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January 2008.

Dear Friends of Mbango Safaris, greetings from Mbango Safaris! Happy New Year 2008! What a year 2007 has been! We have been so busy at Mbango Safaris that our newsletter hasn’t materialized since November 2007, so this is going to be a bumper issue!

We are deeply saddened by the recent political differences events in Kenya. Kenya has been a peaceful nation for years, with a growing economy to which tourism plays a critical role.

It is expected that discussions will be taking place between the political leaders over the next few days to attempt to end the political differences. The President of the Republic of Ghana who is also the President of African Union Mr. John Kuffor is in Kenya to meet the government and opposition side in an attempt to assist in settling the political differences. Parliament reopens on January 15, 2008 and the country is moving back to normality.

Our Mbango Safaris team continues to expand at an exciting rate! Elias has completed his studies and is now a full-time guide. He has already done Tanzania and Uganda since joining us and much of his future time will be spent in Tanzania. His superb birding skills and calm demeanour make him a pleasure to travel with.

Our office team has expanded and is equal to the task of accommodating our recent growth and we greatly look forward to giving you friendly and efficient service!

Other Mbango Safaris news is that our 2008 Tour Brochure is almost out – if you would like to receive a copy of our complimentary copy, filled with stunning birds and wildlife photos, then please drop us a note with your e-mail contacts.

Since its formation, Mbango Safaris has been supporting the conservation of the birds and wildlife that bring us many delightful hours of sheer bird and wildlife watching pleasure. In order to co-ordinate and effectively implement our conservation efforts, we launched the Mbango Safaris Conservation Fund (MSCF) in 2008. A minimum of US$50 from each Mbango Safaris tour sign-up goes directly into the MSCF. This does not increase the cost of our tours as these projects incur no extra administrative expenses; therefore, the sponsoring of the various conservation projects we endeavor to support, does not make our tours more expensive. Ultimately, just by signing up, you are ensured that your contribution goes directly to nature conservation!

Our ultimate goal is to support wildlife and bird conservation in multi-faceted ways. By means of carefully managing our available funds, we are able to support numerous conservation efforts and activities, including the sponsoring of de-snaring teams, research work and habitat protection. We are also actively involved in raising the awareness and knowledge of birdlife and wildlife, by encouraging local communities to value their birds and wildlife, by promoting the need for increased awareness and also training enthusiastic community members to become bird guides.

We continue to be on the look out for projects and as Mbango Safaris grows so does the fund and our contribution bird conservation. As many of you now know US$50 from each Mbango Safaris tour sign-up goes to the fund so simply by signing up for a Mbango tour departure means that you contribute to the fund and ultimately to the conservation of wildlife and bird life and their habitat.

Before we start off on our recent tour highlights, we would like to outline some notable upcoming birding and wildlife tours that Mbango Safaris is offering. Our new Great Safari tour has been very well received. This relaxed 20 days long tour guided by renowned Kenya naturalist Peter Kamau among other Mbango Safaris guides will see us exploring Kenya and the tropical waters of the Kenyan coast. So please don’t hesitate to contact us if you are tempted.

We are proud to have been involved in some very exciting tours of late. In September 2007, we took the birding tour into Tanzania. We also took time out to meet the hospitable Maasai people living their simple lives. During our tour to the Ngorongoro Crater we visited a Maasai village and we were treated to a tremendous feast and the honey wine! The entire Tanzania experience is a unique and very special opportunity to travel to a remote and spectacular region of the planet and see some very exciting wildlife (and at the same time making a valuable and direct contribution to the area’s conservation). We consider this a superb offering that we have decided to make available several departures in 2008 during the peak of the Great Wildebeests migration season. Please contact us for more details including our Sep 2007 trip report on this once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Another adventurous tour that we have just completed is the first comprehensive birding tour of Uganda, which follows on from the 3 shorter tours Mbango Safaris guided last year.

Our new series of Mega Tours which were launched this year has also been a resounding success. Our first Mega tour was our 21-day Kenya birding tour guided by top birders Peter Kamau and Elias Kamande. Our group had 722 species recorded (700 seen, almost all birds seen by all participants)! The tour participants also enjoyed an incredible 78 mammal species in the process. Birds highlights included all 6 Kenyan endemics (Clarke’s Weaver, Hinde’s Pied-Babbler, Sharpe’s Longclaw, Aberdare Cisticola, Jackson’s Francolin and William’s Lark), a new bird for Kenya (Rufous-tailed Weaver) and goodies including Sokoke Scops-Owl, Friedmann’s Lark, Taita Apalis, Basra Reed-Warbler, Turner’s Eremomela, Somali Crombec, Gambaga & Chapin’s Flycatcher, Red-naped Bushshrike, Somali Sparrow, Fire-fronted Bishop and Locustfinch. Mammals included the Big Five, particularly memorable Leopard and Cheetah sightings, the rare Angola Colobus & De Brazza’s Monkey, Giant Forest Hog, Gerenuk, Suni, Sable Antelope and Grevy’s Zebra.

Our annual Kenya and Tanzania pilgrimage during the wildebeest’s migration was a highly successful and informative adventure for our participants, visiting Masai Mara (recently voted one of the “New 7 Wonders of the World”) in July – October and in Tanzania between January to March. Highlight birds this year included (including Egyptian Vulture, Imperial Eagle, Levant Sparrowhawk, Long-legged Buzzard and Sooty Falcon) - our wildebeest’s migration 2008 tours to Kenya (July – October) and Tanzania (January – March) are still open for bookings.

Tour availability.
Below is a list of spaces on our holidays. As bookings change on a daily basis, we advise you contact us to check for any amendments, particularly on tours where availability is limited.

Space on the tours listed below may also be subject to flight availability, particularly for departures within the next month, and departures around Christmas, Easter and other school holidays. Where a sharing option exists (for those who prefer to avoid a single room supplement), this is indicated. If there is no indication of a sharing option being available, it does not mean that one will not arise. If you wish to share on a tour with no current sharing option available, sign up and we'll do our best to encourage further bookings from like-minded clientele.

Finally, our missive has come to an end and we hope you have enjoyed hearing about our wildlife and birding adventures. If you would like further information on any of these tours, please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly office for detailed itineraries, trip reports and bird lists.

2008 tour calendar.

Kenya and Tanzania tours.

Kenya / Tanzania Birds and Big Game I: 8 - 24 May 2008 (17 days)
US $4,675 per person, no single supplement.
Maximum group size: 6 & 1 Mbango Safaris guide.

Kenya / Tanzania Birds and Big Game II: 12 - 28 May 2008 (17 days)
US $4,675 per person, no single supplement.
Maximum group size: 6 & 1 Mbango Safaris guide

Kenya Birding Tour: 2 - 27 Apr 2008 (26 days)
US$6,875 per person, no single supplement.
Maximum group size: 12 & 2 Mbango Safaris Guides.

·Kenya / Tanzania Birds and Big Game III: 4 – 20 Aug 2008 (17 days)
US$5,775 per person and US $ 800 single supplement.
Maximum group size: 6 & 1 Mbango Safaris guide.

Uganda and Rwanda.

Rwanda Birds and Gorillas 1: 23 – 29 Jun 2008 (7 days).
US $1,975 per person, US$160 single supplement.

Uganda Birds and Gorillas 2: 30 Jun – 17 Jul 2008 (18 days)
US$5,775 per person, US $ 500 single supplement.

Rwanda Birds and Gorillas 3: 11 - 17 Jul 2008 (7 days)
US$1,975 per person, US $ 160 single supplement.

Uganda Birds and Gorillas 4: 18 Jul – 4 Aug 2008 (18 days)
US $ 5,775 per person, US $ 500 single supplement.

Uganda Birds and Gorillas 4: 18 Jul – 4 Aug 2008 (18 days)
US $ 5,775 per person, US$500 single supplement.

Uganda & Rwanda Birds and Gorillas 6: 1 - 19 Jul 2008 (19 days)
US $5,775 per person, US $ 500 single supplement.
Max group size: 6 & 1 Mbango Safaris guide.

2009 Tour calender.

Uganda and Rwanda.

Uganda Mega-Birding Tour: 1 - 29 Mar 2008 (29 days).

Rwanda Birds and Gorillas 1: 23 – 29 Jun 2008 (7 days).

Uganda Birds and Gorillas 2: 30 Jun – 17 Jul 2008 (18 days).

Uganda Birds and Gorillas 3: 18 Jul – 4 Aug 2008 (18 days).

Uganda Birds and Gorillas 4: 18 Jul – 4 Aug 2008 (18 days).

Kenya and Tanzania.

Kenya / Tanzania Birds and Big Game 1: 8 - 24 May 2008 (17 days).

Kenya Birds Quest Tour: 2 - 27 Apr 2008 (26 days).

Tanzania Birds Quest Tour: 1 - 26 Jun 2008 (26 days).

Kenya / Tanzania Birds and Big Game 2: 4 - 20 Aug 2008 (17 days).
 

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Mbango Safaris East Africa Ltd, Lang'ata Shopping Mall, Lang'ata Road, Off Kungu Karumba Rd. P.O. Box 8914, GPO, Nairobi, Kenya.
Tel: 00 254 20 601 454. Fax: 00 254 20 601 453. Cellphone: 00 254 722 524 987 / 733 681 240. E-mail: info@mbangosafaris.com
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Member to: Nature Kenya, Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association, Kenya Bird Guides Association, Kenya Tourism Federation, Kenya Museum Society, East Africa Wildlife Society and Eco-tourism Society of Kenya.