Gift suggestions for Masai on Porini safari
 

Hi there, lovely people. Since you provided such invaluable advice on the rest of the packing list for my upcoming vacation, I'm hoping you'll be able to advise on the gift giving, as well.

More specifically, I'm wondering how much to bring and whether people have left gifts at multiple camps. I'm going to be at Amboseli Porini, Porini Lion and Porini Rhino, but the only one of those camps I know involves the community visit (so far) is Amboseli. So far, I'm thinking I'd like to bring some Silly Bandz, little Koosh balls and/or small toys like kaleidoscopes. Does anyone have any advice, pro or con, on this type of thing? Does anyone know how many children I should expect to see? I don't want to bring too little.

I'm following up with my travel consultant as to whether I should perhaps bring gifts to leave at each camp, but I'd also love to hear suggestions from this forum's experts.

Thanks, everyone!

I brought NYC Pens, Keychains and Postcards and gave them along with the gratuities which I placed in "Thank You" notecards and gave to the Drivers/Spotters at each camp which included Porini Rhino and Porini Lion. For the staff box I just did cash as thank you card didn't fit into the staff gratuity box located in the main tent. I also brought a few pashmina scarves and gave those to my female room attendant and another very helpful staff member at Kichwa Tembo. I didn't see any women working at the Porini Camps or Tortilis (except the manager at Tortilis), but we had a great number at the Kichwa Tembo, I assumed that must have something to do with Masaai tradition.

In regards to the villages, some people on the forum don't think you should bring anything as they feel it encourages begging. I didn't feel that way at all when I gave a few toys and balloons along with some school supplies. The kids were very shy and peering at us behind doors and walls, it was a nice way to get them to come out into the open and it was nice to see them all playing together and more importantly their great smiles. The two women who were also along for the village visit that we took while visiting Tortilis camp in Amboseli, mentioned they were happy I'd thought of this (actually I stole the idea from someone on the forums) as they felt it made our experience more interesting and fun.

Whatever you decide to do, I'm certain it will be greatly appreciated.

Where are you from? We had one Dodgers and one Lakers cap with us and wished we had more. Of course, it's hard to fit a lot of baseball caps in carry-on...

School supplies are a great idea. When giving things to children, I'd hand the items to the adults and let them distribute. One other point on the school supplies--you can purchase them in the city once you arrive to avoid carrying them over. Just set it up in advance.

Baseball caps of the local team or T-shirts are nice for your guides. I bring small bags of locally produced dried cranberries, sometimes chocolate covered. You might have a similar local specialty that travels.

I have not left gifts at camps, but I have given small items to individuals.

Thanks for the feedback. You're right, one of the biggest things I need to keep in mind is the overall volume I'll be able to fit into my bag. The onsite school supplies purchase might be a great work around for that.

I'm in D.C., and I'm actually a bit amused to think that someone might be interested in Nationals merchandise. I'm still hoping I'll be able to find something from around here that will be interesting and won't cost an arm and a leg; it seems like most of the D.C. merchandise is ridiculously overpriced (although that may be unavoidable). The local team merchandise might be a good thing to check out.

I need to get on this quickly, so I really appreciate your input.

If you're from DC you may be able to find some "Obama" items, as they all love Obama and are proud that his father came from Kenya. If you meet Kennedy at Porini Lion (and hopefully you will as he's truly wonderful), he was Obama's guide when he visited the Mara Explorer camp (where Kennedy previously worked) before he became President.

I agree that if you bring anything with you to the village that you give it to the adult, which in our case was one of the village leaders and he distributed to the children. I'd wished I'd brought Baseball Caps as well, but with the restrictive weight limit of 33 lbs for the regional flights it limits you a bit.

There must be "Dollar" stores in DC where you can pick up small items - pens/pencils, balloons, sparklies/stickies, etc. Hey, even cards/envelopes for "thank you" notes.

Tooth brushes (the travel size) & paste are good, but please NO sweets! Most of the kids (even adults) in villages never get to see a dentist.

I'll try a dry run with the packing so I can see how much space/weight I have before committing to anything, then take a stroll through some of the gift shops/booths/etc. in the area. I'm sure I'll figure something out.

Thanks again, everyone.

I'd always advise leaving cash tips with adults who've been working, and nothing for anyone else. It's great to make donations, but it's always best to do that through formal NGOs working in sustainable development. Sadly, although it might feel good, handing out gifts just isn't good for a society's soul.

I'll get off my soapbox now!

(one good way of giving is to take a Polaroid/Instant camera and offer to take photos of people, especially if you want to take photos anyway. I've got one, but do they still make them and can you still buy the film?)

Thanks, Richard. I've certainly seen that advice elsewhere, and I actually agree with it in a lot of other situations.

I think the main reason I'm considering gifts this time around is because the Porini camps seem designed to encourage support of the communities. I don't mean that in the sense of their "soliciting" for donations; I just feel it's different from situations with random beggars or the like in other tourist areas.

Anyhow, I will consider as best I can how to minimize expectations. Sadly, I wouldn't know where to begin looking for a Polaroid at this late hour.

I agree with Obama stuff.

Even without a Polaroid, you can take photos and send them. Since your subjects will be at Porini, that works well to send a packet of photos to the camp.

If you go to a school, you can take a class shot and send enough copies for everyone in the photo.