Dear Reader,

We want to welcome you to our third issue of bush drum. We have a lot of exciting news for you, like the new exclusive »Air Safari Deluxe« which leads you to the nicest camps in Tsavo, Amboseli and Masai Mara. In addition, we start with our new Bush Drum series »The Severin Team in Portrait« where we will introduce our long-time employees from the camp and hotel to you.

Learn more about our new films, our special laundry service at Severin Sea Lodge and our special Kenya offers. We will also introduce the project of Chance International. Not far from the Massai Mara in the remote Massai village of Olereko, villagers and the non-profit charity Chance e.V. from Cologne, Germany, are launching the Erishata Learning Center.

Enjoy!
 

The exclusive 8-day air safari to the nicest camps and lodges in Tsavo, Amboseli and Masai Mara

Day 1: Mombasa – Tsavo East: Your driver will pick you up at your hotel and take you to the airport. You will fly in a small luxurious Cessna to Tsavo East. You are picked up by your safari guide, who will bring you to Satao Camp. Over 50 different mammals and nearly 400 species of birds live at Tsavo National Park. After lunch, you experience your first game drive.
Dinner and overnight stay Satao Camp (full board).
Day 2: Tsavo East – Tsavo West: After breakfast, you board the deluxe aircraft and fly to Tsavo West National Park. You will arrive in time for lunch at Severin Safari Camp. In the afternoon you go on an excursion to the popular Mzima Springs, a little oasis of palm trees and acacias. Dinner and overnight stay at Severin Safari Camp (full board).
Day 3: Tsavo West: The day starts with an early morning game drive along the banks of the Tsavo River – the lifeline for hippos and crocodiles. You return to your camp for breakfast. Afterwards, you have time to relax at the KENBALI SPA. At noon, you will have lunch at the Out of Africa restaurant. In the afternoon, you can choose whether to go on a game drive or to relax at the camp. Dinner and overnight stay at Severin Safari Camp (full board).
Day 4: Tsavo West - Amboseli: Discover the secrets of the African wilderness on foot! You are accompanied by a Massai, who shows you around. During the tour you learn a lot about the ecosystem, the multifaceted bird life and other park inhabitants. After breakfast, you fly to Amboseli National Park.  On arrival, you enjoy a scenic view of Mount Kilimanjaro, before descending into Amboseli. You enjoy a game drive in the park before checking in at Satao Elerai and enjoy your lunch. In the afternoon, you visit an authentic Masai village. Dinner and overnight stay at Satao Elerai Camp (full board).
Day 5: Amboseli: After breakfast, you will enjoy a morning game drive in Amboseli National Park. You drive back to your camp for lunch. Afterwards, you have time to relax and enjoy the wonderful panoramic view from the camp. Later in the afternoon, you go on a game drive through the conservation area. When the sun starts to go down behind the horizon, you enjoy a bush sundowner. On your way back to the camp, you will experience the Kenyan savannah at night – an exceptional experience. Dinner and overnight stay at Satao Elerai Camp (full board).
Day 6: Amboseli – Masai Mara: After breakfast you fly to Masai Mara. On arrival, your personal safari guide will welcome you. You enjoy a delicious lunch at Karen Blixen Camp. In the afternoon, you will experience the exclusive African landscape and the breathtaking animal kingdom during your first game drive. Dinner and overnight stay at Karen Blixen Camp (full board).
Day 7: Masai Mara : A very special highlight awaits you today. We offer you the option to go on a balloon safari (not included in the package) and to enjoy a bird’s eye view of Kenya. During the day, you go on a game drive through Masai Mara with a picnic lunch. Dinner and overnight stay at Karen Blixen Camp (full board).
Day 8: Masai Mara – Mombasa: This morning, you will enjoy a bush breakfast in the Masai Mara. Lunch will await you at the camp. In the afternoon, you fly back to Mombasa and you are transferred to your beach hotel.

Contact:
Astrid Mergheim, Telephone: +49 (0) 2933 - 987160, Fax: 02933-987-144, E-Mail: sales@severintouristik.com 
Homepage: www.severin-kenya.com
 

Today, we want to introduce our Bar Man, Nicodemus Ndeme better known as Nicko to you:

Many of you know our bar manager Nicko, because he mixes delicious cocktails behind the Thorn Tree Bar at camp or serves an iced Gin Tonic which you enjoy at the campfire.
Nicko was born in 1958. He does not know the exact date, because his parents do not have a birth certificate and they did not make a note of this date.
Nicko grew up in Ukambani in the Kamba region, Kwuso District, in the Eastern part of the country, where he lives until today. Nicko has three brothers and three sisters.
Together with his wife Esther, Nicko has six children, the oldest is 29 years and the youngest is 18 years old. His wife looks after the children and she is responsible for their own little farm and cattle.

Nicko started to work at Severin Sea Lodge in 1978. At the beginning, he worked as a gardener, afterwards as a receptionist and Switch Board Operator. Over the next few years, Nicko worked at other hotels in Mombasa. One day Nicko decided that urban life of Mombasa was not what he wanted. He wanted tranquility and calm. At the same time, Nicko heard of the construction of the Severin Safari Camp in Tsavo National Park. Nicko applied for a job in 2001 and works at the camp till today and really loves his job.
He feels very comfortable in the wilderness and he wants to work at the camp until he retires.

In the next edition of bush drum, we will introduce our restaurant manager Consolata Kawira to you.

 

Film 1: Severin Safari Camp »Making Of«
Do you want to learn more about the construction of the Severin Safari Camp? Our new film »Severin Safari Camp - Making Of« shows how our wonderful camp was build. This was really a challenge for the construction team in 2001, when they started with the construction in the middle of the African wilderness. In 2008 the camp was expanded when the KENBALI SPA, the four junior suites and the BARAZA Conference tent were built.

Film 2: »The Severin Safari Camp today«
Caleb Karunga and Jeff Koinange from TV channel K24 visited the camp in March to join the ceremonial opening of our KENBALI SPA. They’ve created a beautiful film showing impressively what to expect amidst the Kenyan wilderness.

Film 3: The Severin Sea Lodge
Far away from stress and every-day life, an oasis of peace and relaxation is waiting for you – the Severin Sea Lodge. The hotel area is designed in African style, the bungalows and the two swimming pools harmonise perfectly with the generous palm garden. This tropical paradise is shown in our hotel film.

The films are available for your viewing pleasure on our website www.severin-kenya.com from mid-august on. We will be pleased to send you your personal film DVD.

Additionally the films can be lent on-site in Kenya. Especially our Baraza conference tent offers a wonderful atmosphere for a spectacular viewing experience!
 

Do you know the feeling on your return from your holiday when a huge pile of laundry is sitting in front of your washing machine? Forget about it because cleaning and ironing will be done by us – in Kenya. Just give all your dirty washing to our laundry at Severin Sea Lodge shortly before your departure. We offer you a cleaning and ironing service free of charge! (Dry-cleaning not included) 

This special offer applies for all hotel reservations (for Severin Sea Lodge) from today until 30th September 2009 and for our regular costumers (minimum third stay of 4 weeks or longer), it is valid from 1st November 2009 until 30th April 2010.
 

We would like to introduce you to our special offers as follows:
Severin Sea Lodge Bush & Beach offer
27.09. - 12.10.2009
Flight with Condor from / to Frankfurt to Mombasa
12 overnights in Karibu Class double room in one of our round bungalows incl. half-board, airport transfer and support service of our local, German speaking Severin tour guide
Severin Tsavo Safari
3 days / 2 nights at Severin Safari Camp incl. full-board, park entrance fees, game drives and KENBALI massage
Price: 1.639, - EUR per person

Severin Sea Lodge 14 = 12 offer
20.11. - 05.12.2009
Flight with Condor from / to Frankfurt to Mombasa
12 overnights in Karibu Class double room in one of our round bungalows incl. half-board, airport transfer and support service of our local, German speaking Severin tour guide
Price: 1.198,- EUR per person

A special experience is our 8-day Kenya Deluxe Air Safari:
Kenya Deluxe Air Safari
8-day air safari from / to Mombasa

Itinerary: Mombasa - Tsavo East (Satao Camp) - Tsavo West (Severin Safari Camp) - Amboseli National Park (Elerai Camp) - Masai-Mara National Park (Karen-Blixen Camp) - Mombasa
from 2.720,- EUR per person

We will be pleased to create your own individual holiday offer with a combination of flight from / to Germany, stay at Severin Sea Lodge and our »Air Safari Deluxe«.

Contact:
Astrid Mergheim, Telephone: +49 (0) 2933 - 987160, Fax: 02933-987-144, E-Mail: sales@severintouristik.com 
For more information please visit our homepage: www.severin-kenya.com

Not far from the Massai Mara in the remote Massai village of Olereko, villagers and the not for profit charity Chance e.V. from Cologne, Germany, are launching the Erishata Learning Center. Erishata means “opportunity” because the German-Kenyan team wants to give local people the opportunity to free themselves from extreme poverty.
Above all, women and children are suffering from the community’s growing problems, namely: poverty, land shortage, erosion, loss of cultural identity, AIDS and illiteracy. But Chance e.V. also sees great potential because “every human being – including the poor – has gifts and resources to transform their own living conditions.” To tap into this potential the Learning Center includes a kindergarden, a school, a literacy program as well as projects to promote Maasai culture, organic farming, and creation care. Villagers have sacrificially contributed land and building materials. Chance e.V. gives know-how and donations.
Formerly marginalized people had access to education and women especially developed small-scale business ideas. Chance e.V. finances these micro-enterprises (e.g. a cow for about 500 €) with interest-free mini loans. In small payments, these new micro-entrepreneurs return the funds to Chance-Kenya. Thus, the same euro once donated makes new projects possible again and again. The vicious circle of poverty becomes a cycle of hope. The donors of Chance e.V. receive a symbolic share certificate for the micro-enterprise made possible through their tax deductible donations.
Chance e.V. runs integral poverty reduction programs by fighting the material, social, and intellectual aspects of poverty. Germans and Kenyans work together as equal team members. Locals assume full responsibility for the projects. The project cycle makes the Chance-projects sustainable.
The president of Chance e.V. has been adopted by the village community as an official member of the clan.

You can find more information on: www.chance-international.org