Best Of

Our weather forecast called for rain as well. The only rain we saw was the day of our pre-tour stay in Arusha, and it was light and sporadic. In Amboseli and the Masai Mara we saw rain showers in the far distance in the late afternoon/early evening, and in the Serengeti we saw a beautiful lightning storm in the far distance about 3 am. You will have a wonderful time!

It’s the Short rains season in that area of Africa so rain is a possibilty but it also means more grass and therefore animals and your friend the mosquito

I just returned from the Oct 5 K&T tour and it was wonderful. Everything about the tour far exceeded my expectations. Although I am not a teacher, I also looked forward to the school visit as a special part of the trip. There are several schools supported at least in part by Tauck that may be visited during this itinerary, and the specific shool you will visit is determined by your Tour Director. Our TD, Dumay Boulle, likes to take his guests to the Annie Rebecca Croft Primary School in the Masai Mara very near the Fairmont Mara Safari Club Hotel. This is the last stop on the itinerary before the return flight to Nairobi to fly home. That means that I held on to the supplies I brought until the morning of the school visit. If they are in a separate suitcase, it's no trouble at all. The porters handle all the large bags as well as the Tauck duffels. They will even handle your small roll aboard bags if you don't want to carry them. We found that carrying small day bags the size of a small backpack was perfect for the things we wanted to have with us on safari drives and plane rides, and we let the porters take everything else. I would advise you to take your roll aboard bags as opposed to using your Tauck duffels as carry on luggage. The duffels are awkward to carry through the airports on your way to Arusha. It is much easier to pack the duffel and roll your small bags through the airports. Save your backs for the "African massage" you'll get in the safari vehicles

The schools have almost nothing except dedicated teachers and eager students. The youngest students are four and five years old and four or five students share each very worn desk/bench assembly meant for one or two students. The school uniforms are worn proudly, but are largely in tatters. They are obviously passed from student to student as they are outgrown. Several students I saw were without shoes.

The students themselves will melt your heart. They want to hold your hand, feel your hair, see their pictures on your phone, talk to you, and hug you. All the students were given lunch while we visited. Lunch consisted of 1/2 a plastic mug of a drinkable porridge. During our visit and before lunch, each student was given gifts from our group--one pencil, one workbook containing blank grid paper, and one plastic flexible ruler. The most senior students, fifth or sixth grade, were given a six-pack of colored pencils. The kids were all incredibly grateful and respectful, not to mention excited. I would encourage you to help distribute the gifts.

The school we visited consists of two small, rustic classroom buildings funded by Tauck and a third building for storage and food preparation that was funded by the government of Kenya. The kids "eat" outside under the trees. There are two small water tanks that Tauck also provided. Before Tauck stepped in, Bismark, the original teacher, was teaching students outside under the trees.

I would encourage you to take a second suitcase filled with school supplies. If Dumay, who is excellent, is your TD and you go to this particular school, I can tell you that they particularly need books to be used to teach and encourage reading and also for reference. Pens, pencils, crayons, chalk, and paper are always appreciated. I took a 27" inflatable globe designed to be suspended in a classroom and was glad I did as they had no globe. The classrooms are literally bare except for blackboards. Bismark has permanently written math facts and learning aids on the walls. With your teaching experience, I'm sure you'll do a better job than I did of identifying other items to better equip the classrooms. I also took rulers, pencil sharpeners, 12-packs of colored pencils, and 10 One World soccer balls (the kind developed for kids in the camps at Darfur) that cannot deflate. After lunch our group had an impromptu soccer match with the students. I think it was the highlight of everyone's day--students and travelers alike. I've read that others have taken deflated soccer balls and a needle to be used with a bicycle pump, but they don't last long unless they're used as volleyballs because there is no way to patch them. Only a couple of the 27 people on my tour were aware of the opportunity to donate supplies, so few brought anything. Dumay contacted Bismark, the teacher, in advance to ask what was needed. Apparently Tauck gives the TD a budget to shop locally for items to donate on behalf of the tour group. Dumay was asked to bring food -- cooking oil and 50 pound bags of rice, beans, and sorghum -- to provide meals for the students. He was also asked to bring workbooks, rulers, pencils, colored pencils, and primary posters for the walls. I wish I had brought Easy Reader books, books to teach shapes and colors, and science books for the older kids. I noticed on the blackboard of the classroom for the older students that the teacher had drawn detailed pictures of a weather station. They have no electricity, so no way to copy worksheets. Despite the conditions, the kids appeared to be advanced in basic skills. Four and five year olds were doing addition and subtraction to 10 and reading 3 letter words. Fifth and sixth graders were working on basic geometry.
I hope this helps you decide what to take. And I hope that you enjoy your trip as much as we did. This school, and I'm sure all of the others that Tauck visits, will fill your heart.