picks of Airkenya’s memorable fly-in safari experiences for the whole family:

TRAVEL WITH AIRKENYA

1. Amboseli National Park

A view of Mt. Kilimanjaro on the left and a herd of elephants crossing a road on the right at Amboseli National Park, Kenya

The awe-inspiring distant view of the magnificent Mt. Kilimanjaro greets you as you approach Amboseli National Park to land. In the morning, clouds float around the snow-capped peak to form a mystical whirlpool. A glimpse of the scintillating lakes full of flamingos and pelicans amongst other birds crowns the experience. Once grounded, en route to your hotel, you cross paths with large herds of elephants on their way to the grazing field close to the watering hole. Through the mirage, you can

spot herbivores like gazelles, zebras, and gnus grazing.

Masai giraffes strut in the bushes in search of food.

Somewhere in the vast plains lays lions, carefully scouting the place for unsuspecting prey. Hyenas, however, are more daring. They venture deep into Park to the watering hole where they lie down side by side with the herbivores. Skulls and other skeletal bones protruding menacingly from the earth are a clear indication of the cycle of life.

Ol Tukai Lodge Ol Tukai Lodge is located within the National Park, adjacent to an oasis by the same name – Ol Tukai. There are two comfortable family chalets comprised of an interconnecting double room and a twin room. With a full-fledged children-oriented program, the EleFun Club, the lodge can keep children of all ages busy throughout their stay. There are plenty of board games available.

Rigorous activities such as races, swimming competitions, ball games, musical chairs and other sporting activities will challenge their tiny bodies. They will gain artistic skills as they learn simple beadwork, painting as well as modelling.

With the guidance of the resident naturalist, they will master the flora and fauna composition of Amboseli.

A view of Ol Tukai Lodge on the top left, children playing at the lodge on top right and a family watching a Maasai dance at the bottom - Where to travel with your family in Kenya

They will then be immersed in the Masai culture, partaking in their battle songs and dances. The day culminates with an evening session

of African folklores.

Book an Amboseli Safari Package for Your Family

NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 41

TRAVEL WITH AIRKENYA

Meru National Park is a picturesque canvas of untamed wilderness. Elsa, the famous lioness, was nurtured by conservationists, George and his wife, Joy Adamson, here. The aerial view of the lush riverine forests does little to reveal what lies beneath their canopy. The dense terrestrial vegetation is casually broken by 13 meandering rivers perhaps to allow human exploration yonder. Bushbucks, zebras, reticulated giraffes, elephants and other herbivores thrive in the shrubland of this haven. The Big Cats frolic in the abundance of prey. Meanwhile, hippos guard the waters in conjunction with crocodiles.

Somali ostriches and the more than 427 recorded species of birds complete the picture.

2. Meru National Park

Reticulated giraffes grazing at Meru National Park, Kenya

Elsa’s Kopje Elsa’s Kopje exudes an in-themiddle-of-nowhere vibe – sits atop a cliff overlooking the swathing plains of the Park. While they do not necessarily have a specialised program for children, family travel is in the DNA. Family rooms ensure adults are not far from their young ones. An age-appropriate menu is available with a wide variety of delicacies for children, complete with complementing timings. The children will truly feel like little explorers during one of the bushwalks around the camp with an accomplished guide. They will also enjoy the equally engaging fishing expeditions and swimming sessions. Most of all, they will frolic in a philanthropic visit to a local school where they can share educational material with other children. It certainly does not exempt them from joining adults 42 | NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

A family viewing the expansive Meru National Park from Elewana's Elsa Kopje and atop a kopje while a child eats his picnic lunch - Where to travel with your family in Kenya

on a safari game drive or two.

Teenagers can explore further afield up Mughwango Hill.

Book a Meru Safari Package for Your Family

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3. Ol Pejeta Conservancy The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is sprawled between the Aberdare ranges to the left and Mt Kenya to the right.

The powdery snow remnants on the cascading peaks of the rugged mountain sparkle at sunrise, a clear reminder of the forgone glory of the once-revered mountain. On a good day, this vivid view lingers for the rest of the day. Straddling the equator, it is not your typical savanna wilderness. It is a refuge for Northern White rhinos, which are at the brink of extinction – the

last two remaining females, guarded day and night, offer a glimmer of hope after the death of the world-renowned male, Sudan, in 2018 - the last of its kind. Chimpanzees, rescued mainly from West and Central Africa, find a home here at Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, the only of its kind in Kenya. It is not a pity party, though. Elephants, black rhinos, Southern white rhinos, bushbucks, reticulated giraffes, and a host of other wildlife roam freely in this 90,000 acreages private reserve.

Two elephants and several antelopes grazing at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya

Sweetwaters Serena Camp Sweetwaters Serena Camp lies on a gentle hill with a clear view of Mount Kenya on one side; the other overlooks the expansive Ol pejeta plains. Their interconnecting familyfriendly tents provide parents with a peace of mind – you can easily keep an eye on the little ones. It is undoubtedly one of the best destinations. Exploration starts right from your doorstep – watch wildlife at the watering hole within the camp at your leisure. For a more exhilarating experience, head out for a game safari to spectate wildlife as they go about their business. Slot in a session with the cheeky chimps at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary – the children will love interacting with and learning about these apes. Finally, do not miss a visit to watch the two Northern White rhinos. Be sure to pass by Baraka's home to snap a few photos while the children feed him. Baraka

The view of Ol Pejeta Conservancy from one of the rooms at Sweetwaters Serena Camp - Where to travel with your family in Kenya

is a black rhino who went blind after sustaining an injury on one eye while defending his territory and later his other eye developed a crystallised cataract. For a more relaxed pace, opt for a camel ride. Take a break from your adventure every so often with a series of engaging activities

like archery, watercolour painting, swimming (children can swim on their own supervised by a resident lifeguard) or playing board games.

Book an Ol Pejeta Safari Package for Your Family

NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 43

TRAVEL WITH AIRKENYA

4. The Lewa-Borana Landscape Lewa and Borana Conservancies are award-winning conservation areas famous for their black rhino conservation. Get a panoramic aerial view of its endless golden plains spread over undulating hills with a backdrop of Mt. Kenya. It abounds with endangered

wildlife such as black rhinos, grevy’s zebra, and wild dogs as well as other common wildlife like elephants, lions, reticulated giraffes and other iconic wildlife species in Kenya. Besides, it hosts more than 400 species of birds.

© SHAUN MOUSLEY

Borana Lodge The Borana Lodge is a boutique eco-lodge perched on a hillside above a dam – a daylong wildlife magnet – with a scenic view of the conservancy. Their two family cottages are designed to accommodate and entertain families yet provide plenty of privacy. The kitchen is always happy to cater to the gentler palettes and earlier hours that tend to suit younger guests. For those who need to be in bed before their parents, a listening service is always on hand.

They will enjoy a stay at the lodge, as they engage in various activities under a watchful eye of a guide. The chef is more than happy to employ their tiny hands as he imparts some culinary knowledge on them.

There are docile horses ready for a leisurely ride across the plains of the conservancy. They can also explore the river or splash around in the swimming pool. A game drive

44 | NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

© STEVIE MANN

for the whole family will quench their intrepid curiosity, crowned with an excursion to the nearby Ngare Ndare Forest to marvel at its scenic aquatic blue natural pools served by crystal-clear waterfalls. All well as having sustainability at heart, Borana Lodge invests all retained

earnings into the running of Borana Conservancy, meaning that you and your family are having a positive impact when you travel.

Book a Borana Family Safari Package.

TRAVEL WITH AIRKENYA

5. Masai Mara National Reserve The Masai Mara is a hotbed of ethereal beauty.

Its sheer breadth, especially from above, is simply breathtaking. Verdant gentle hills flank the extensive plains in the horizon. Distinctively shaped flat-topped acacia trees sparsely cover the vast grasslands. It is not hard to imagine that it harbours millions of wildlife. But this is not its main attraction.

It is the highly anticipated and welcomed invasion

Basecamp Masai Mara Basecamp Masai Mara is a family-owned camp that is centred on family hospitality. Their family tents have a double and two rooms, all en suite, and a family lounge to allow families to socialise or dine privately.

Move aside, National Geographic.

There is a new sheriff in town. Their Young Explorers Club is designed to impart in-depth knowledge.

Children will learn firsthand how to track birds and wildlife using their sound, droppings, bone formation, and footprints. That's just for fauna. What about the flora, you ask? Under the guidance of an experienced naturalist, they will learn a wide array of plants and trees in their vicinity and their uses within the community. For instance, did you know that the Maasai use camphor tree (commonly known as Leleshwa tree in Kenya) as cologne?

Also, they will learn the bush survival tactics employed by the Maasai.

of millions of wildebeests and a smaller number of other types of herbivores that happens every year. The theatrical occurrence, dubbed the 8th Wonder of the World, is not to be missed. The sun bows out at dusk in a colourful set of bright reds and blues setting the stage for award-winning silhouettes of wildlife as they trudge back home. The night unveils a clear view of the galaxy even without stargazing binoculars.

They will learn how to throw the Masai club (rungu in Swahili) as well as use a bow and an arrow that they will craft from scratch. It will not be all hard work, no play. They learn to bead beautiful bracelets, necklaces and other accessories which they can gift their family and friends back home. The exploration does not stop there. There will be plenty of time to paint each other’s face using Masai cultural materials. The very young will enjoy piecing together puzzles to

reveal wildlife images in addition to wildlife-themed board games. The night sessions aren't dull, either.

They will have an opportunity to view the constellation that covers the Mara skies all night long. Besides, they will be entertained with African myths and folklores or watch as the Maasai do their signature dance around the campfire.

Book a Masai Mara Safari Package for Your Family

NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 45

2021 Airkenya Customer Service Week Experience

46 | NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

KISUMU

SERENGETI SOUTH

MALINDI

DIANI

KEY:

THROUGH FARE AIRKENYA NETWORK REGIONAL AIR NETWORK AEROLINK NETWORK

1. Amboseli 2. Kilimanjaro 3. Lewa Downs 4. Masai Mara 5. Meru 6. Nairobi

7. Nanyuki 8. Samburu 9. Migori 10. Loisaba 11. Kisumu 12. Entebbe

1. Arusha 2. Dar es Salaam 3. Fort Ikoma 4. Grumeti 5. Kilimanjaro 6. Kogatende 7. Lake Manyara 8. Lamai

9. Lobo 10. Ndutu 11. Sasakwa 12. Serengeti South 13. Seronera 14. Wasso 15. Zanzibar 16 Tarime

1. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest - Kihihi and Kisoro airstrips 2. Queen Elizabeth National Park - Kasese, Mweya and Semliki airstrips 3. Murchinson Falls National Park - Pakuba, Bugungu and Chobe airstrips 4. Kidepo National Park - Kidepo Airstrip 6. Entebbe - Mara Via Kisumu

AIRKENYA FLIGHT SCHEDULE 2022 FROM AMBOSELI WILSON AMBOSELI

TO

DEPART ARRIVE

AMBOSELI WILSON

07:30 08:15

08:05 09:30

• Daily Service; minimum of 2 pax to operate • The Inbound Amboseli -Wilson service immidiately connects to Nanyuki, Lewa Downs, Samburu, Meru, Loisaba at 10:00;connects the Maasai Mara at 10:30 and Kilimanjaro at 13:30

TSAVO FINCH HATTONS WILSON FINCH HATTONS 07:30 FINCH HATTONS WILSON 08:45

08:30 09:30

• Daily Service; minimum of 2 pax to operate; Starting 01st January 2022.

• The Inbound Finch Hattons -Wilson service immediately connects to Nanyuki, Lewa Downs, Samburu, Meru, Loisaba at 10:00; • The Inbound Finch Hattons -Wilson service immediately connects to Nanyuki, Lewa Downs, Samburu, Meru, Loisaba at 10:00; connects the Masai Mara at 10:30 and and Kilimanjaro at 13:30

KILIMANJARO WILSON KILIMANJARO

KILIMANJARO WILSON

13:30 14:40

14:25 15:35

• Daily Service, minimum of 4 pax to operate; • This airport is your gateway to a safari between Kenya & Tanzania as it easily connects to Arusha, Manyara, Grumeti, Seronera,Kogatende,Lobo,Fort-Ikoma and Sasakwa with Regional Air Services at 14:30 • Kilimanjaro To Wilson inbound service connects Masai Mara at 1600hrs

LEWA DOWNS WILSON WILSON LEWA DOWNS LEWA DOWNS

LEWA DOWNS LEWA DOWNS WILSON MASAI MARA

09:00 10:00 11:10 10:35

10:25 11:00 13:25 12:00

• Daily Service; minimum of 2 pax to operate • Flight to Lewa Downs, operate into Multiple Airstrips and timings may vary depending on aircraft routing • Flight from Lewa Downs to Masai Mara can route via Wilson to connect Masai Mara Service at 14:00 • The inbound flight Lewa to Wilson connects Kilimanjaro at 13:30 and to Masai Mara at 14:00

LEWA DOWNS (ADDITIONAL FLIGHT) WILSON LEWA DOWNS 08:00 LEWA DOWNS MASAI MARA 09:35

LOISABA WILSON WILSON LOISABA LOISABA

LOISABA LOISABA WILSON MASAI MARA

09:00 10:00 11:40 10:35

09:25 11:00

10:25 11:30 13:25 12:00

• Daily Service; minimum of 2 pax to operate. The flight will operate between 01 July - 30 September 2022 • Flight to Lewa Downs, operate into Multiple Airstrips and timings may vary depending on aircraft routing • Daily Service; minimum of 2 pax to operate • Flight to Loisaba, operate into Multiple Airstrips and timings may vary depending on aircraft routing • Flight from Loisaba to Masai Mara can route via Wilson to connect Masai Mara Service at 14:00 • Call Airkenya operations on departure date to confirm arrival and pick up times for various airstrips • The inbound flight Loisaba to Wilson connects Kilimanjaro at 13:30 and to Masai Mara at 14:00

LOISABA (ADDITIONAL FLIGHT) WILSON LOISABA LOISABA MASAI MARA

08:00 09:35

09:25 11:00

• Daily Service; minimum of 2 pax to operate. The flight will operate between 01 July - 30 September 2022 • Flight to Loisaba, operate into Multiple Airstrips and timings may vary depending on aircraft routing

MASAI MARA WILSON MASAI MARA WILSON MASAI MARA WILSON MASAI MARA

07:30 08:15 10:30 11:15 14:00 14:45

08:10 09:45 11:10 13:00 14:40 16:15

• Daily Service; minimum of 2 pax to operate • The inbound flight Masai Mara to Wilson arrive 09:45 connects to our Wilson-Northern Services at 10:00 • Masai Mara services operates into multiple airstrips, therefore timings may vary depending on aircraft routing • The arrival and departure times depict the first stop.

• Call Airkenya operations on departure date to confirm arrival and pick up times for various airstrips

MASAI MARA (ADDITIONAL FLIGHT) WILSON MASAI MARA 16:00 MASAI MARA WILSON 16:45

16:40 18:15

These flights would operate with minimum of 2 pax between 01st July and 30th September 2022

MIGORI & TARIME MIGORI MASAI MARA MASAI MARA MIGORI MASAI MARA TARIME TARIME MASAI MARA

12:05 08:45 08:45 11:00

12:25 09:30 10:40 12:25

• Mara – Serengeti – Mara services will route via Kilimanjaro until 30th June 2021. Thereafter, Migori service is expected to resume from 01st of July 2021.

(Refer to contract rates for services Via Migori &Tarime Airstrip)

MERU WILSON WILSON MERU MERU MERU MERU

MERU MERU WILSON NANYUKI SAMBURU MASAI MARA

09:00 10:00 12:10 12:10 10:20 10:05

09:55 12:00 13:25 12:35 10:40 12:00

• Daily Service; minimum of 2 pax to operate • Flight to Meru operate into Multiple Airstrips and timings may vary depending on aircraft routing • Flight from Meru to Masai Mara can route via Wilson to connect Masai Mara Service at 14:00 • The inbound flight Meru to Wilson connects Kilimanjaro at 13:30 and to Masai Mara at 14:00 • Call Airkenya operations on departure date to confirm arrival and pick up times for various airstrips • Meru - samburu is a one direction service

MERU (ADDITIONAL FLIGHT) WILSON MERU MERU MASAI MARA

08:00 09:05

08:55 11:00

• Daily Service; minimum of 2 pax to operate. The flight will operate between 01 July - 30 September 2022 • Flight to Meru, operate into Multiple Airstrips and timings may vary depending on aircraft routing

NANYUKI WILSON WILSON NANYUKI NANYUKI NANYUKI

09:00 10:00 12:45 10:45 11:00

09:35 10:35 13:25 12:00 12:00

• Daily Service; minimum of 2 pax to operate • Flight to Nanyuki operate into Multiple Airstrips and timings may vary depending on aircraft routing • Nanyuki - Masai Mara is a one direction service, and may route via Wilson in low season to catch Masai Mara 14:00 departure.

• The inbound flight Nanyuki to Wilson connects Kilimanjaro at 13:30 and to Masai Mara at 14:00 • Airstrips served Nanyuki are Civil & Komok Airstrips

MASAI MARA WILSON MASAI MARA WILSON MASAI MARA WILSON

NANYUKI NANYUKI WILSON MERU MASAI MARA

FROM TO NANYUKI (ADDITIONAL FLIGHT) WILSON NANYUKI NANYUKI MASAI MARA

DEPART ARRIVE 08:00 10:00

08:35 11:00

• Daily Service; minimum of 2 pax to operate. The flight will operate between 01 July - 30 September 2022 • Flight to NANYUKI operate into Multiple Airstrips and timings may vary depending on aircraft routing

09:00 10:00 11:40 10:35

10:25 11:30 13:25 12:00

• Daily Service; minimum of 2 pax to operate • Flight to Samburu operate into Multiple Airstrips and timings may vary depending on aircraft routing • The inbound flight Samburu to Wilson connects Kilimanjaro at 13:30 and to Masai Mara at 14:00 • Airstrips served Samburu Buffalo & Kalama

SAMBURU (ADDITIONAL FLIGHT) WILSON SAMBURU 08:00 SAMBURU MASAI MARA 09:35

09:25 11:00

• Daily Service; minimum of 2 pax to operate. The flight will operate between 01 July - 30 September 2022 • Flight to Samburu operate into Multiple Airstrips and timings may vary depending on aircraft routing

SASAAB WILSON WILSON SASAAB SASAAB

SASAAB SASAAB WILSON MASAI MARA

09:00 10:00 11:40 10:35

10:25 11:30 13:25 12:00

• Daily Service; minimum of 2 pax to operate; Starting 01st January 2022 • Flight to Samburu Sasaab operate into Multiple Airstrips and timings may vary depending on aircraft routing • The inbound flight Sasaab to Wilson connects Kilimanjaro at 13:30 and to Masai Mara at 14:00

SASAAB WILSON SASAAB

SASAAB MASAI MARA

08:00 09:35

09:25 11:00

• Daily Service; minimum of 2 pax to operate. The flight will operate between 01 July - 30 September 2022 • Flight to Sasaab operate into Multiple Airstrips and timings may vary depending on aircraft routing

12:05 08:45 08:45 11:00

12:25 09:30 10:40 12:25

• Daily Service; minimum of 4 pax to operate • Service operates into multiple airstrips therefore timings may vary depending on aircraft routing • The service connects Serengeti services and Masai Mara with Regional Air and Airkenya Services.

• Contact Airkenya reservations if connecting Auric and Coastal Aviation

SAMBURU WILSON WILSON SAMBURU SAMBURU

SAMBURU SAMBURU WILSON MASAI MARA

MIGORI & TARIME MIGORI MASAI MARA MASAI MARA TARIME

MASAI MARA MIGORI TARIME MASAI MARA

MASAI MARA - SERENGETI - MARA VIA MIGORI/TARIME MASAI MARA SERONERA 08:15 11:20 • • SERONERA MASAI MARA 09:15 12:40 MASAI MARA KOGATENDE 08:15 11:20 • KOGATENDE MASAI MARA 09:15 12:40 MASAI MARA MANYARA 08:15 12:00 • MANYARA MASAI MARA 08:40 12:40 MASAI MARA FORT IKOMA 08:15 11:20 FORT IKOMA MASAI MARA 09:15 12:40 MASAI MARA NDUTU 08:15 11:45 NDUTU MASAI MARA 08:00 12:40 MASAI MARA LOBO 08:15 11:20 LOBO MASAI MARA 09:15 12:40 MASAI MARA SERENGETI 08:15 11:20 SOUTH SERENGETI MASAI MARA 09:15 12:40 SOUTH MASAI MARA SASAKWA 08:15 11:20 SASAKWA MASAI MARA 09:15 12:40 MASAI MARA GRUMETI 08:15 11:20 GRUMETI MASAI MARA 09:15 12:40 MASAI MARA - UGANDA VIA KISUMU/ENTEBBE MASAI MARA KISUMU 08:15 09:20 KISUMU MASAI MARA 13:25 14:00 MASAI MARA ENTEBBE 08:15 11:00 ENTEBBE KISUMU ENTEBBE MASAI MARA KIHIHI MASAI MARA

MASAI MARA ENTEBBE KISUMU KIHIHI (BINP) MASAI MARA KASESE/MWEYA (QENP) KASESE/MWEYA MASAI MARA MASAI MARA SEMLIKI SEMILIKI MASAI MARA MASAI MARA BUGUNGU MASAI MARA PAKUBA/CHOBE (MFNP) MASAI MARA KIDEPO (KVNP)

11:45 10:00 11:45 08:15 09:45 08:15

14:00 11:00 12:45 14:40 14:45 14:15

10:20 08:15 10:20 08:15 08:15

14:45 14:15 14:45 13:00 13:00

08:15

14:45

• • • • • • • •

Daily Service; minimum of 4 pax to operate Service operates into multiple airstrips therefore timings may vary depending on aircraft routing The service connects Serengeti services and Masai Mara with Regional Air and Airkenya Services.

Contact Airkenya reservations if connecting Auric and Coastal Aviation

Flights are daily with a minimum of 4 pax to operate.

Flight services route via Kisumu and Entebbe Airports for Customs and Immigration Service into multiple airstrips therefore timings may vary depending on aircraft routing BINP -Bwindi Impenetrable National Park QENP - Queen Elizabeth National Park MFNP - Murchison Falls National Park KVNP - Kidepo Valley National Park Kidepo Service will require a minimum of 7 pax and will operate on Wed, Fri and Sun

LOW SEASON: 01 APR 2022 - 30 JUN 2022; 01 NOV 2022 - 20 DEC 2022 HIGH SEASON: 21 DEC 2021 - 31 MAR 2022; 01 JUL 2022 - 31 OCT 2022 Valid from 21st Dec 2021 to 20th Dec 2022 • • • •

CHECK IN TIME is 60 minutes before flight time in Nairobi (Wilson), Kilimanjaro, Kisumu and Entebbe Airports.

Gate closes 30 minutes before departure time after which passengers will not be allowed to check in.

Check in time from all bush airstrips is 30 minutes before departure time.

Airkenya Operations can be reached on the morning of schedule flights to get approximate arrival and departure times for various bush airstrips.

Contact Charter Desk for privately tailor made services or if the schedule services do not meet your requirements: charters@airkenya.com

Tel: +254 (0)20 391 6000 / +254 (0) 20 3925000 Email: info@airkenya.com / resvns@airkenya.com Website: wwwairkenya.com

AIRKENYA AIRCRAFT FLEET BOMBARDIER DHC 8-202 (DASH 8) Manufacturer: Bombardier Crew: 5 (2 pilots, 2 flight attendants, and 1 engineer) Passengers: Maximum 37 Description: Pressurised aircraft ideal for African bush flying No in Fleet: 1

DHC 7-100 (DASH 7) Manufacturer: Dehavilland, Canada Crew: 5 (2 Pilots, 2 Flight attendants and 1 Engineer) Passengers: Maximum 50 Description: Pressurised STOL (short take-off and landing) aircraft ideal for African bush flying No in Fleet: 2

DHC 6-300 (TWIN OTTER) Manufacturer: Dehavilland, Canada Crew: 2 pilots Passengers: Maximum 18 Description: STOL (short take-off & landing) aircraft with fixed landing gear ideal for African bush flying No in Fleet: 3

CESSNA GRAND CARAVAN C208B Manufacturer: Cessna Aircraft Company, USA Crew: 2 pilots Passengers: Maximum 11 Description: STOL Aircraft with fixed undercarriage ideal for African bush flying No in Fleet: 3

NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022 | 49

REGIONAL AIR SERVICES FLIGHT SCHEDULE 2022

SCHEDULE VALID FROM 1ST JANUARY 2022 UPTO 31ST DECEMBER 2022 FROM Arusha AM

TO Fort Ikoma Grumeti Kogatende Lobo Manyara Ndutu*** Sasakwa Seronera SGS Wasso

ETD 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00

ETA 10:05 9:30 9:55 9:25 8:25 9:05 10:05 10:30 TBA 9:55

Arusha PM

Kilimanjaro Manyara Seronera

13:00 16:00 16:00

13:15 16:25 17:15

COMMENTS

LOW AND MID SEASON (1ST JANUARY – 14TH JUNE 2022 AND 16TH SEPTEMBER - 31ST DECEMBER 2022) Arusha Dar 13:00 15:20 Dar Arusha 15:50 17:40 Arusha Zanzibar 13:00 14:35 Zanzibar Dar 15:00 15:20 Zanzibar Arusha 15:00 17:40

FROM Seronera AM

- SERENGETI MORNING SCHEDULE 7:30 9:05 7:30 10:30 7:30 10:30 7:30 10:30 7:30 10:30

DAR ES SALAAM - ARUSHA - SERENGETI MORNING SCHEDULE Dar es SaArusha 8:00 9:05 laam AM Kogatende 8:00 10:30 Lobo 8:00 10:30 Sasakwa 8:00 10:30 Seronera 8:00 10:30 Grumeti AM

Arusha Dar Dar Kilimanjaro Kogatende Lobo Manyara Ndutu *** Sasakwa Tarime

9:50 9:50 9:50 9:50 9:50 9:50 9:50 9:50 9:50 9:15

12:15 13:10 High season only 15:20 Low & Mid Season Only 13:10 10:10 10:35 11:35 11:20 10:00 10:15 Connects with Airkenya at Migori 10:30 12:30 High season only 14:35 Low & Mid Season Only

Seronera Zanzibar Zanzibar

9:50 9:50 9:50

Kilimanjaro Arusha PM Manyara Seronera

15:30 15:30 15:30

15:45 16:25 17:15

Kogatende AM

Arusha Arusha Dar Dar Grumeti Kilimanjaro Lobo Manyara Ndutu *** Sasakwa ** Seronera Tarime

9:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 9:15

10:10 12:15 13:10 15:20 10:25 13:10 TBA 11.35 TBA 10:15 10:30 10:15

Zanzibar Zanzibar

10:00 10:00

17:30

18:30

Arusha*

12:45

13:40 High season only

Zanzibar Zanzibar Seronera PM Lobo AM

Arusha Dar Dar Grumeti Kilimanjaro Kogatende Manyara Ndutu *** Sasakwa ** Seronera Tarime

9:45 9:45 9:45 9:45 9:45 9:45 9:45 9:45 9:45 9:45 9:15

Zanzibar Zanzibar

9:45 9:45

Arusha Dar Dar Fort Ikoma Grumeti Kilimanjaro Kogatende Lobo Ndutu *** Sasakwa ** Seronera Tarime

11:50 11:50 11:50 8:40 8:40 11:50 8:40 8:40 8:40 8:40 8:40 8:40

Manyara AM

12:15 13:10 High Season Only 15:20 Low & Mid Season Only 10:25 13:10 9:55 11:35 10:15 10:05 10:30 10:15 Connects with Airkenya at Migori 12:35 High Season Only 14:35 Low & Mid Season Only

12:15 16:40 High Season Only 15:20 Low & Mid Season Only 10:05 9:30 13:10 9:25 10:20 9:05 10:05 10:30 10:15 Connects with Airkenya at Migori Zanzibar 11:50 16:00 High Season Only Zanzibar 11:50 14:35 Low & Mid Season Only Manyara - Zanzibar flight in the high season is via Ausha and will have a lay over of 2 hours and connect on the 1500hrs flight to Zanzibar

Manyara PM

Arusha * Grumeti * Sasakwa *

18:05 16:40 16:40

18:30 TBA TBA

Ndutu AM

Arusha *** Dar *** Dar *** Grumeti *** Kilimanjaro *** Kogatende *** Lobo *** Manyara *** Sasakwa ** Seronera *** Tarime ***

11:35 11:35 11:35 9:20 11:35

12:15 16:40 High Season Only 15:20 Low & Mid Season Only 9:50 13:10

Zanzibar *** Zanzibar ***

11:35 11:35

High Season Only All Year Schedule High Season Only Low & Mid Season Only

Connects with Airkenya at Migori 12:35 High Season Only 14:35 Low & Mid Season Only

Arusha *

ETD 11:00 11:00 11:00 9:30 11:00 9:30 9:30 11:00 9:30 9:15

HIGH SEASON SCHEDULE (15TH JUNE 2022 - 15TH SEPTEMBER 2022) Arusha Dar 14:30 16:20 Dar Arusha 16:40 17:50 Arusha Zanzibar 14:30 15:35 Zanzibar Dar 16:05 16:20 Zanzibar Arusha 16:05 17:50 ZANZIBAR - ARUSHA Zanzibar Arusha AM Kogatende Lobo Sasakwa Seronera

FROM Sasakwa AM

11:00 11:00

ETA COMMENTS 12:15 12:35 High Season Only 15:20 Low & Mid Season Only 10:00 13:10 9:55 9:50 11:35 9:45 10:15 Connects with Airkenya at Migori 12:35 High Season Only 14:35 Low & Mid Season Only

TO Arusha Dar Dar Grumeti ** Kilimanjaro Kogatende Lobo Manyara Sasakwa ** Tarime

SGS

Tarime Arusha

9:20

10:00

9:20 11:35

9:50 12:00

9:20 9:20

9:50 10:30

9:15

10:15 Connects with Airkenya at Migori 16:00 High Season Only 14:35 Low & Mid Season Only

9:15 TBA

10:15 TBA

TO Arusha Dar Dar Kilimanjaro Kogatende Lobo Manyara Ndutu *** Seronera Tarime

ETD 10:15 10:15 10:15 10:15 10:15 10:15 10:15 10:15 10:15 9:15

Zanzibar Zanzibar

10:15 10:15

ETA COMMENTS 12:15 13:10 High Season Only 15:20 Low & Mid Season Only 13:10 TBA TBA 11:15 11:20 10:30 10:15 Connects with Airkenya at Migori 12:35 High Season Only 14:35 Low & Mid Season Only

Wasso AM

Arusha **

10:00

12:15

Fort Ikoma AM

Arusha Dar Dar Kilimanjaro Lobo Manyara Ndutu Tarime

10:00 10:15 10:15 10:15 10:15 10:15 10:15 9:15

Zanzibar Zanzibar

10:15 10:15

12:15 13:10 High Season Only 15:20 Low & Mid Season Only 13:10 TBA 11:35 11:20 10:15 Connects with Airkenya at Migori 12:35 High Season Only 14:35 Low & Mid Season Only

Kilimanjaro KogaPM tende** Lobo** Ndutu**

15:30

TBA

15:30 15:30

TBA TBA

Arusha PM

16:00 16:00

TBA TBA

16:00

TBA

Ndutu** Kogatende** Lobo**

Tarime

Arusha 11:00 13:40 Fort Ikoma 11:00 TBA Grumeti 11:00 TBA Kogatende 11:00 11:15 Lobo 11:00 TBA Manyara 11:00 TBA Ndutu 11:00 TBA Sasakwa 11:00 TBA Seronera 11:00 12:10 SGS 11:00 TBA Above Rates to and from Tarime are exclusive of road transfers charged at $ 55 per person and the sector Mara - Migori - Mara is operated by Airkenya Express

Arusha Nairobi, 13:00 15:20 Wilson Grumeti 9:50 15:20 Kilimanjaro 14:25 15:20 Lobo 9:45 15:20 Kogatende 10:00 15:20 Manyara 11:50 15:20 Ndutu 11:35 15:20 Sasakwa 10:15 15:20 Seronera 11:00 15:20 Kilimanjaro - Wilson Sector Operated by AirKenya Express Nairobi, Wilson

Arusha 13:15 15:45 Grumeti 13:15 TBA Kilimanjaro 13:15 14:10 Manyara 13:15 16:25 Sasakwa 13:15 TBA Seronera 13:15 17:05 Wilson - Kilimanjaro Sector Operated by Airkenya Express

NOTES • All timings are estimates and will vary depending on aircraft routing • *ON REQUEST means we will only operate where there is sufficient traffic to justify the operation and timing or when extra cost is covered • **ON INDUCEMENT means flights which we will operate at scheduled rates for 8 passengers or more • ***SEASONAL is June to October and December to March • ****TBA means time to be advised depending on flight plan that day • A minimum of 2 pax is required for RAS to operate into any airstrip that’s not on inducement or request.

Operations: ops@regional.co.tz / +255 (0)753 500 300 / (0)786 021 102 Reservations: resvns@regional.co.tz / +255 (0)754 285 754 / (0)784 285 753

www.regionaltanzania.com

REGIONAL AIR FLEET

CESSNA GRAND CARAVAN C208B Manufacturer: Crew: Passengers: Description: Fleet No.:

Cessna Aircraft Company, USA 2 pilots Maximum 12 STOL Aircraft with fixed undercarriage ideal for African bush flying 1

DHC 6-300 (TWIN OTTER) Manufacturer: Crew: Passengers: Description: No in Fleet:

Dehavilland, Canada 2 pilots Maximum 18 STOL (short take-off & landing) aircraft with fixed landing gear ideal for African bush flying 1

BOMBARDIER DHC 8-202 (DASH 8) Manufacturer: Crew: Passengers: Description: Fleet No.:

Bombardier 2 pilots 1 flight attendant Maximum 37 Pressurized cummuter aircraft 1

AEROLINK FLIGHT SCHEDULE 2022 Murchison falls National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park (South) Daily Service

From Entebbe Kisoro

To Kisoro Entebbe

Depart 0700 0825

Daily Service

Arrive 0810 1125

Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing From Kisoro airstrip passengers can connect to:- Kihihi, Mweya, Kasese and Semliki airstrips

See note (a, b & h) See note (g)

To Bugungu Entebbe

Depart 1200 1315

Arrive 1300 1615

Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing From Bugungu airstrip passengers can fly to:- Kasese, Mweya, Kihihi

Murchison falls National Park

From Entebbe Kihihi

To Kihihi Entebbe

Depart 0700 0945

Arrive 0845 See note (h) 1125

Entebbe Kihihi

Kihihi Entebbe

1015 1140

1125 1330

See note (c)

Entebbe Kihihi

Kihihi Entebbe

1200 1445

1440 1615

See note (e)

Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing From Pakuba/Chobe airstrips passengers can fly to:- Kasese, Mweya, Kihihi and Semliki airstrips

See note (g)

Murchison falls National Park - QENP, BINP &SNP

Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing From Kihihi Airstrip passengers can connect to:- Kisoro, Mweya, Kasese and Semliki airstrips

From Entebbe Mbarara

To Mbarara Entebbe

Depart Arrive 1015 1100 1245 1330

See Note (c)

To Kasese/Mweya Entebbe

Depart 0700 1020

Arrive 1005 1125

Entebbe Kasese/Mweya Kasese/Mweya Entebbe

1015 1220

1205 1330

Entebbe Kasese/Mweya

1200 1420

1415 1615

Kasese/Mweya Entebbe

See note (h)

Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing

Daily Service

See note (c)

Arrive 1130 1430

See note (d)

See note (e)

Masai Mara * Kisumu

*Kisumu Masai Mara

0845 1355

0950 1430

See note (d)

*Kisumu Entebbe

Entebbe Kisumu

1030 1215

1130 1315

See note (d)

*Routes Via Kisumu for Immigration

From Masai Mara passengers can fly to:- Kihihi, Mweya, Kasese, Semliki, Pakuba, Bugungu, Chobe and Kidepo airstrips

Depart 0700 1020

Arrive 1005 See note (d & h) 1125

Entebbe Semliki

Semliki Entebbe

1015 1220

1205 1330

See note (c & d)

Entebbe Semliki

Semliki Entebbe

1200 1420

1415 1615

See note (d & e)

Depart 1230 1500

Arrive 1445 1630

Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing From Semliki airstrip passengers can connect to:- Mweya, Kasese, See note (g) Kihihi and Kisoro airstrips

Kidepo Valley National Park

Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing

Tel: +256 317 333000

See note (d)

Depart 0845 1215

To Semliki Entebbe

To Kidepo Entebbe

Arrive 1415

See note (d)

To Entebbe Masai Mara

From Entebbe Semliki

From Entebbe Kidepo

Depart 1315

Arrive 1300 1615

From Masai Mara Entebbe

Semuliki National Park

Wednesday, Friday and Sunday

To Kasese/Mweya Kihihi/Semliki

Depart 1200 1315

Masai Mara-Entebbe

Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing From Kasese/Mweya airstrips passengers can fly to:- Mweya/Kasese, See note (g) Kihihi, Kisoro and Semliki airstrip

Daily Service

To Pakuba/Chobe Entebbe

QENP - Queen Elizabeth National Park (Kasese and Mweya airstrips) BINP - Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park (Kihihi airstrip) SNP - Semuliki National Park (Semliki airstrip)

Queen Elizabeth National Park From Entebbe Kasese/Mweya

From Entebbe Pakuba/Chobe

From Bugungu/ Pakuba/Chobe

Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing Daily Service)

Daily Service

Daily Service

Lake Mburo National Park Daily Service

See note (d)

and Semliki airstrips

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park (North) Daily Service

From Entebbe Bugungu

info@aerolinkuganda.com

See note (e and f)

Notes a) Kisoro flights are subject to the prevailing weather conditions and strictly morning flights. b) Kisoro has a surcharge of USD 70 per person c) Mid morning daily flight except April, May and November d) Will operate with minimum of 4 pax e) PM service from Entebbe may route via Murchison Falls National Park subject to loads. f) Kidepo will operate with minimum 7 pax and is available other days of the week on request. g) Internal flights between national parks on request at seat rate eg Kisoro to Kihihi, Kasese to Kihihi, Kasese to Kisoro. h) Passengers can connect onwards to Masai Mara Via Entebbe and Kisumu for Immigration i) Jinja to Kihihi/Kasese/Mweya flight on request at a surcharge of $ 950

Valid: January to December 2022

aerolinkuganda

www.aerolinkuganda.com

@aerolinkuganda

@aerolinkuganda

AEROLINK AIRCRAFT FLEET

CESSNA GRAND CARAVAN C208B Manufacturer: Cessna Aircraft Company, USA Crew: 2 pilots Passengers: Maximum 11 Description: STOL Aircraft with fixed undercarriage ideal for African bush flying No in Fleet: 3

NAIROBI Airkenya Express Limited, Wilson Airport P.O. Box 30357 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya Telephone numbers: Call Centre (Reservations) +254 (0)20 391 6000

Airkenya Express

@airkenya_official Administration:

(Operations, Sales Marketing & Accounts) +254 (0) 20 3925000, 6005745/6, +254 (0) 206005730 Mobile: +254 (0) 721 415346, 0733 731865, +254 (0) 727 131977 E-mail: resvns@airkenya.com, operations@airkenya.com charters@airkenya.com & helicopters@airkenya.com

@AirKenyaExpress

www.airkenya.com

AEROLINK

www.aerolinkuganda.com

www.regionaltanzania.com

Fun Inspired Holidays

When you think of travel, think of Safari Herd Holidays.

Image credit: Governors Camps

Safari Expert Safari Herd founders are native Kenyans who live in Africa along with the rest of the team and are available to consult for whatever need arises when planning to travel to East Africa.

Safari Destinations We offer a carefully curated selection of the best safari destinations in East Africa; Kenya and Tanzania – along with gorilla encounters in the rainforests of Uganda and Rwanda, and the tropical beaches of Zanzibar.

Safari Lodges Safari experience requires quiet and seclusion of remotely located camps and lodges where luxury is defined as much by proximity to wildlife, comfort, and amenities, which we are focused to make your dream holiday successful.

Value Guaranteed By choosing us as your preferred choice, you will receive our exclusive quality and value guarantee which is above the average expectations. We will ensure in our services that our guests return home with unforgettable memories.

Emergency Evacuation Services of East Africa’s flying doctors are included in every safari program as part of Safari Herd's comprehensive client protection, ensuring emergency transportation is available to the nearest medical facility should the need arise.

Image credit: Chem Chem Camps, Tz

Safari Herd Holidays - Nairobi, Kenya. Reservation Office; Block A2, Karuna Road Westlands. Nairobi - Kenya.

Telephone: +254 710 450 638 / +254 768 139 488, Email: info@safariherd.co.ke, Website: www.safariherd.co.ke

Keeping air travellers safe from Covid-19

@CAA-KENYA | www.kcaa.or.ke

56 | NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

Kenya Civil Aviation Authority P.O.BOX 30163-00100 Nairobi, Kenya.

Tel +254-020-6827471-5 / +254-020-6827470