SINYA CAMP
Sinya Camp is a semi-permanent luxury tent camp operated as a concession from the Maasai by Kibo Safari Guides, our guide service. This camp lies beside what appeared to be a dry river bed. The bed may have been two feet deep and two miles wide. Although we were told it is a river bed, there was no evidence of water flow; perhaps is almost a lake bed during the rainy season. However, we saw no evidence of salt buildup here. Mount Kilimanjaro was on the southeast horizon, but always shrouded in clouds. We saw its silhouette only once in the early morning. One of our guides (Abraham) grew up in a village on its lower elevations.
As the Sinya Camp is semi-permanent, Kibo has made some interesting and useful investments. It has a solar powered electrical system - enough to light two bulbs in each tent and recharge batteries, and provide refrigeration for food. A well provides sanitary water, but drinking water comes in bottled. In fact, both the sanitary water and electricity come to the tents underground. Warm water for showers is heated over an open fire and provided by prior arrangement. A few gallons are raised on a pole to pressurize it. You have to be careful to use it sparingly; otherwise you end up covered with soap standing under a dry shower head calling for more water! The dining area is in a large tent under a large tree. (Dining area is shown in the first images of the camp.) It looks out onto the river bed. One morning we could see several elephants, two close, and many giraffes as we ate breakfast. The cooking was done with live charcoal taken from what seemed to be an eternal small fire. The camp staff washed a few clothes by hand and dried them using an iron filled with live charcoal! (Something from our grandmothers' generation!) The kitchen/logistics area had a series of fairly permanent sheds, but cooking was outside. There was a young couple from Spain there one of the days we were there. They sat in on our devotions, and were quite interested in what we were doing with the schools. Apparently Kibo Guides has good connections for getting clients from Spain.
The first evening we visited a Maasai “boma” or village and saw a little bit of game on the way there and back. The next morning we went for a game drive before a late breakfast, then to Sinya Primary School. That trip to the school took about 45 minutes each way across the savanna. (The link below to the Sinya Primary School starts with a page about the school and its setting.) After a late lunch we took a short break, then went for a game walk with our guides and Maasai guardians.
♦ About the Maasai people - from books and the web
♦ Visit to the Maasai Boma (9/15/03)
♦ Game Drives (9/15 - 16/03)
♦ Sinya Primary School (9/16/03)
♦ Game Walk (9/16/03)