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Programes
Please select from the following types of programe:
•
Fieldtrips for Schools Colleges and Universities
•
Guided educational tours for the public
•
Independent Travellers
Fieldtrips
for Schools Colleges and Universities
(Click
here to download a PDF of this programe)
The
Maasai Centre, in conjunction with the University of Central
Lancashire can facilitate fieldtrips focusing on the Geography,
Ecology, Archaeology, Culture and Development of this unique
area. Educational fieldtrips have been staged at the Centre
since 1996 and we continue to develop the human and physical
resources to ensure they provide unparalleled experiences
for students of all ages. We can assist in the design of itineraries
to suit the needs and interests of each group. Through our
close connection with companies in Nairobi we can also help
plan the logistics of fieldtrips, from arrival terminal to
departure gate.
Typical
itineraries include:
• Cultural visits to local Maasai villages;
• Safaris exploring nearby National Parks and community
conservation initiatives;
• Study of land use changes and related social, economic
and environmental implications;
• Visits to local markets;
• Treks exploring savannah ecology and the importance
of flora and fauna to Maasai culture;
• Lectures at the Centre delivered by our resident team
of Instructors – all from the neighbouring Maasai community,
and guest lectures by experts in relevant fields. These provide
a comprehensive background to field activities.
Please
contact us for more detail
of subject-specific itineraries.
Guided
educational tours for the public
Accompanied by academic staff from the University of Central
Lancashire (www.uclan.ac.uk)
we offer a series of educational tours as detailed below.
Each tour is for seven days and comprises a blend of field
visits and lectures delivered at the Maasai Centre. Reading
materials are provided prior to departure, and a University
Certificate is available to anyone wishing to formalise the
educational component of the trip – subject to successful
completion of a written assignment.
1/
Maasai Culture and Change
While picture-postcard images of people and environment colour
the popular perception of the Maasai and Maasailand, forces
of change – internal and external to Maasai society
- are becoming increasingly apparent. This tour offers insights
into the implications of modernization and globalization for
this most ‘traditional’ of societies.
2/ Wildlife Conservation in Kenya
(Click
here to download a PDF of this tour)
Nestled between two National Parks, the Maasai Centre is in
a prime position to examine critical issues in wildlife conservation
policy and practice. Based on the margin of a critical wildlife
migration corridor linking Amboseli and Tsavo West National
Parks, this tour will examine the ecological basis of conservation
policy and the implications of land use change and population
growth. It will also explore in detail innovative approaches
to community conservation offering hope to both human and
wildlife populations in the area.
3/ The Anthropology of Kenya
(Click
here to download a PDF of this tour)
The Maasai Centre provides an ideal base for exploring sites
of key archaeological and anthropological importance, either
side of the Kenya-Tanzania border. This tour offers an opportunity
to examine, on the one hand, the region’s rich Palaeolithic
heritage while also offering unique access to aspects of Maasai
material culture.
For dates and costs please contact
us.
Independent
Travellers
You can devise your own itinerary and we’ll simply supply
food and accommodation. We can also arrange transportation
for you, be it to National Parks or to areas far beyond the
main tourist routes. This will give you a safari with unparalleled
access to the human and natural environments of Maasailand
Full
board accommodation starts from US$45 per person per night.
For
further details, click here
Please
contact us for more details
Excursions:
Walking
Safaris
A
walking safari combines opportunities to feel the landscape
and witness wildlife at first hand with discussion with Maasai
guides about local knowledge and use of plants and animals.
Common mammals encountered around the centre include elephant,
hippo, giraffe, Thomson's gazelle, impala, eland, waterbuck,
dik-dik, ostrich.
Cultural
Visits
One
of the benefits of being in a community-owned facility like
our Centre is that we are part of that community. All groups
have the opportunity to visit a traditional Maasai boma, to
learn first hand about the everyday life of our nearest neighbours.
Oloisoto
Hill
A
magical volcanic outcrop about near the Centre. Oloisoto presents
a perfect vantage point to understand the geography of the
Chyulu Plain and to learn about variation in habitats and
human settlement pattern in the savannah.
Amboseli
National Park
Famous
for its macro-fauna and home of Oltokai swamp, Amboseli is
vital to migrant elephant populations for dry season grazing.
The park is an example of community based conservation developments
as well as being the home of the longest scientific study
of elephant behavioural ecology in Africa. The Serena Lodge
near Oltokai provides a welcome oasis of creature comforts.
Kimana
Agricultural Trading Centre
A rapidly developing centre
of population and a good place to study development and land
use change in the area. Kimana is a centre of horticultural
production and a major consumer of water in the area. Water
use and fencing for agriculture has produced has resulted
in conflict with some of the aims of nature conservation.
Tsavo National Park
The
largest protected area in Kenya, with a highly varied geography.
Features the remains of the largest lava flow in the region.
Oloitokitok
The
nearest market town to the Field Centre is a hive of activity
on market days. The town is a temperate and beautiful location
at the base of the extinct volcano of Kilimanjaro. A good
walk to explore montane forest communities from here is the
Olturesh Gorge near the border with Tanzania. Oloitokitok
is also a great base for climbing Kilimanjaro from the Kenyan
side.
Please
contact Chris Southgate at info@maasaicentre.org
for further details.
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