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Something remarkable happens when human beings reach out across the world to share, Connect, and learn for the purpose of being of service to one another. When we open our hearts and minds to serving others, we rediscover ourselves and what we have to give. We invite you to travel with us to the heart of Maasailand, where you will immerse yourself in a unique cross-cultural experience unlike any other. Come to know Maasai culture, to see the brilliant natural world that it sustains, and to learn from Maasai people through service.  

This trip takes us to one of the world’s most compelling destinations, abundant with spectacular wildlife and rich communal culture. Maasailand also faces the world’s most critical challenges stemming from climate change and social inequities, including a lack of sufficient clean water and too few or poorly resourced schools. On this trip, you will experience the vision of Maasai people who are reaching for their futures and hoping to achieve their goals through collaboration in Kenya and internationally. This program promises to transform the way you see the world and help you to imagine what is possible. There is no better way to experience this land and its people than by getting to know the Maasai themselves!

Come join our small group of Invited Guests for this adventure of a lifetime!

Inspirational Safari

This Trip Supports;

This trip supports the development of the MERC/Prescott College Education Center in Maasai Mara to further land rights, women’s empowerment, education, and conservation.

Our Hosts

Meitamei Olol Dapash; Prescott College Adjunct professor and MERC founder Meitamei Olol Dapash is an internationally renowned indigenous Maasai community leader and activist who has led efforts for education, clean water, and environmental protection throughout his adult life. Meitamei is a political and opinion leader of his community and currently leads the Maasai fight to regain the community’s lost ancestral land and to protect wildlife and its habitat in Maasailand.  

Mary Poole; Mary Poole is an historian and faculty member of Prescott College in Arizona. Mary co-directs, with Meitamei, the College’s field studies program in Maasailand. Meitamei and Mary have been teaching at Prescott College and leading educational trips in Maasailand together for the past ten years.

Day1-2; We will land at Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city, and stay for one night in the Eka or Sarova Panafric Hotel.

Day 3-7; MAASAI MARA: Wildlife & Culture After breakfast on the morning of the 24th, we will we will fly to the Maasai Mara in the Great Rift Valley for a four-night stay at the Sarova Mara Game Camp with beautiful grounds, elegant dining,

and lots of  opportunities to view wildlife in the Maasai Mara  Game Reserve. The Reserve was designated by UNESCO as one of the eight natural wonders of the world. Activities  include drives and bush walks with Maasai warriors and naturalists.

We will witness the  migration of a million wildebeests, an annual phenomenon that attracts visitors  and film makers from all parts of the world.We can also arrange for you to take an early morning balloon ride over the migration to see the animals when they are at their most active.We will visit with students and teachers of the Siana Primary Boarding School,   which seeks to provide Maasai children with a modern education while  strengthening their own Maasai culture. In the evenings we will relax around a fire  and learn about the culture of the Purko clan of the Maasai and the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem.

We will learn from traditional teachers about Maasai poetry, mythology, herbal medicine, their system of justice, and much more. In the Mara we will also visit the MERC/Prescott College field station. There we will meet with students and learn about their work and the long-standing Prescott College collaboration with the Maasai community. We will discuss with Maasai men and women elders the traditional legal system, Maasai consensus building, and the important role it plays in the life of this indigenous community.

Day 8; NAROK: Projects & Presentations; We will travel by vehicle in the morning to the town of Narok for a stay at the Royale Hotel. In Narok we will tour the new MERC offices, visit the community of Eworr Enkitok where Rotary has established a water project in collaboration with MERC, and the Narok Women’s Bead Cooperative. We also meet with community leaders, exploring the role of MERC and PC in new government initiatives. We will also see a presentation by PC students to the community.

Day 9-10; AMBOSELI: History & Culture; After breakfast, we will travel by road to Nairobi and then fly by small plane to Amboseli, the home of the Ilkisong Maasai. We will spend one night hereat the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro, visit the community of Ngongu’ Narok and be hosted by the customary singing and dancing of this traditional Maasai village. We will visit the Elephant Trust and learn of their work.  

Day 11-12; SALT LICK: Wildlife; We will then depart on the plane for Salt Lick in Taita Taveta for three nights of relaxation, for a spectacular view of elephants, cape buffalos, and other wildlife.

Day 13-14: NAIROBI and HOME; We will fly in the early afternoon to Nairobi so that all who are flying home can catch evening flights. The Maasai, traditionally nomadic herders, are listed by the UN Working Group on Indigenous Peoples as one of the most endangered in the world today.The Maasai have lived in harmony with the rich ecosystems of East Africa for centuries. Maasai societies are communal, and all that is most vital and precious is shared, including land, food, and family. Maasai culture is wise to the ways of giving, of reciprocity, and has much to teach the world about service.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Today Maasai communities are drawing on this wisdom to preserve their culture in  the face of land loss and resulting poverty, a loss which also has dire consequences for the wildlife that share the land. By coming on this trip you will experience and contribute to Maasai efforts to support cultural preservation, and the conservation and protection of the precious natural heritage of Maasailand for all humankind.

The Maasai Education, Research, & Conservation Institute(MERC); MERC is  a global organization that has worked since 1994 for the empowerment of the  indigenous Maasai community of East Africa   through education, tourism reform, environmental conservation, and land rights. While our primary responsibility lies with the Maasai community, MERC engages with broader efforts for indigenous cultural survival, education, species survival, and environmental conservation.