By Lionel Faull

We spent our mornings getting stuck into the farm activities. Milking the camels at 6:30 am is about as close to a baptism of fire as one can get!

The school bus bounces down the murram road. Inside the bus pandemonium reigns. The two members of staff on board have long since abandoned their futile attempts to reduce the noise level, let alone restore order amongst the thirty excited 11 year-olds. I am with the Fifth Form from Pembroke House, Gilgil, and we are headed for Bobong Campsite, located 20 km north of Rumuruti in Laikipia.

Bobong campsite is part of Ol Maisor - a 34 000 acre ranch owned by Jasper Evans. John and Amanda Perrett founded Bobong in 1995. It is secure, spacious and simple and, located as it is on a working farm, it is ideal for school groups, although John and Amanda pride themselves on their versatility. Activities and leisure are individually suited to each group, family, or person according to their budget or interests.

When our school bus finally arrived at Bobong Campsite, I was allocated a banda, while the children were organised into tents. The next morning I awoke at dawn and watched the light filter gently through the papyrus thatch walls. I opened the door. Mount Kenya stared at me from over the Laikipia plains. It was as clear as a bell in the soft light.

We spent our mornings getting stuck into the farm activities. Milking the camels at 6:30 am is about as close to a baptism of fire as one can get! Jasper jetted in 24 camels from Pakistan to Kenya in 1993 and they have since bred with his Somali stock to increase milk yields. The camels did their level best not to endear themselves to us. They were grumpy. Nevertheless, we did have two buckets of milk to show for our efforts; milk for breakfast.

At the Ol Maisor meat processing facility, equipment is kept immaculate. We descended on the stone building and within a matter of minutes it was transformed into a meaty mess. The children were split into groups. They are given 3 kg of meat and told to prepare supper: steaks, hamburgers, kebabs and sausages. "Team Sausage" had the most fun. As they squeezed sausage meat out of the machine and into the sausage skins, the skin slipped off the nozzle. They were covered in a fine spray of sausage!

In the heat of the day we retired to the Hippo Pools on the Ngare Narok river to cool off, and de-sausage ourselves. The pools are, in fact hippo-less, and islands of papyrus create a series of channels and backwaters à la "Wind In The Willows". We picnicked in the shade of a Yellow Fever tree grove by the water’s edge.

After lunch John and Amanda set us off on a nature treasure trail. "This helps you to realise just how much you do know about the bush," explains Amanda. And it is true - even the "town clowns" attain a reasonable score! The questions are comprehensive. They cover ornithology, botany, zoology and good old common sense.

Back at the campsite we relax around a dancing acacia log fire. The Bobong staff undertake a dance of their own. Six Turkana men dressed in red shukas (traditional capes) and crowned with feather headdresses perform the "Bird Dance". They imitate the idiosyncrasies and calls of common African birds. It is up to the children to guess the bird in question. I enjoy the "vultures". The dancers tussle over a piece of "meat": a red shuka.

Bobong boasts a small swimming pool. The Perretts hava a pet cheetah called Claudia who was let out to play. She came charging down to the pool and to the astonished delight of all, her brakes failed and she plunged into the water. A very dishevelled Claudia emerged.

The next morning we tackled the assault course - a challenging series of tyres, ropes, trees, and rocky cliffs - in teams of four each. The finishing line is in the swimming pool. No time to take your shoes and socks off. Just jump straight in! After twenty minutes on the assault course we needed it.

The weekend slipped by unchecked. Soon we were bouncing down the murram road in the opposite direction. Back to school! Days later the shouts and laughter of pure unabashed fun still ring in my ears.

To stay at Bobong Camp costs Ksh. 250 - 4 000 per night.

For more information or reservations contact:

John and Amanda Perrett

Tel: 0176 3271 or Fax: 0176 32719

E-mail: olmaisor@africaonline.co.ke