The vast open plains of East Africa have an allure all of their
own... For as far as the eye can see there are open grasslands, dotted with
wooden giants reaching for the skies and in the distance a mountain rising from
the valley floor. Participants on an EcoTraining
28 day Safari Guide course in the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya will get to view just this.
A better camp and classroom setting one could hardly asked for –
surrounded by fever trees on the edge of the swamp area, impalas and Grevy’s
zebras make their way to greener pastures in the early morning, buffalo and
rhino saunter past in the late afternoon, and as the sun is setting, the unmistakable
call of a male lion. Priceless!
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| Lewa wildlife |
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| Lewa wildlife |
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| Lewa wildlife |
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| Lewa wildlife |
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| Lewa wildlife |
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| Lewa wildlife |
And with encounters like these experienced on the last course
there, Lewa is certainly adhering to the notion that Africa just has its way
with people, something that can’t be explained unless experienced, the ‘TIA’-feeling
(This Is Africa): “Had six elephant
encounters, one rhino encounter (with three rhinos), and one lion encounter,
all on their first afternoon game walk!”; “Two rhino encounters, also saw two
sets of elephants and buffalo in the distance”; “Three elephant sightings with
buffalo and rhinos in the distance and good birds along the swamp”; “29
reticulated giraffe together”. And so the lists just grow and grow, with
sightings galore of mammals and birds all kinds of other big and small
creatures!
With over 70 mammal species, including the endangered black rhino
en Grevy’s Zebra, and more than 350 bird species, as well as glimpses of Mount
Kenya, it is indeed the perfect setting for acquiring knowledge.
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| Lewa wildlife |
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| Lewa wildlife |
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| Lewa wildlife |
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| Lewa wildlife |
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| Lewa wildlife |
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| Lewa wildlife |
The Safaricom campsite is the base of EcoTraining’s operations in
Lewa and it is here that the students wake up every morning. Returning to camp just as the sun is setting
every day, with the lanterns lit and a scrumptious meal waiting, it really feels
like home. In between the early starts
and the afternoon activities, the days are filled with lectures on a wide range
of subjects, including ecology, geology, astronomy, mammals, reptiles, animal
behavior to tracks and tracking.
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| Safaricom campsite |
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| Safaricom campsite |
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| Safaricom campsite |
It is EcoTraining’s aim to give those, which are attracted by the
lure of these wild and wonderful places, an experience to learn about the
environment in an exciting way. We want to put the bush back into Africa for
all those that are searching for the most authentic wildlife training and
safari experiences. The combination of the lectures and the method of teaching,
reinforced by practical experience out in the field and all under the watchful
eye of our experienced instructors, make for an unforgettable experience with
memories to last a life time.
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| Mount Kenya |
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