Expedition Kenya - Mountain
Expedition Overview
We have been running school mountain expeditions for many years now and hundreds of young people have successfully reached the summit of Mt Kenya, the second highest mountain in Africa with us. The mountain is just a small part of an amazing 1 month expedition involving community and wildlife project work and a journey which will take you through incredible African environments from the beaches of the Indian Ocean to the Wildlife Parks and wild bush.
Highlights
- 1 month all-inclusive expedition
- Community projects
- Wildlife projects
- Wildlife Safari
- Mt Kenya trek
- Indian Ocean beach R&R
Brilliant! Even bought a t-shirt!
Nick Bolton - Queen Elizabeths School 2007
The Expedition
We have been running school mountain expeditions for many years now and hundreds of young people have successfully reached the summit of Mt Kenya, the second highest mountain in Africa with us. The mountain is just a small part of an amazing 1 month expedition involving community and wildlife project work and a journey which will take you through incredible African environments from the beaches of the Indian Ocean to the Wildlife Parks and wild bush.
Highlights
- 1 month all-inclusive expedition
- Community projects
- Wildlife projects
- Wildlife Safari
- Mt Kenya trek
- Indian Ocean beach R&R
Elements Of Kenya Mountain Expedition
Community
Camp Kenya was established in partnership with a rural African community and we continue to fund ongoing projects and sustainable development everywhere we operate. The key to good project work is a good attitude and commitment and your involvement is both diverse and challenging. You can expect to spend your stay working on a wide range of initiatives where you really will get out what you put in; for example at the Makongeni Primary School your day to day work may range from classroom refurbishment and building desks to teaching and re-plantation projects.
Our bond with the local people is a strong one and we hope that yours will be too as you work alongside them and become a valued part of their community.
Wildlife
Camp Mwaluganje & Camp Tsavo:
The Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary and Camps Tsavo are two of the most amazing locations you will visit during your stay with us. Mwaluganje has the densest population of elephants per square mile for anywhere worldwide and Camp Tsavo is based in the heart of the Tsavo ecosystem. We operate mobile camps there for our working safaris and you will have the opportunity to spend time camping and working alongside the wildlife and local communities. You will typically spend 4-5 days on your wildlife project phase and the focus is to develop and sustain wildlife initiatives, which benefit the local communities and in turn the elephants. Besides all of this, these locations are quite simply stunning and although the camp accommodation is a little more basic than some of our others, roughing it in the bush will give you a taste of real Africa!
Safari:
Safari is the Swahili word for journey and no visit to Africa is truly complete without one. There are very few experiences that rival a journey through the wilderness, watching wild animals in their natural habitat. You will travel to one of Kenya's premier national parks for your safari through the Kenyan Bush. You will be accommodated in tents and will drive out every day with a guide in specialist vehicles for game viewing drives, it's rough, it's dusty and it's everything you could want from a real Safari! You will look out for all big game and with the Big Five regularly spotted; you have good odds for some great sightings.
Ocean
Our African operation operates from the white sands of the Indian Ocean coastline in Diani Beach. The East African coastline is arguably one of the most stunning stretches of coast anywhere in the world and we make sure you get a few days to relax on the beach and visit some of the local restaurants. This is also an ideal time to do a little shopping for souvenirs and presents.
Mountain
Mount Kenya:
As the highest mountain in Kenya at 4985 metres, this is an amazing 5 day trek. You will receive a detailed equipment and preparation guide in your expedtion travel pack that we send to you before you travel. You will leave camp and spend one night relaxing in a local camp where you receive a briefing from your expedition leader. The following morning a transfer drive delivers you to the park gates from where you start your trek. Over the next 4 days you will walk through some of the most stunning scenery Kenya has to offer culminating in a night ascent of the summit, ready to watch the African sunrise. Day 5 gives you a chance to rest your feet as we transfer you in vehicles back to the Hotel for a hot shower and another good night's rest. Our success rate of getting you to the top is over 90% and the personal feeling of achievement is extraordinary.
Travel Dates
These will be decided in conjunction with your school and all 1 month expeditions run during the school holidays.
Terms and Conditions
Download our Terms and Conditions
| Minimum Age | Maximum Age | |
| 15 Years | 18 years (Exceptions can be made on application) |
|
| Inclusions | Not Included | |
| Pre expedition support | Arrival and departure fees (if applicable) |
|
| Camp food and accommodation throughout | Vaccinations | |
| Unlimited safe drinking water | Tourist visa | |
| Transport | Personal equipment | |
| Communitnity and environmental project work | Spending money | |
| Project funds, project materials and project coordination | Drinks (other than water) | |
| Big Game safari/wildlife viewing | Tips | |
| All park fees included in the tour but we reserve the right to pass on any increase in park fees. | Personal laundry | |
| Mountain trek including porters | Meals other than those listed | |
| 24hr support from in-country/UK offices prior to and during expedition | ||
| Fully staffed camps - cooks, drivers, housekeeing | ||
| 24hr security in camps | ||
| International and domestic flights | ||
| Expedition leader/school staff | ||
| Insurance | ||
Essential Information
View our Safety, Equipment, Education, Flights and Insurance Pages.
It has made me a more confident person and proved to me that with hard work I can achieve my goals.Sarah Dainty - Devizes School
Education & Development
For a start, it’s a seriously exciting experience and something that will stay with you for the rest of your life. The overriding purpose though is to provide you with an opportunity to develop as an individual within a team environment. In particular we will use the expedition to develop your ‘life skills’.
-
Responsibility:
Are you ready to shoulder the responsibility? If you decide to sign up for a Team you need to realise that we will be looking to you to assume responsibility for raising the funds for your trip. We will of course be asking your parents and school to assist and we provide guidance and advice. The responsibility to achieve your goals before and during the trip however is yours.
-
Leadership:
The expedition gives every member of the team the opportunity to develop their leadership skills. You will take turns in leading elements of your expedition. We are going to let you make mistakes and learn from them. It’s an amazing training ground for life.
Teamwork:
Our Team sizes vary from 10 – 50 and every day, in everything you do, you and your friends will take on challenges you thought impossible. We will show you how to set goals, plan, risk assess and achieve. You are going to learn a lot about other people but not as much as you learn about yourself.-
Communication:
Making things work in Africa and Asia is tough even under the best of conditions. You will need to communicate effectively not just amongst your team, but also with the indigenous locals who will work alongside you every step of the way.
-
Initiative:
Problem solving and improvisation are essential skills when working in the expedition. There’s not a hardware store in sight, if you need a ladder you have to make it! Things rarely go as planned so you will learn to have a contingency permanently up your sleeve.
-
Sense of Achievement:
Be in no doubt that at the end of your expedition you will have established an impressive benchmark of achievement at an age where life is just starting. As you step confidently off the plane back home, your self-esteem, sense of worth and pride in what you have achieved will be deep rooted in your personality.
-
Education & Employment:
The few skills we have just described are highly valued by both employers and further education institutions. Whatever you decide to do after your expedition we feel confident that you will be better equipped to face the challenges ahead knowing what you have already achieved. Many of our past expedition members can vouch for the fact that their experience in Africa and Asia has helped them get the place they wanted in University and strengthened their CV or resumé.
Awesome instructors and the reef were amazingDeclan Armstrong - Bartholomew School 2007
Team Gallery
Movies
School Team Expedition Movie: Part 1
Part 1 of an overview of a school team expedtion in Kenya, Africa with Camps International.
School Team Expedition Movie: Part 2
Part 2 of an overview of a school team expedtion in Kenya, Africa with Camps International.
I cannot sum it up in words! I keep using the word ‘Amazing’ when talking to people about it. I definitely appreciate things a lot more and don’t take common things for granted Rachel Dewar — Poole High School
Fundraising For Your Expedition
As you have no doubt noticed, expeditions are not cheap! We purposefully launch our expeditions over 1 year prior to departure to allow sufficient time for Team Members to raise the funds. Whilst it may seem impossible, there are thousands of young people who travel with Camps and other organisations every year who face the same challenge.
Like many things that require hard work and effort, the rewards justify the journey. Earning the funds for your expedition is an important part of the preparation process and will give you ownership of your trip. Throughout the lifecycle of the expedition we will establish goals for you to achieve and it is through the successful attainment of these that you will develop those individual qualities that employers look for.
It is important that you plan how you are going to raise the money and our advice is based on how those before you have managed to do it. You can even visit our Tribalzone (forum) and ask the tribal community what is working for them and exchange ideas. The majority of our teams manage to raise the money quite easily but the difficulty is not spending it!!
Here is our advice:
1. Plan your diary from now until the expedition departs - Highlight all the holidays where you can work and earn money and blank out the periods when you will have to concentrate on exams. We want this to compliment your exam results not ruin them!!
2. Don't rely on one source of funding - Successful fundraising will be a combination of different events and ideas. Be innovative and try different things to increase your chance of success.
3. Breakdown - Amounts seem more achievable with weekly/ monthly targets.
4. Ask family to make a contribution - Many work a system of fund matching what you can earn and save.
5. Keep going - It can be daunting at the beginning but the sooner you start fundraising the easier it will be. Any problems - don't hesitate to contact us.
6. Enjoy the process - Organising and hosting events can be good fun, it brings teams together, it's also and opportunity to try new things and push yourself.
Good Luck!
The top five fundraising ideas:
- Part-time work
- Odd jobs
- Corporate sponsorship
- Supermarket bag packing
- Sponsored events
When you book with us your team will receive our fundraising resource pack. Which contains really useful help & advice to get you started.
Excellent. Our leader was confident and very professional. She had excellent social skills, which allowed her to assimilate within the group easily and also to gain the groups confidence. She had first class judgement skills and took correct and proper decisions. Her organisation skills made it very easy for the group and the confidence she instilled allowed her to give advice which was beneficial to all. Mike Penfold Teacher, Archbishop Tenison School
Tribalzone
Read the latest news from our Projects in our Project Diary. Discuss your trip with other travellers in the Forum. Or get a look behind the scenes in the Staff Blog. Also, why not take a look at some of the photos in our Gallery or watch the camps DVD online in our Videos section?
Check out some of our fan page on Facebook:
Achieved my expectations and more, it was amazing! I could never have thought it could be this good. I came to Africa expecting to have a fantastic time but the people at Camps made my trip better than I could have ever dreamt of, never wanted to leave and I am determined to be back again someday!Alex Clark — Beaumont School
