The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
KENYAN CLASSICS
CREATE A SAFARI BUBBLE
Outdoors and remote, safaris tick all the boxes for Covid-safe holidays. Go one step further with an exclusive-use or villa stay. Rhino success story Borana Conservancy, at the foot of Mount Kenya, has several high-end options, including the stately but supremely friendly Lengishu House – the home in Africa we all wish we owned. Further west on the Laikipia Plateau, Segera Retreat has several self-contained, exquisitely designed villas set within botanical gardens and savannah. Owned by The Long Run founder and Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz, it is a blueprint for balancing conservation with business.
Abercrombie & Kent (01242 903408; abercrombiekent.co.uk) offers a six-night, full-board, exclusive-use and villa trip from £8,889 per person (six travelling), including flights and transfers
DELVE INTO SWAHILI CULTURE
A hideout for yogis, bohemians and camera-shy celebrities, the Lamu archipelago enjoyed a renaissance during lockdown. Sitting close to the Somali border, it was once hammered by Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office warnings, but peace now reigns, along with an authentic Swahili culture. Donkeys clop along car-free sandy streets, calls to prayer echo through open buildings, and hand-crafted wooden dhows drift silently along the shore. Split a stay between legendary hangout Peponi Hotel and barefoot beauty Manda Bay Lodge.
Far & Wild Travel (01768 603715; farandwild.travel) offers a seven-night stay from £2,235 per person (two sharing), including flights and some meals
MAKE IT A FAMILY AFFAIR
An open-air schoolroom delivering important and enjoyable life lessons, the Masai Mara has the power to mould young minds for the better. More memorable than Disney’s The Lion King, scenes unravelling on the plains can teach children about the value of nature first-hand. Cottar’s 1920s Camp, in the Olderkesi Conservancy, is a hit with families, who can bathe in outdoor canvas baths, play in a memorabilia-filled Explorer’s area and sleep in large tents with fireplaces. Equally great service is available at House in the Wild, a converted farm in the Enonkishu Conservancy with a lodge and cottages.
Coral Tree Travel (01242 908720; coraltreetravel.com) offers a sevennight, full-board family safari at both camps from £4,420 per person ( four sharing), including flights
TACKLE MOUNT KENYA
An ancient volcano in Kenya’s emerald highlands, Africa’s second-highest mountain is a challenging ascent with rewarding views of snow-dusted peaks and exotic plants that rise like chimneys from the grasslands. Although there are chances to spot servals and elands along the way, the experience is more about celebrating solitude on the roof of the world. The Timau Route approaches from the north on gentle slopes, giving the impression climbers are heading into a mountain range of serrated peaks. Brilliant Africa (020 8638 5890; brilliant-africa. com) offers an eight-day trip from £2,140 per person (two sharing), including professional guides, camping equipment, meals and flights
GET A HANDS-ON
FEEL FOR CONSERVATION
Although Africa’s animals roam freely across vast tracts of wilderness, protecting them is a costly, demanding hLearn important life lessons at Cottar’s 1920s Camp and often dangerous job. Find out what’s involved at two excellent camps offering behind-the-scenes tours. In Ol Pejeta Conservancy, visit the last two female northern white rhinos and learn about an ambitious IVF programme to resurrect the sub-species. Twin with a stay at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, also in the north central region, for an education on anti-poaching techniques at a high-spec operations centre. Get out in the field with sniffer-dog sessions and keep fit by joining rangers on their morning run.
Coral Tree Travel (01242 908720; coraltreetravel.com) offers a sevennight, full-board family safari at Asilia Ol Pejeta Bush Camp and Lewa House from £4,590 per person ( four sharing), including flights
SWIM AND SCUBA ALONG
THE COAST
Often overshadowed by the Indian Ocean’s honeymoon islands, Kenya’s underrated coastline delivers similarly shimmering turquoise waters, white sand beaches and wild underwater encounters at a fraction of the price. Grande dame Hemingways overlooks the Watamu Marine National Park, where moray eels and octopus glide over fringing reefs, and whale sharks and humpbacks seasonally cruise past. Further south, at the far end of Diani Beach, Kinondo Kwetu offers rustic beachside bliss. Horse-ride in the surf, practise yoga on the cliffs and dine in a converted beached dhow. Abercrombie & Kent (01242 903408; abercrombiekent.co.uk) offers an eight-night B&B trip from £6,500 for a family of four, including flights during October
half-term
SUPPORT COMMUNITIES
IN SAMBURU
Community ownership of wildlife is key to conservation, perfectly demonstrated at two commendable projects in northern Kenya. Wrapped by the soaring peaks of the Matthews Range in the Namunyak Conservancy, the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary is owned and staffed by local Samburu people. Observe feedings and learn about the rehabilitation work while staying at the indigenous-owned Sarara Camp. Twin with nearby Saruni Rhino, in the Sera Conservancy, where it’s possible to track black rhino on foot. Aardvark Safaris (01980 849160; aardvarksafaris.com) offers a sevennight, full-board safari from £5,978 per person (two sharing), including flights
MEET THE REAL MAASAI
Despite being a popular weekend break for expats from Nairobi, Shompole Conservancy feels remote and untouched by modern times. Maasai pastoralists live nomadically, sharing communal land and coexisting admirably alongside wildlife. Lions and caracals can be seen on game drives through the parched landscape of the Great Rift Valley, an important corridor between
Amboseli National Park and the Mara, while helicopter rides above the alkaline lakes of Magadi and Natron reveal a swirl of acid-hued colours.
Far & Wild Travel (01768 603715; farandwild.travel) offers a six-night safari, staying at Shompole Wilderness on a full-board basis (with a night in Nairobi B&B) , from £3,845 per person (two sharing), including flights
UNEARTH OUR ORIGINS
A cradle of humankind, where remains of our ancient ancestors have been found, the alkaline waters of Lake Turkana are a fossil bank of millennia-old finds. Few accommodation options are available in the far northern region, necessitating overland camping trips or drop-in helicopter visits. But efforts are rewarded with sights few people will ever encounter, and a sense of adventure that’s all too rare these days. Aardvark Safaris (01980 849160; aardvarksafaris.com) offers an eight-night camping safari, from Laikipia to Lake Turkana, from £4,270 per person (two sharing), including flights, meals, transport and camping equipment
CAPTURE WILDLIFE ON
CAMERA
On first-name terms with every big cat in the Mara, photographer Paul Goldstein’s passion for Kenya’s enigmatic predators is unsurpassed. Co-owner of three Kicheche camps in the Mara conservancies, he regularly guides photography tours, pushing guests beyond their creative boundaries. His unorthodox teaching techniques veer between brilliant and brutal, but he always delivers results. Early starts, late finishes and long hours in the bush are rewarded with good humour and images worthy of a place on a gallery wall.
Exodus (020 3993 2997; exodus.co.uk) offers a six-day guided, full-board safari, including coaching with Paul
Goldstein, from £5,799 per person (two sharing) with flights. Departs on November 4
Overseas travel is currently subject to restrictions. See page 5