What is the secret to the best safari? The right Safari Guide!
 
Whether you opt for a low-cost mobile "Adventure Camp", a mid-range lodge, an authentic bush camp or the most luxurious safari accommodation, ultimately it's the quality of the game-viewing (and your Guide) that will make all the difference to your overall safari experience. 
A good Safari Guide can anticipate wildlife movements and will know the best vantage points from which to find, observe and photograph the animals in their natural habitat. 
 
They are able to recognise hundreds of species of animals, birds and plants. They are always ready to share their knowledge with our guests and to provide a wealth of fascinating facts and figures about the animals that are being observed. 
 
Guides often act as hosts in and around smaller camps, so they must be personable and friendly and understand guest needs. And most of all, they know  how to keep visitors safe out in the wild.
Know Before You Go
 
When planning a safari tour you must check that you will be hosted by fully trained, professional guides to  ensure you get the best opportunities to see Africa's Big Game and that you receive valuable (and factually-correct) information about the animals that you are observing. N obody wants to arrive on safari and find that their allocated guide isn't up to par!
 
Some of the Porini Camps Team of Safari Guides
 
At Porini Safari Camps we pride ourselves on our high standard of guiding and we hand-pick only the very best guides to join our team.
 
All our Porini Safari Guides are accredited by the Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association (KPSGA) with Bronze and Silver certification. They have been specifically trained as professional guides and they have many years experience of looking after our guests on photographic safaris.
Game drives from Porini Camps are taken in specially-adapted open-sided 4x4 vehicles, each with two members of the team - a driver and a spotter.

Our two man teams are experts at finding animals, and having two pairs of eyes increases the chances of our guests seeing the animals on their wish-list (plus many more that might otherwise have gone unnoticed).
Importantly, since our Porini Safari Guides are based at designated camps they have gained an intimate knowledge of their specific area - its landscape, its natural features, the wildlife (including individual animals) and all the usual hiding places!
 
Ensuring Porini guests get the best photo opportunities
 
We know that wildlife photography is important to our guests, and our guides have a good understanding of where and how to take the best shots of animals and the surrounding scenery.
 
As an example, here's a silhouette taken in Olare Motorogi Conservancy by one of our Porini Lion Camp Silver-Level guides, William Tuala. 
 
William started as a tent attendant at Porini Lion Camp but then was trained in-house as a Guide and passed his KPSGA silver exam to become one of our Safari Guides. 
 
This is a photo of him taken a few years ago when he started training in camp to recognise some of our over 50 lions in Olare Motorogi Conservancy. 
For more details on each of our Porini Safari Guides click here.

Guided Walks with Porini Safari Guides

The vast wildlife conservancies surrounding our Porini Camps allow for guided walks and these offer a different safari experience and an alternative perspective to the landscape. 
Safari walk with Maasai guide in Ol Kinyei Conservancy (Masai Mara). View over waterhole in Selenkay Conservancy (Amboseli).
Our Safari Guides lead the walks and enjoy showing visitors some of the flora and fauna that is missed when in a vehicle. Guests discover how the Maasai make use of natural remedies from indigenous plants in their day to day lives, and they can learn about the tracks and spoor of the different animal species.

In this short video  clip, Jimmy Lemara (Manager and Safari Guide at Porini Mara Camp) and I explain a little more about the Porini Conservancy experience:

Jake Grieves-Cook and Jimmy Lemara introduce Porini Camps 
Video: Jake Grieves-Cook and Jimmy Lemara introduce Porini Camps
 
Our Safari Guides look forward to welcoming you to our Porini Camps and to sharing with you their knowledge and the spectacular sights and sounds of our game-filled Conservancies.
 
For safari inspiration and example itineraries click here to view some of our Recommended Safaris and please don't hesitate to contact our helpful Safari Advisors whose contact details are below if you would like our assistance in planning your own safari.

Best wishes,


Jake Grieves-Cook
Gamewatchers Safaris & Porini Camps
Contact Our Safari Experts in Kenya, 
the USA, the UK or India
For help in planning a safari simply click Request A Quote to use our f ree, online enquiry service, or directly contact our expert Safari Advisers by email or phone:
Kenya (Head Office):
Tel: +254 (0)722-509200 or (0)774-136525

USA: 
Julie Roggow  julie@gamewatchers.com
Tel: 1-877-710-3014 (toll-free)
Maisa Fernandez  maisa@gamewatchers.com
Wayne Hammond  wayne@gamewatchers.com 

UK: 
Robyn Beattie  robyn@gamewatchers.com
Sally Dowling  sally@gamewatchers.com
Steve Sturton-Davies  steve@gamewatchers.com
Tel: 07901-396513

India: 
Santosh Ojha  santosh@gamewatchers.com
Tel: +91 819 723 4947

Click Image to View the Guide 
Free Guide to Choosing an African Safari

Our Free Guide gives honest, practical advice on how to choose the best safari to make the most of your time and budget (click on the image to access the guide). 

It is useful for any first-timers planning a safari, so if you have friends or family who are considering booking a safari then do please forward this email to them so they they can access the guide to help with their travel plans.



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