A Beginners Guide to Camping

A night camping under the Kenyan stars is not to be missed, and we have three campsites just for you! However, if you’re new to the camping scene it can be a little daunting, so we thought we would help you out by writing a quick guide to camping in Kimana Sanctuary and the basics that you’ll need to bring with you.

Equipment:

• Tent

• Sleeping bag

• Pillow

• Camping mattress, airbed, or bedroll – just something comfy and soft to lie on!

• Camp chairs

• A fold-up camping table

• Solar lanterns

• Torch

• Metal grid to cook on over the fire

• Non-breakable plates, bowls, mugs/cups and utensils

• Kettle or pot to boil water and a fire-proof pan for cooking

• Matches and some sort of fire lighter e.g. cardboard or a small jar of kerosene

• A washing up bowl, soap and dishcloth

• At least 20 litres of “camp water” for washing up, showering etc.

• A box or large bag for your rubbish

• Toilet roll

• Hand sanitiser

Clothing:

• Some sensible closed toe shoes

• Flip flops to shower in

• A towel

• Sunscreen

• Insect/tick repellant

• A good hat and sunglasses

• A warm jacket, it can cool off in the evenings

Food :

• Make sure you bring your fresh food in a good cooler box with ice so it stays good for your whole trip.

• There are so many good ideas for what to eat on a camping adventure that you can find by doing a quick internet search, but we recommend the more that you prepare in advance the better and to keep it simple!

• Don’t forget lots of drinking water, camping in Amboseli can be hot and dusty.

 The don’ts of camping…

DON’T try to burn your rubbish on the fire. Paper and cardboard is ok, but plastic, tins, glass etc. are a big no. Take it home with you and dispose of it properly, recycling where possible.

DON’T bring single use plastics with you; they are now banned in all conservation areas.

DON’T leave food or rubbish lying about or your cooler boxes open. It will attract animals into your campsite, especially monkeys.

DON’T burn masses of firewood just for the hell of it. It’s a limited resource, so only use as much as you need in the designated fire pit areas. Also don’t leave a fire burning unattended when you go for a game drive or leave the campsite.

DON’T leave your tent open; you’ll end up with lots of bugs inside it.

Now that you know what not to do, we should also say what you should…

DO put away your phone and have an amazing experience reconnecting with nature

DO bring your binoculars and a bird book

DO breathe in the fresh clean air, appreciate the big open spaces and allow yourself to decompress from the daily grind

DO have great life chats around the campfire with friends and family

DO be blown away by the stars and the incredible night sky

DO leave feeling refreshed and inspired

We hope that you have an incredible trip!

A Sanctuary for Lions?

When Big Life Foundation, supported by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, took over the management of Kimana Sanctuary at the start of 2018, it was not certain whether any predators were still using the area. There were stories of the past, rumours and hearsay but no concrete evidence of their presence. At last, in May 2018, the BLF rangers stationed in the Sanctuary reported lion track sightings and roars! With great excitement, the Lion Guardians team was called in, and although the individual wasn’t identified they were able to confirm tracks of at least one sub-adult male using the area regularly.

With the aim being to find and identify the mystery lion, Lion Guardians set up communication networks with the sanctuary and appointed Guardian Olubi from the nearby zone to combine forces with the BLF Rangers on the ground – their aim was to track the lion but not to provoke it whilst on foot.

One day in late September, the team narrowed down precisely where the lion was hiding. Since it was a dense thicket, we had to retreat, now in a 4x4 vehicle, and wait for the lion to move out itself. We waited, and into the night we tested our luck searching around the area until eventually we caught a glimmer of pure gold. There it was…a young lion striding confidently alongside the flowing river. In our truck, a ring of ‘high-fives’ rang out and we all congratulated ourselves for finding the lion. Initially from afar, we didn’t know if it was a male or a female, but on closer inspection we realised that it was a young male with very little mane growth.

He was relaxed, yet on the move, occasionally stopping to look at herds of zebra, wildebeest, and eland. Every animal in the sanctuary watched him meander along, as did we. The baboons, perched safely up high in the Yellow Fever trees could hardly contain themselves, bellowed out all sorts of salutations and provocations.

As we attained enough photos for identification purposes, we let him slip through our grasp and into the dark of the night.

With our endorphins buzzing having finally seen the lion, the Lion Guardians immediately set about the lion identification process. Would this be a new lion to the Amboseli ecosystem…maybe a disperser from Tsavo West N.P.? Or might he be a lion already known to them, seeking out his own niche in this protected patch.

BINGO – they got a perfect match: It’s ‘Osunash’.

It was always going to be exciting to know who the lion might be but it makes good sense for it to be Osunash. He was born and raised in Amboseli N.P., less than 25km away, and was observed earlier in the year by LG close to Amboseli starting his dispersal journey.

The important story here is that the corridor from Amboseli to Kimana that connects towards The Chyulu Hills and Tsavo regions is clearly functional for predators, and is allowing connectivity between these densely populated areas.  

We all wish Osunush well on his journey in search of his own patch of ground, and we certainly hope that he decides stay in Kimana Sanctuary!