It depends where you decide to stay and for how long.
We offer four types of accommodations:
- Campi ya Kanzi tented cottages, at $595 per person per day,
plus $100 conservation fee
- Campi ya Kanzi suites, at $800 per person per day, plus $100
conservation fee
- Kanzi House, with room for 10 guests, at $20,500 for the
entire house for 3 nights, plus $200 conservation fee per
person
- Voluntourism, at $100 per person per day, conservation fee
payable as a liberality
Please read Rates section for details
Campi ya Kanzi is a community eco-lodge. For every day a
visitor stay with us, $100 are paid to Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust.
This money enables the Trust to employ nearly 200 Kenyans, run
conservation, education and health programs.
In return you have 280,000 acres wilderness to explore and
enjoy, without other tourists.
As a further return you should know that your visit contributes
to preserve the same wilderness, wildlife and tribal culture
you came to enjoy.
Should you decide to stay at Kanzi House, you will contribute
$200 conservation fee per person per day. We feel that enjoying
the luxury of a private villa in the middle of pristine Maasai
wilderness, with a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi, calls for a
more meaningful give back to the community.
No, we are not. Luca and Antonella have three very young kids: it is safe, there is no risk of malaria at Campi ya Kanzi and at Kanzi House.
Yes, you can. Please read question above (How Much Does It Cost) and see our volunteers program
Yes, you can. Please read here about our programs
Go to Contact page
See our Decalogue. and how we address eco sustainability
At Campi ya Kanzi, your safety is our primary concern. No
guest of the camp has ever been injured. However, you will be
visiting an area where the wild animals are free to roam
wherever they wish. This is not a zoo. That is why a
professional guide and Maasai trackers will escort you on each
safari. On arrival you will be requested to sign a release of
liability form. This is a requirement should you like to join
our game walks.
Unlike in the National Parks, you will be free to get out of
our Land Rover and approach game on foot, accompanied by our
guide and trackers. Of course if you wish, you can remain in
the vehicle. For any urgent communication, the camp is equipped
with a satellite phone.
It's actually fairly easy. If you can get yourself to
Nairobi, we'll take care of the rest!
Our hostess will meet you at the International Airport in
Nairobi and help you with your transfer to our camp. If you
arrive late in the day, we'll take you to your hotel in
Nairobi. If you're coming in early enough, we'll make
the transfer that same day. Our recommendation is that you take
our own air services. We operate commercially a 6 seaters
Cessna 206. It just takes one hour to fly from Nairobi to Campi
ya Kanzi airstrip. We offer daily flights, 7 days a week, at
the most convenient time for our guests. We'll handle the
transfer from Nairobi International to Wilson Airport.
The cost of the flight is $330 per person one way, with a
minimum of 2 passengers.
We can also fly you from Mombasa or Malindi, just one hour and
10 minutes flight, for $380 per person one way, with a minimum
of 2 passengers.
In all flights maximum total luggage allowed is 15 kg (35
pounds) per passenger, in soft bag.
If you prefer to travel by road, we offer transport from
Nairobi to the camp in a 4WD vehicle (maximum four passengers).
This costs $600 one way per vehicle, plus $50 per person for
the Tsavo National Park entrance fee. The trip is about 200
miles, and takes approximately six hours. We suggest
flying.
If you have any questions, please contact us at lucasaf@iwayafrica.com
Anytime is good. Temperatures are very comfortable year-round, with daytime highs around 90sºF/35ºC. Nighttime lows are around 50sºF/14ºC. The coolest month is July, with January and February being the warmest. During the Short Rains of November, there may be brief showers several times per night. During the Long Rains (April to mid-May), there will be nights with a lot of heavy showers. During and after the rains the ranch is particularly attractive. At this time, everything is green and the elephant population is at its peak. Kilimanjaro will have snow peaks, all will be blossoming.
Campi ya Kanzi offers an authentic safari experience, in a
pristine and iconic wilderness, with a connection to the local
Maasai tribe which is profound and genuine.
We provide you with the ability to enjoy a safari away from the
tourists' crowds: 280,000 acres of wilderness for a maximum
of 16 guests.
The different landscapes and the rich biodiversity mean your
wildlife experience will be rich and diverse.
We also offer an amazing arrays of safari activities, not just
game drives and game walks, but also a real understanding and
connection with the Maasai community, fly camping and flight
excursions.
Walking on foot with a Maasai tracker, learning to read
footprints, to approach wildlife, to identify trees and birds:
pretty special.
Contrary to most of other lodges in East Africa, here you are
hosted by the founders.
Visiting us offers you the chance to explore one of the last
wild places in East Africa, while your visit plays a role in
preserving it.
In terms of viewing wildlife, there are several differences.
Normally, in a National Park, you must stay in your vehicle
(mini-van or four wheel drive). It is against Park regulations
to get out of the vehicle at any time. Since Campi ya Kanzi is
located in the Maasai-owned Kuku Group Ranch, these laws do not
apply. Therefore, while staying with us you will be able to
enjoy, in safety, different walks: in the savanna, in the cloud
forest, next to the lake, on the river. Also, Campi ya Kanzi is
very exclusive: our camp hosts a maximum of 16 visitors in our
eight tented cottages. 400 square miles of wilderness all for
our guests!
We are 2/3 the size of the Maasai Mara Game Reserve. However,
the Maasai Mara has beds for over 5,000 tourists. At Campi ya
Kanzi, you will see game, but you will never be surrounded by
hordes of mini-vans full of tourists!
Animals in the Parks are more used to vehicles, and easier to
approach. The draw back is that they will ignore you and there
will be very little, if at all, interaction between you and
them.
At Campi ya Kanzi animals are wild; they behave naturally and
you will not have the zoo safari experience of the crowded
Parks. We focus in providing information about animal behavior,
ecology, biology, geology. We would like to pass you our
passion for the wilderness; the more knowledge and experience
we will be able to pass you, the happier we will be. We like to
focus on your connection with the Maasai community, what is
going on and why, the interaction
of different species, the social behavior among one species,
conservation challenges. Your experience withis will not just
be about what animals you will see.
Whatever you like! At most of other lodges, your days will
be scheduled with very little flexibility, if some at
all.
When you arrive at Campi ya Kanzi Luca will brief you about the
camp and Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust. He will learn
from you what your interests are, what your previous African
experiences have been, what you like most.
With your help, he will tailor make the perfect safari for
you.
In other words you will decide, with our assistance and
experience, what you will do.
See Activities, to read about the many
different options we offer, but please also read Wind Down and Relax, as we think that part
of your safari experience should be about embracing the
"African time" and "cleanse" yourself from
the hectic pace of the Western world.
The Big Five (elephant, buffalo, rhino, lion and leopard)
are all findable here.
The ranch is permanent home to many prides of lions, and others
roam from Amboseli National Park and Tsavo West National Park.
Zebras and giraffes are very common. We have herds of elephants
and many hartebeests, wildebeests and Grant's and
Thompson's gazelles. Impalas and cape buffaloes are
frequently seen as well. Hippos are easy to find, and baboons
are quite common. We have leopards and black rhinos on the
ranch, but they can be harder to spot.
We have some very interesting gazelles and antelopes (quite
uncommon elsewhere) such as the lesser kudu, fringe-eared oryx,
klipspringer, gerenuk, mountain reedbuck, bush pig. Although
seldom seen, the endangered African wild dog are residents of
the ranch. Other common animals include dik dik, duiker, hyena,
jackals, serval, caracal, bat-eared fox, aardwolf, wart hog,
eland, waterbuck, bushbuck, cheetah, porcupine, aardvark,
mongoose, and many others. In addition, the ranch is home to a
spectacular array of bird life.
Here is a list of our mammals
Of course, the ranch is very large and animals roam from
place to place every day. Thus, there can be no assurance that
on any given day you will see a particular species, or even
that during your stay you will see all the species mentioned
above. However, the ranch is rich in wildlife, and the longer
you stay, the more you will see.
Our best record in one day of safari has been to spot 33
different species of mammals! Our record for bird species
sighted in one day is 73!
Generally speaking you will see more quantity of game in a
National Park. Here you will enjoy more diversity (you will see
more species here than in the average National Park), you will
immerse yourself in an authentic tribal experience, you will
feel privileged by not being surrounded by tourists, you will
be provided with all our knowledge about animals, their
behavior, their ecology and the challenges to preserve
them.
In general, dress at the camp is casual and comfortable, and
the climate is temperate.
Please download here the list of what we
suggest you take.
The nearest store is six hours away over dirt roads, so
double-check what you're bringing!
Our experience is that guests who stay longer enjoy their
visit more. The best motto for the best holiday, especially in
Africa, should be quality time in quality places.
There are so many different animals, so many different
environments, that you could stay with us for two weeks doing
something different every day. With habitats that include a
lake, three rivers, wide open plains and the clouds forest of
the Chyulu Hills, you can enjoy most of the East African
vegetation and the animals which inhabit it. A day excursion to
Tsavo National Park, visiting the impressive Mzima Spring home
to crocodiles and hippos will be extremely interesting.
A night spent in the fly
camp will be a unique experience of real safari. Also,
resting longer in one place instead of rushing from one place
to another, makes a holiday more relaxing. Do not make the
mistake to rush from one lodge to the other for just two nights
in each place.
Though the recommended stay is between 5 to 7 days, there is no
minimum requirement. Even if you have less than four days, you
can still have a very enjoyable holiday with us. Staying less
than three nights will be a very limited and hectic
experience.
Yes, indeed, but as long as you and your children understand
fully what a safari experience with us is all about. Our safari
experience is special and we desire all our guests enjoying
it.
While we love to have children around, some guests may not. So
keep in mind that Campi ya Kanzi is not a resort with a
swimming pool, or with an area where children can be left
unattended to play. A family with children should consider
choosing Kanzi House for their stay.
Maasai staff love children. The trackers will share all their
lore with them. A visit to the schools may be a very
enlightening moment in their lives, comparing their Western
world with a very different one.
Children will need to be obedient and respectful of animals.
Silence while on safari is a key to approach game.
Therefore the experience of Campi ya Kanzi is reserved to well
mannered children (an endangered species?). We enjoyed in many
occasions families with children, as young as three years old.
Our daughter, Lucrezia (born in July 2002), and our sons Jacopo
(April 2007) and Lorenzo (May 2009) live at the camp and will
love to have playmates around.
A safari with us will be an unforgettable experience for your
children and for your family. It will be an educative
experience as well.
Up to you now to decide if your children are fit for the above
or not.
Here are some questions that prospective visitors ask about our safari camp:
How Much Does It Cost?
Why Do You Charge $100 Conservation
Fee?
Are you in a Malaria Area?
Can I Volunteer?
Can I be an Intern?
How Do I Make a
Reservation?
How is CyK Sustainable?
Is it Safe?
How Do I Get There?
When is a Good Time to
Come?
What Do You Offer?
How Are You Different?
What Will I Do?
What Will I See?
What Should I Bring?
How Long Should I Stay?
Can I Bring My Children?