Rekero Cottages & Traditional Tented Camp

Situated in the midst of the Masai Mara Conservation Area, part of the Serengeti Mara Ecosystem. This is home not only to the Beaton Family but also to the greatest concentration and diversity of wildlife in the world.

Wildlife viewing can be done on foot with experienced Masai and Il Dorobo guides, or in our custom four wheel drive vehicles which allow intimate yet unobtrusive access to the animals.

The sentiment "We came as clients and left as friends; there can be no greater compliment than that" has been echoed continually over the years.

Rekero was initiated and developed by Ron Beaton and his wife Pauline over 12 years ago. Today it is in the capable hands of Ron’s son Gerard and his partner Rainee, a wildlife artist.

Rekero’s cottages , built almost entirely from local materials, combine rustic charm with home comfort and overlook a spring fed waterhole which is frequented by elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard and many other species of wildlife.

“The wind shifted slightly; the elephants at the waterhole smelt me! Irritably, they waved their trunks…. the peace at Rekero – a private home, with accommodation for 8 guests…. Is as fine as it’s old-time hospitality.” Michael Thompson-Noel Financial Times, London, October 24 1993

Amidst the teeming mass of wildlife in the Masai Mara area, Rekero’s tented camp is currently inside the Masai Mara Game Reserve, very close to the confluence of the Mara and Talek rivers. This mobile camp is ideally situated for the annual migration, which is the movement of one million wildebeeste and other animals from the Serengeti through the Masai Mara in Kenya.

The camp is set up seasonally (June – October, December – March) and caters for between four and twelve guests. The spacious canvas tents are equipped with hot showers and toilets together with a large dining tent. Jackson Ole Looseyia, an Il dorobo Masai from the local area and his safari crew cater for all guests’ needs. This is an experience not to be missed by the more adventurous travelers.

Wildlife viewing at Rekero is either on foot guided by experienced Il Dorobo and Masai trackers, or in custom built four wheel drives, which allow intimate yet unobtrusive access to the animals. Night drives, bush picnics and visits to the local trading centres also feature

Cultural visits to the local Masai and Il Dorobo communities, with whom the Beatons have a close association, together with an insight into bushcraft, make a visit to Rekero Cottages a unique experience.

REKERO COTTAGES :

Country
Kenya

Location
Masai Mara Conservation Area

Access
From Nairobi - Twice daily Air Kenya schedule to Ngerende (1 hour by road to Rekero) - From Nanyuki - Daily morning flight to Ngerende. The Beaton's have their own airstrip 10 minutes from the Cottages for those wishing to use private charters.

Description
Situated at the foot of Kipeleo hill in the Lemek Valley at an altitude of 6,200 feet. The Cottages are built almost entirely from local materials and combine rustic charm with home comfort. They look onto the infamous Rekero waterhole, the scene of many dramatic wildlife incidents. Rainee's kitchen produces appetising 'farmhouse' meals, which utilise skillful blends of flavours and cuisine from both East and West. Special dietary requirements are catered for.

Accomodation
Three double cottages and a family cottage with two double rooms. All are ensuite.

Activities
Wildlife viewing and bird watching can be done on foot with experienced Il Dorobo and Masai guides, or in custom-built four-wheel drive vehicles which allow intimate yet unobtrusive access to the animals. Night drives, cultural visits, bush picnics and visits to local trading centres also feature.

Facilities
The Cottages run on a 220 volt generator from 6am to 7am and again from 6pm to 11pm. We also have a Satellite phone and E-mail.

Hosts
Gerard Beaton and Rainee Anderson

Seasons
We are open all year round except April, May and November when we close for the rains. The temperature never exceeds 85F/30C during the day and rarely drops below 60F/15C at night. The warmest time of year is December, January and the coolest is June, July.

REKERO TENTED CAMP

Country
Kenya

Location
Masai Mara Game Reserve

Access
From Nairobi - Twice daily Air Kenya schedule to Ol Kiombo. From Nanyuki - Daily morning flight to Ol Kiombo. Private Charters also land at Ol Kiombo which is 15 minutes from the Tented Camp

Description
Located inside the Masai Mara Game Reserve at an altitude of 4,800 feet, very close to the confluence of the Mara and Talek rivers. The camp nestles in riverine forest on the banks of the Talek river. Our safari chef produces appetising 'farmhouse' meals, which utilise skillful blends of flavours and cuisine from both East and West. Special dietary requirements are catered for.

Accomodation
Six spacious double tents with ensuite, including flush loos.

Activities
Wildlife viewing and bird watching can be done on foot with experienced Il Dorobo and Masai guides, or in custom-built four-wheel drive vehicles which allow intimate yet unobtrusive access to the animals. Picnics in the bush and sun downers also feature.

Facilities
Solar lanterns and Kerosene lamps are provided in each tent. An inverter is available to charge video camera batteries and a satellite phone can be provided when given 24 hours notice.

Host
Jackson Looseyia

Seasons
We are open all year round except April, May and November when we close for the rains. The temperature never exceeds 85F/30C during the day and rarely drops below 60F/15C at night. The warmest time of year is December, January and the coolest is June, July.

CULTURE :

The Masai Mara is the home of one of the great fighting tribes of Africa, the Masai, and also small clans of Il Dorobo, the traditional hunter gatherers of this part of Africa, whose culture is disappearing rapidly.

Perhaps the greatest part of what makes the Rekero experience so special is the interaction and mix of cultures that the guides and the local Masai share so readily with their guests. A cultural visit to the local Masai and Il Dorobo communities, with whom the Beatons have a close association, together with an insight into bushcraft, is a truly humbling experience.

COMMUNITY :

Rekero School Bursary Fund was initiated by Jackson ole Looseyia in 1995 and is currently funding nine children from the local community through both Primary and Secondary schools. This and considerable support to our local school (Ngosuani Primary) has been possible through generous donations from Rekero’s guests.

More recently Ron Beaton, Rekero’s founder is leading an initiative together with Koyaki/Lemek Wildlife Trust to build and run a field internship school partly funded by the European Union. Masai secondary school leavers will be trained by Rekero’s guides to improve the general guiding standards in the Masai Mara.

Captain Duncan Beaton (1864 – 1943) was a well known and familiar figure in the life of Kenya. From the Isle of Skye on the West Coast of Scotland, he first arrived in Africa in 1889 as an agent for the African Lakes Corporation, a company formed to carry on the work of Livingstone in the suppression of the slave trade and the opening up of the commerce of Central Africa.

“Ken Beaton (1905 - 1954), Chief Game Warden (Kenya) and first Director of Uganda’s National Parks was a great man. His ideas on what a park should be and how it should be run were possibly more progressive than any in Africa at the time. The great thing about Beaton was that he was not hidebound by out-dated colonial attitudes to the Africans.” The Enormous Zoo, Colin Wilcox, 1964

“Ron Beaton is one of the most experienced guides in Africa. On foot with his help I got within 20 yards of feeding elephants, and sat on a rock watching a lioness doze in the last warmth of the day.” Financial Times London, May 17th 1996. Rekero was initiated and developed by Ron and his wife Pauline over 12 years ago.

Gerard Beaton now leads Rekero’s management with his partner Rainee Anderson, a wildlife artist. Gerard has grown up in the Mara and after reading Geography and Anthropology at Newcastle University became a Professional guide in 1995.

ll Rekero's Guides are qualified members of the Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association and are fully trained in first aid.

Saigilu Ole Looseyia (Jackson) : "Jackson Looseyia our extraordinary guide who could name every bird, animal, insect and plant in Swahili, Maa, English and Latin is a good example of where eco-tourism is going."Irish Times, January 12th, 1999. His father was chief ranger to Lynn Temple-Boram the warden of South Masailand (the Masai Mara) during colonial times. Jackson has an intimate knowledge of herbalism and bushcraft and is fast attaining recognition as one of Kenya's top wildlife and cultural guides.

John Kaelo : John is a Purko Masai and grew up very close to Rekero starting his working life as a teacher at the local school. He has a particular interest in promoting his culture and enjoys giving guests an authentic insight into the unique Masai culture.

Fredrick Kuseyo Ronko: Fred comes from a prominent Masai family and completed his wildlife internship here in 1998. He is an exceptional ornithologist and up and coming wildlife naturalist.

Tuleto Sengeny (James) : James also grew up and was schooled in the Mara, but started his guiding career in the Chyulu hills at Ol Donyo Wuas Camp. He joined the Rekero team in 1997 and with his immense local knowledge is an extremely good naturalist.

The Masai Mara Reserve and adjacent Conservation area totals 750 square miles and forms the Northern tip of the Serengeti / Mara ecosystem straddling the border between Kenya and Tanzania. This sets the scene for the annual migration of over one million wildebeeste between late July and mid September.

The juxtaposition of rolling hills and massive savannahs combine to write the poetry that is Africa.

DAVID HERNDON REFLECTS ON THE WILDEBEEST MIGRATION DURING HIS SEPTEMBER STAY IN THE MASAI MARA, KENYA
(David Herndon writes for numerous tourism publications on Africa and Australia including a number of recent articles in "Travel and Leisure" magazine).

For the last month, Rekero Tented Camp has been in the thick of the annual wildebeest migration, and the action has been non-stop: from the comfortable vantage of the camp lawn we have witnessed numerous river- crossings and a half-dozen lion kills, and guides and trackers who have lived around the Mara all their lives have been consistently amazed by strange sightings they've been able to show their guests on game drives.

The most unusual event was witnessed by guides John Kaelo and Fred Ronko, on separate occasions - a hippo eating Thomson gazelles. The Tommies were trying to cross the Mara River when they tiny bodies got swept up in the strong currents, and the hippo simply caught them as floaters. The first time, he played with the cute little guy, tossing it around in his mouth like a housecat with a toy mouse. The next time, a few days later, he took it over to the riverbank and ate it, but not without some difficulty, as hippos are herbivores.

"Little pieces got stuck on his teeth and he kept tossing his head like a topi, trying to swallow", reports guide John Kaelo. "An omniverous hippo - I've never heard of anything like that before. May be saw the cros feeding and decided to try it". The Rekero guides tell me that the hippo was extracting salt and minerals out of the carcass, which they need from time to time.

Spotter Jimmy Sengeny (half-brother to guide James) was in on both of those sightings, and both times saw two male leopard ("Jimmy's Leopards"). They were feeding on dead wildebeest at the riverside, and playing together, another unusual activity, leopard being known as solitary creatures.

These sightings took place upriver from the Main Crossing, and lone Rekero vehicles were the only human witnesses (but we have the tape and film to prove it).

Senior guide James Sengeny saw another oddity: he came upon a male Tommie kneeling over a three or four day-old gazelle. When the adult stood up, the baby was lodged between its horns. It ran off, the baby cried, its mother called, the other Tommies wondered what the hell. James and his astonished guests followed the odd couple for 15 minutes, expecting that the vulnerable gazelles would fall victim to a predator. The baby was finally
thrown off daddy's pointy little head.

No single day was more action-packed than September 5, which had it all. Camp manage/host, Jackson Looseyia had been called into guide duty, and when he returned to the campfire that evening this is what he said, in the breathy voice over narrator mode that he switches into, to express the drama, beauty, and humour of a great day of high season spent revelling in the world's prime game-viewing venue:

"First, we had a spectacular morning of bird watching, followed by sighting a cheetah with five cubs - the most beautiful vision of the day. Then the mother hunted and killed a Thomson Gazelle, which was so great. How would those gorgeous cubs survive without that food? The mum wanted the babies to come over, but they were terrified of the kill.

"We waited at a crossing for a while, it was hot so we came back into camp for lunch. As usual, a lovely meal was distracted by the migration of the wildebeest - everyboby looking at the magnificence of the gnu, all asking each other, 'Can we go now?' 'Not yet'. 'Can we go now?' 'Not yet'. When they're going to cross, it builds up like the sound of engine noise in the city. My guests were getting bored waiting, and some of them decided to go take a siesta.

"Then the real action starts! The wildebeest and zebra start crossing, there's dust on this side and dust on that side of the river, then two lions are attacking and killing! Then there's the dust of the tourists grabbing their cameras and jumping onto vehicles to go see the kill, they're fighting over the hatches, the staff is excited and piling into another vehicle!

"I call that a day! We were drunk with action!"

Jackson has just completed a special safari that exemplifies the best Rekero has to offer. Stuart Wrigley and Jilly Harper, a pair of Glaswegian tatto artists who were embarking on a six-week tour of Kenya and Tanzania, stayed at the Cottages two nights, went walking and fly camping with Jackson and Rakita, the Ndorobo tracker, for two nights, and finished with three nights in the tented camp. Jackson expects to be available for more such specialty safaris involving walking and fly camping next year.

With two huge storms last week the wildebeest should be around for a while yet, so anyone who can should get out here a.s.a.p. as October looks promising and Rekero have some very attractive green season rates! Seven repeat groups have been through in the last ten days and none have left disappointed!

"Follow the Leaders", David Herndon in Travel + Leisure, August 2001: "In a valley in the communal Masai land on the north side of the Masai Mara, Saigilu Ole "Jackson" Looseyia gets a whiff of familiar territory and heads up the hillside. Its not long before he finds what he is looking for..."

Bud Collins in The Boston Globe, USA, writes about his visit, May 21st 2000: "ALONG THE MARA RIVER, KENYA - Going . . . going . . . however, not quite gone are Rakita and his kind. Downsized, to use a word he would not recognize, but, thankfully, not yet down and out is this good-humored, fearless little guy's self-reliant way of making a living: hunting and gathering."

Jackson Looseiya in Travel Africa, Autumn 2000: "Part of me stays here whenever I leave. Sometimes I think Rekero is bewitched; an obsession! "Happiness" sums up its spirit."

John Scott in The Mail on Sunday, London, July 2000: "We stumbled across them, indeed very nearly into them, at dusk, just as the sun was creeping over the savannah like snakes of fire. 'Can you smell them?' asked Jackson our masai guide.

Turkana Expedition Itinerary, May 2002

An Introduction to Lake Turkana

Lake Turkana, formerly Lake Rudolf, lies in the far north of Kenya and is the largest lake in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya, Africa's majestic, natural floor which extends 3,500 miles from the shores of the Red Sea to the coast of Mozambique. Sometimes called the Jade Sea, Turkana is now famous throughout the world as the site of man's earliest existence, hence the name "Cradle of Mankind" by which it is known.

Lake Turkana lies north of the Equator and is bordered at its northernmost point by Sudan and Ethiopia. At the southern end of the lake stand two primeval sentinels of Teliki's Volcano and the Nabiyatum Cone.

The Lake offers a rich variety of bird life - more than 350 species of resident and migratory birds depend on the water of the Jade Sea for the rich lacustine life on which they feed. Lake Turkana, a remote untrammelled expanse of Africa with its rich culturesand unspoilt life, demands to be explored. We will be using expedition tents which will be set up each evening where possible. In the southern part of the Lake the wind can be very strong and in these conditions we will sleep on bed rolls in the open. The camp at Lobolo is more luxurious with each twin tent serviced by its own shower and toilet.

The Turkana Expedition 2002 Itinerary

Day 1
Fly from Nairobi Wilson to Loyangalani where we will overnight at Oasis Lodge. The lodge is run down - we will supplement the kitchen with food which we will bring on our flight. The swimming pool is fed from a natural hot spring and is one of the unique factors as to why life exists at Loyangalani. This is the home of the El Molo tribe who live in a litter of dome-shaped reed dwellings on this south eastern shore of Lake Turkana; their past is shrouded in folk lore, mystery and legend and their future is uncertain. For now, however, these hospitable, friendly people rely on fish, hippo and crocodiles which live in the Lake, for their survival. Overnight Oasis Lodge.

Day 2
In the morning we will visit Loyangalani village to experience the mix of cultures. Rendille, Gabra and Samburu, where small communities of each of these cultures have sprung up largely attracted by a feeding centre run by the African Inland Church. In the afternoon we will depart to Nabiyatum on the southern side of the Lake. This volcano (in the Turkana language: "Stomach of the Elephant") rises out of the Lake and is a fantastic fishing ground for the great Nile perch. On our last expedition we landed two large fish weighing 176lbs (80kg) and 114lbs (52kg). We will climb the volcano looking south towards the saline lakes populated with flamingoes towards Teliki's volcano. Overnight Nabiyatum.

Day 3
We will move by boat to South Island and be dropped off on the western shores to meet up with the boats on one of the northern beaches. South Island is the top of a 30 square-mile volcano and is covered with volcanic ash, almost from end to end. The ghostly glow of its luminous vents at night inspired stories of evil spirits among the El Molo tribe who live near Loyangalani on the south eastern shore. Small groups of Turkana now fish on South Island to subsidise their subsistence. Overnight South Island.

Day 4
We will fish around the crater rims slightly to the north of South Island, returning to pack up camp and leave around midday for Lobolo. This will be about a four hour boat trip to the western side where we will overnight at Lobolo Camp. Lobolo is a more luxurious camp nestled above a grove of doum palm trees overlooking a freshwater spring on the edge of the dunes close to Ferguson's Gulf with a magnificent view across the Lake. Here we will have an insight into the Turkana tribe's way of life. The Turkana are amongst the toughest people on this earth and are part of the eastern Nilotic groupings similar to the Nubians of Southern Sudan. They survive in some of the harshest conditions. The spring at Lobolo is also a breeding area for the Lake's crocodiles. Overnight Lobolo.

Day 5
We will visit Central Island, overnighting on the southern beaches and hike around the lower volcano which is one of the main breeding grounds for the Nile crocodile. For those who are more adveturous and fit we will hike up the second volcano.

Day 6
We will cross the Lake to Koobi Fora. The sand spit at Koobi normally has one of the largest concentrations of Nile crocodiles basking in the open on the sand bar. We will be transferred to a tented camp in Sibiloi National Park close to Koobi Fora. Alternatively, if Richard Leakey's Museum Bandas are available, we will stay there.

Day 7
Koobi Fora is famous throughout the world. It is where Dr Richard Leakey discovered the origins of man in 1968. We will explore various excavation sites accompanied by a Museum guide. Koobi Fora is where the early hominids existed, migrating north through the Omo River Valley to eventually populate Europe and the rest of the world. Overnight Sibiloi, or in a lightweight camp in the Omo River Delta, if navigable.

Day 8
If navigable, we will visit the Omo River Delta by boat. The bird life is incredible and there are large Dassenech villages along the riverbank. These cattle owners are one of the wealthiest tribes of the Omo River ecosystem. Some of the men are scarified, depicting the number of enemies they have killed in battle. Scarification is of tremendous prestige within the tribe. The Omo Delta is the home of the Dassenech people who now live almost exactly as they have done for centuries, having little respect for frontier posts and bureaucracy. Alternatively, if the Delta is blocked we will leave very early driving through the Sibiloi National Park to visit the Omo Delta and the Dassenech tribe. The Omo river discharges 20 milliom cubic metres of life-sustaining water into the northern end of East Africa's fourth largest lake. Two other rivers, the Turkwel and the Kerio also discharge themselves into the Lake, but they are both seasonal and have little influence on the Lake's major dimensions. Lake Turkana is 180 miles long and 35 miles wide, and in places 380 feet deep, and is a living microcosm of African society prior to European intrusion. Overnight Sibiloi.

Day 9
We will drive through Sibiloi to Alia Bay. Sibiloi National Park holds large concentrations of Somali Blue Ostrich, Gerenuk, Beisa Oryx, Grant's Gazelle, Grevy's and Burchell's Zebra, cheetah, lion and leopard as well as many other species of mammals and birds. We will visit the Petrified Forest at Alia Bay before departing by air in the afternoon to Rekero in the Masai Mara. Overnight Rekero Cottages.

Day 10/11/12
Rekero Cottages is situated adjacent to the Masai Mara Game Reserve and the ranch holds a huge diversity of wildlife including the "Big Five". It also supports a wide variety of birds including over fifty different species of raptors. We will spend the next two days exploring this area on foot and by vehicle as well as visiting the Il Dorobo hunter-gatherers and the Masai pastoralists. The cottages are comfortably furnished and overlook a waterhole frequently visited by elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard and many other species. The Masai who it is believed originated from somewhere around the Dead Sea moved south through Egypt and were probably part of the Roman Legion around about the time of Cleopatra, moving down the Nile Valley into what is now Kenya sometime around the Thirteenth Century and on into the Masai Mara as late as the Fiteenth Century where they colonised the local Il Dorobo hunter-gatherers. Both these cultures are fascinating and an in-depth immersion into the Masai and Il Dorobo ways of life will be given to our guests by Jackson Looseyia who is now renowned as being one of the most experienced cultural guides in the area. While you are here, you will visit the Masai Mara Game Reserve. The group will leave on Day 12 late afternoon in time to be transferred to the International Airport in Nairobi to fly home or to an onward destination.

Notes
We are hoping to get 8 - 10 paying guests for this expedition. The boats we are using are Cris-craft 24 foot fibreglass boats with large petrol 4-stroke engines. Clients will be required to bring plenty of sunblock and a maximum of 15kgs luggage. Climatic conditions will be extremely hot at midday, cool in the mornings and evenings. Temperatures of 100 degrees farenheit are common around Lake Turkana, however it is a dry heat. Communication will be by radio. A sattelite phone will also be available for your use at a charge.

This is an adventure expedition into territory that is still largely uncharted and does involve an element of personal risk. All participants will be obliged to sign an indemnity form prior to departure. Guests are advised to ensure that they are comprehensively insured to cover personal accident and medical expenses. We will organise local flying doctor cover, but this will only give evacuation to Nairobi. The pricing includes local flights and the whole expedition, but does not include international flights, gratuities and personal spending.

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© Rekero / Choices Wild Limited, 2005. All Rights Reserved.