1.  My own set of binoculars.  Doesn’t matter if I am on safari by myself, with my husband or with the whole family I want my own set of binoculars.  There is nothing more frustrating than having to share a pair because when your guide says “check out the leopard moving through the brush over there”, you don’t want to have to ask your husband for the binos and you definitely don’t want to miss the leopard while you are trying to readjust the focus of said binos!  Can be a deal breaker in a marriage let me tell you.   So buy or borrow your own pair it will be worth it.

2.  Extra memory cards for my camera.  Doesn’t matter that I have been going on safari a few times a year for the past decade, I always take more photos than I can possibly imagine as there is always something new that I want to record.   You don’t want to have to make the choice each night of which photos to delete on your memory card in order to have more space for tomorrow and you definitely don’t want to run out of space the minute you spot the lion cubs.

3.  A headlamp not a flashlight.  Nothing against flashlights but I love having my hands free as I walk to the toilet at the back of the tent in the middle of the night or when I am being escorted back to my room after a few “dawas” around the campfire.  You can easily get a headlamp at any outdoor equipment store and they make great reading lights as well when my husband has decided to hit the hay earlier than me.

4.  A fleece vest or jacket.  Most people think of Africa and think of sweltering tropical heat and that is true in some parts of the continent but not in early mornings or late evenings in Kenya.  You have to remember that Kenya is at a high altitude and straddles the equator so we often have very cool mornings and evenings.  So I always dress in layers and start my morning game drive with my fleece vest on and I peel off the layers as the day warms up and put them back on as the sun sets.

5.  A kikoi.  Now, you might not know what a kikoi is if you haven’t been to East Africa yet but it is a fantastic woven cotton sarong that is the garment of choice on the coast.  I always buy them when I am over as they come in great colours and make fantastic gifts.  But I have used mine as a sarong over my swimsuit, a shawl in the evenings, a skirt when my luggage was lost, a sunshade in the land rover, a picnic blanket and as “air conditioning” by soaking the sarong and laying it across my body during my afternoon siesta.  Wouldn’t leave home without one anymore and I often pack two or three!

So those are the 5 essential items I always pack when I’m going on safari plus lots more items which you can find in the “what should we pack” section of our website.  I’ll be sharing some stories & pictures from my safari in our next blog so stay tuned!

At the Bush and Beyond properties you are able to do various types of guided bush walks – as simple as a short stroll with your guide or as ambitious as a 5 night guided walking safari supported by camels where you will be camping out under the stars.  It is really up to you and we truly have a walk suitable for everyone at every age.

What I love about doing a guided bush walk is the chance to spot things that often go unnoticed while you are in vehicle, well, unnoticed by me but definitely not your guide.  This is the art of tracking or bush craft – one of the many ways your talented safari guide is able to find the wildlife and this is something you can learn about on a walk.  How to spot animal tracks – the difference between a hyena and a wild dog; or how to interpret animal droppings – which is the black rhino and which is the white rhino; or what does this sign mean – be it a tuft of hair or a broken branch.   Kids love learning these things and nothing makes them giggle more than the chance to poke at animal poo!

On a bush walk, you also get a chance to learn more about the plant life which I know might sound a bit boring at first unless you are botanist but is truly amazing when you understand its importance in the local culture and with other wildlife.  For example, the maasai toothbrush is a branch from an elephant pepper tree stripped of its bark and chewed by the Maasai and if you look you will see they have very white teeth!  Or what about the sandpaper tree whose leaves have a rough side just like sandpaper and is used by the Maasai to do the fine sanding of their bows, rungus and machete handles.

Everyone talks about the “Big Five” on safari but what about “The Little Five” which you stand a better chance of spotting on foot than in a vehicle.  The Big Five as many know are the lion, buffalo, elephant, rhino and leopard while the Little Five are the lion ant, buffalo weaver, elephant shrew, rhino beetle and leopard tortoise – I am still hoping to one day spot an elephant shrew!! I have to say that tracking the Little Five is a much fun and provides as much if not more bragging rights as spotting the Big Five.

So if you are lucky enough to stay at any of our Bush and Beyond properties, make sure you get out on foot and take a guided bush walk.  Who knows what you might discover simply by putting one foot in front of the other.

Samburu Trust founder Julia Francombe has written this to tell us her story of how the Trust started its nomad education program and some background on how it works.

The drought in northern Kenya lasted longer than 2 years – the men and warriors left the main homesteads to take their dying herds further afield looking for pasture. It was a terrible time – starving people and mountains of dying cattle.

The women were left at home with no food and hungry children. This is when we began the children’s painting project. Hundreds of children would come to Ol Malo each day (the ranch owned by the Francombe family in Samburuland). They would paint pictures and have lunch – we gave them 5kg of beans a week – a little food to help feed their families.

In 2001 after the drought the people had started calling the painting project Julia’s school – although the painting was a necessity during the drought, it was not a school and not enough on its own.

We started by sponsoring a group of the painting children to go to the local Government school on Kirimon, we selected children who would be able to walk the 1.5 hrs each way.

After a month we were shocked when we saw them as they had become skin and bone again due to the long distances they walked to school every day. We provided them with extra food but knew that the real solution was to build a school close to their homes.

We were also worried about them being trampled on by an elephant on the 3hr walk each day.

The obvious thing to do was build a school. The first school was built on community land – mud walls and a tin roof – the same as all the other schools in northern Kenya.

We employed a teacher from a town in the Rift valley, who had years of experience. The money we collected through sales of painting was paid to the community to buy school lunches, pay the teacher and provide the children with the materials they needed for the school.

Within weeks the numbers of children in the school dwindled. The teacher wasn’t being paid and there was rarely lunch. The teaching materials were never renewed and the school was in trouble.

We tried time and time again, employing new teachers and buying materials. After a few months we had a dusty, dirty school, less than 10 children and teachers who often didn’t even turn up!

Something was wrong.

It was at this time I decided to look at the culture. The school was wrong – it obviously wasn’t working for the pastoralist Samburu people and it was time to find out why.

I spent the next few years living with the Samburu – understanding their lifestyle and the role of children in the community. The children are key to the survival of the livestock, herding the baby sheep, goats and lambs from an early age.

It is during this time that they learn about the land, the water and how to survive. This knowledge is key to their survival.

Understanding the culture was key. The nomad education project was born. In 2004 we built our first eco-friendly nomad school.

The school moves when the people migrate; the teachers are from the community, the older boys teaching their brothers and sisters to read and write.

The children are taught on a modular 3 moon system (3 months). In this way they not only have the opportunity to learn to read and write, but they also herd the livestock and learn about their culture and the land.

I can finally say we are seeing some incredibly positive results. The teachers and children and engaged, there is rhythm and we seem to have got through the teething problems – finally.

What sets us apart from other schools in northern Kenya is that we are very clear with our aims; basic literacy and numeracy in ALL pastoralist children. We focus on the teachers – good teachers are KEY to the success of this project.

Our schools are two-fold to;

1. Train teachers. At present we have seven teachers enrolled in a 3 year teacher training course.

2. Teach ALL Children – we rotate the lchekuti (herding) children so that all children have the opportunity to read, write and count. Basic literacy and numeracy.

“The kindergarten and surrounds are quiet and well kept. There is a feeling of order and security. The day runs with a seemingly effortless rhythm. The children have trust in the teachers who show the right balance of caring and interest, without being cloying or interfering. The children are happy. Their eyes shine. They participate in everything with enthusiasm – life is an exciting adventure!” Ann Sharfman, Nairobi Teacher Training.

The Ol Malo school is our model and training school. Each year all the teachers from the north gather her for an intense month of training.

We now have two eco-schools and one thorn-tree school. Each school has a minimum of two teachers – one for kindergarten, ages 4-7 and one for the primary age starting at 7.

We are at present working with the Training teachers to develop a modular course, in conjunction with the Kenyan school curriculum.

Each school has two classes – 25 children in each. The children rotate every 3 moons, (3 months) – completing two 3 month modules per year. 50 children per class per year – 100 children per school per year. 300 children in the 3 nomad schools.

The Future

The training teachers have just spent a week with us and are giving us direction for the future.

Our children at Ol Malo are ready for class 2 – however we do not as yet have a classroom for them. The training teachers have suggested that main teacher from class 1 moves onto class 2 with them as his training matures.

Therefore each school will need a larger kindergarten – class 1 and a class 2 for primary level.

If you would like more information on the Trust nomad education system or you would like to support a nomad school please contact us at info@samburutrust.org