DESTINATIONS KENYA | AFRICA
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G Adventures’ 10-day Kenya: Cultural Connections, Mt Kenya & Maasai Mara from its Geluxe Collection of premium active trips includes a tracking walk with a Maasai guide while staying at a Maasai-owned and operated lodge, a day hike up Mount Kenya and a visit to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in central Kenya’s Laikipia Conservancy, developed in partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute. Prices start at £5,135 for a departure on January 31, excluding international flights but including airport transfers, all meals, transport and listed activities.
gadventures.com
ABOVE: Cottar’s Culinary Safari allows guests to go wild foraging with Kenyan chef Kiran Jethwa (right) HOW TO SELL KENYA
“It’s about offering more than the ‘two game drives a day’ safari. At a private conservancy such as Governors’ Mugie House in Laikipia, guests can engage with conservation initiatives such as
lion tracking and the anti-poaching unit. You can add adventure with bush walks, canoeing and e-biking, and book accommodation and experiences that offer cultural exchanges with the Pokot community. The remote island of Lamu offers an alternative beach experience – guests can visit mosques, restaurants and artisan shops.” Helen Austin, Africa product manager, Kuoni
“In places such as the Maasai Mara, community and wildlife are so intertwined that just going on safari means you miss things that make the place what it is. But there’s a worry that cultural experiences
such as visiting a Maasai village could be exploitative. Recommending responsible options, which are run in partnership with local people and where you can explain the mutual benefits of a trip, are key to allaying those fears.” Julia Copestick, travel team specialist, Responsible Travel
crafting an epicurean safari that’s rooted in Kenya’s cultural and natural heritage, bringing the true taste of the African bush to life.”
TRIBAL CONNECTIONS For adventurous clients or Kenya regulars who are yet to explore the more isolated north, specialist tour operators such as Native Eye visit these tribal heartlands. Samburu Game Reserve is home to the nomadic Samburu and Rendille communities, along with rare wildlife species that make up the Samburu Special Five, including Grévy’s zebras and reticulated giraffes. Many also visit Chalbi Desert and its Kalacha Oasis, which is home to the camel-herding Gabbra people; as well as the jade-hued waters of Lake Turkana, where the Turkana community resisted colonisation until the 1950s. For city lovers, consider adding two or three nights in Nairobi. With legacy properties such as Hemingways, quirky options such as Giraffe Manor and boutique hotels such as Tribe and The Social House, accommodation is high quality. The underrated capital offers the best of urban life: art, heritage, fine dining, shopping and even nature. You could say that Kenya is the ultimate all-inclusive destination. Big cats and birdlife, community and culture, beach cocktails and city sights – all without leaving the country.
TW
Responsible Travel’s six-day Kenya Culture and Community Tour includes a day in a soup kitchen near Nairobi, a visit to an entrepreneurial centre that empowers women, a hippo and birdwatching safari at Lake Naivasha and time with a Maasai family to learn about their crafts, customs and bush knowledge. Priced from £2,843 excluding flights, with accommodation, breakfasts and lunches, some dinners, transport, transfers and activities.
responsibletravel.com
Exodus Adventure Travels’ new eight-day Kenya Safari Adventure incorporates cultural traditions with game drives in Maasai Mara and Amboseli National Parks, adumu performances where dancers jump several feet high and a Nairobi lunch where chefs roast meats on Maasai swords over a charcoal pit. Prices start from £3,375, excluding flights, with B&B accommodation, meals, transport and listed activities.
exodus.co.uk
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PICTURE: Sam Knight
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