It's hard to plan or promise things in Kenya-not just because no one can guarantee what wild animals you'll see or how they'll behave, but also because poor roads and oft-delayedflights tend to discourage precise schedules. This capriciousness is, of course, inherent in developing countries and part of the allure of a safari (Swahili for "journey"). Traveling in this part of East Africa offers a rare opportunity in today's fast-paced world to slow down and experience the unexpected, wondrous thrills that come only when nature is good and ready to show you what it's got.
No doubt about it, nature rules in Kenya.
As our 18-seater SafariLink plane descends over Tsavo West National Park, we spot our first wild animals-a group of zebras-camped out on our intended landing strip. Refusing to be deterred by the plane's proximity and its propellers' loud buzz, the zebras hold their ground. After two attempts to scare them away, it's game over. Our chuckling pilot shakes his head and, with a shrug, concedes to the striped creatures, turning our aircraft's nose toward another clearing. On this improvised runway of reddish-brown earth, we come to a smooth stop, hop out of the aircraft cabin's small door, and walk a few hundred yards to our accommodations for the night at Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge (tel. 254/045-340-000; www.serenahotels.com), the first safari lodge built in a Kenyan national park. It opened in 1962, and has been under Serena management since 1999.
Upon arrival at Kilaguni, we stroll though the open-air lobby and restaurant, pining for a nap. But at the edge of the room is the most arousing landscape: a large waterhole amid red soil where animals and birds drink, and beyond that an expanse of grassland running into the distant rolling Chylu Hills at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. A few baobab trees and countless white morning glories speckle the earth's green canvas.
I had flown into this Lion King incarnate to check out Jake Grieves-Cook's brainchild: Gamewatchers Safaris (tel. 254/207-123-129; www.porini.com) and its Porini camps. My itinerary included overnight stays at Porini Selenkay outside of Amboseli National Park, and Porini Ol Kinyei near the famed Maasai Mara National Reserve.
Porini camps are innovative because they're small (only 6 tents per camp), located on conservancies (portions of land, set outside of public areas like Amboseli and Maasai Mara, that are leased from Maasai communities), and eco-friendly (think solar power, proper waste management, employment of locals, and very little impact on the surroundings). "The idea of conservancies is a relatively new one," Grieves-Cook explains to me, post-safari, as we dig into a buffet lunch at the Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi. We met here to chat about Gamewatchers Safaris and Porini camps before my departure from Kenya the next day. "We still have to convince people about its benefits because it's not so easy."
Like most worthwhile pioneering enterprises, conservancies are complicated and time-consuming. First, there's the matter of convincing local Maasai that leasing their land for tourism is more profitable than grazing cattle, followed by careful engineering to establish environmentally sound accommodations, power sources, access to water, and roads to reach the camps. Next, the local council must be consulted to choose staff members. Eighteen local Maasai men work at Porini Selenkay and another fourteen are employed at Ol Kinyei.
Grieves-Cook, Managing Director of Gamewatchers Safaris and the Porini camps, also serves as chairman of Kenya's tourist board. A former chairman of the Ecotourism Society of Kenya, he started working in the Kenyan tourism industry 34 years ago at a lodge in the Maasai Mara when it was the only one there. Now, as Kenya's popularity as a safari destination increases-meaning that mini buses and large-scale accommodations potentially threaten the environment-Grieves-Cook is trying to sustain the country's tourism industry by conserving wildlife and land for future generations, while giving local landowners a chance to benefit from tourism dollars. "Ecotourism has to be based in nature and by doing positive things for the community," he says. But, he adds later, "I'm unabashedly running this commercially. To me, profit is not a dirty word."
It's refreshing to hear an environmentalist acknowledge the importance of the bottom line-and in talking with Grieves-Cook, it's quickly apparent that above all else he's a pragmatist, which may be his secret to eco-success. He invested a great deal in these camps-not just financially but also personally by staking his reputation on them. In 2004, he began to see the payoff; the Porini camp in Selenkay broke even for the first time since its debut 3 years earlier. In 2005, Grieves-Cook opened his second camp in the Ol Kinyei conservancy outside Maasai Mara, followed this summer by a third camp, in the Olare Orok conservancy, which also borders the Mara. A fourth camp is expected to open in the Kigio conservancy in October 2006.
Porini camps offer unique accommodations in Kenya. They're fairly priced (not the most, nor the least, expensive option), but they feel exclusive because they're small and set in private wilderness preserves, which allows for personalized service. In fact, translated from Swahili, Porini means "in the wilds" and is an acronym for Protection of Resources (Indigenous and Natural) for Income. The exteriors of the tents at each camp are modeled after basic ones you'd pitch yourself, but the insides are more like luxurious hotel rooms. Instead of bedding down in sleeping bags on dirt floors, guests sleep beneath high-end linens atop plush mattresses. There's an in-tent bathroom complete with a flush toilet, sink, and shower. The sink provides 24-hour-access to running water, but the showers are set up to conserve thanks to smart eco-engineering. After a staff member, typically a young Maasai man, pours a bucket of boiling water into the pipes, you can pull the showerhead's lever and have 3 to 6 minutes of hot water (which, believe it or not, is more than enough time to get clean). The camps also serve top-notch meals prepared daily by a resident chef, and are equipped with modern technologies such as generators and satellite phones for emergencies.
Another benefit for guests who stay at Porini camps is the freedom to try activities in the conservancies that aren't allowed in national parks, such as guided walking safaris and nighttime game drives. Visitors can go out in a vehicle with a spotlight, a guide, and a "spotter," a young Maasai man who's familiar with the local wildlife and who has an excellent eye for spotting animals, not to mention a spear to kill one if it tries to attack. Being in the African wilderness after dark is a rare and intimate experience you don't want to miss.
"While you're here, you feel closer to nature," Selenkay manager Peter Mboganie says to me one evening as I nod in agreement. "You can hear the sounds and see the animals nearby."
During the summer, tourists flock to Kenya for the famed wildebeest migration. But year-round there's a high likelihood of seeing the Big Five-elephant, lion, black rhino, buffalo, and leopard-or even the Big Nine, in which hippopotamus, zebra, giraffe, and cheetah are added to the Big Five categorization.
In less than a week, I see six of the Big Nine, as well as more than a fair share of other game. I watch elephants splash themselves with mud (a natural sunblock and bug repellent), a lion and lioness cuddle in open grassland, hippos pop their heads in and out of water, warthogs mate, florescent birds float above the earth, statuesque ostriches prance like ballerinas, watchful dik diks stare at us before retreating into the bush, male gazelles flaunt their harems of forty-plus females, wildebeest hang out among a gang of zebras, giraffes glide across the plains, and buffaloes graze.
In Maasai Mara, so many creatures roam the land that at times it feels surreal; it's hard to believe there aren't fences here and your Land Cruiser isn't an amusement-park ride at a zoo. In Amboseli, the park can feel eerily empty, and your eyes might scan the vast landscape for an hour without seeing any movement other than blades of grass swaying in the breeze. To some, this may be a disappointment, but to me it's the essence of exploration. Eventually, and seemingly out of nowhere, a family of elephants silently strolls by, or a giraffe in the distance stands tall and still, and your sense of amazement feels as new as it did the first time you spotted an animal in the wild.
"No domestic animal can be as still as a wild animal," Karen Blixen writes in Out of Africa. "The civilized people have lost the aptitude of stillness, and must take lessons in silence from the wild." Reminders like this one, of how much we can learn from the earth's natural phenomena, are Kenya's most generous gifts to its visitors.
In Kenya, what's as memorable as the animals and land-if not more so-are the country's people. Some of the most fascinating moments on my safari were those I spent talking with locals.
Many different tribes live in Kenya, making up a diverse population of approximately 30 million. The custom of a man taking more than one wife is still recognized by most traditional systems, but not by official Kenyan family law. Due to economic realities (few men can afford to take more than one wife) and social pressures (increased Western disapproval of polygamy), the practice seems to be declining. Most young men I met came from very large families, but had married one wife and typically had just two or three children.
Maasai are probably the best-known tribe to people outside Kenya. With their colorful robes and reputation as long, lean, and proud warriors, they maintain many ancient practices of their nomadic, pastoralist lifestyle. But with the steady growth of tourism, traditions are beginning to change. For example, despite the financial burden, more young Maasai men are going to school-often with hopes of getting higher-paid hospitality jobs.
One early evening, we pile into a Land Cruiser and drive to a picturesque spot near the Mara to enjoy a sundowner-the practice of having a drink (maybe a Tusker beer, glass of wine, or gin-and-tonic) as the sun sets. A few of us spend the evening talking with Tipa, a young Maasai man who works as a spotter at Porini Ol Kinyei. Dressed in his traditional red robe tied with rope at the waist, he doesn't speak English and we don't speak his language. Nonetheless, after a few initial translations from another Kenyan, we carry on our own conversation and laugh for hours as we attempt to learn the local tongue. Ashe oleng (thank you), Tipa. As dusk falls, we head back to camp with the breeze whishing through the 4x4's open window and I become mesmerized by this vast, tranquil landscape that manages to accommodate so much life. I marvel again at the power of Kenya's nature.
"I believe that everything originated from Mother Nature, and I believe that without nature, land would come to a standstill," one of our safari guides, Gordon Omondi, says over a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and fresh fruit at Porini Ol Kinyei outside of Maasai Mara. "By coming to work as a guide and naturalist in the Mara, I thought I'd be able to help with the preservation of nature." Omondi worries that too many lodges and campsites reside in Maasai Mara. The Mara is eight times smaller than the Serengeti National Park, but it receives more tourists because it has so many lodges. "Camps like Porini are based outside the perimeter of the Mara and camps like this have come up with conservation in mind." (Omondi is a member of the Kenyan Professional Safari Guides Association, a resource that began in 1996 to certify guides based on a set of high standards, exams, and practical experience.)
"We don't leave anything here that is not biodegradable, even in waste management," Ol Kinyei manager Evans Kalafa says. "We store plastic and metal separately and we recycle it. We burn paper and biodegradables in the fire pit.""What we have here," Kalafa says, looking out from the dining tent, where we sat, toward acres of open land. "If we don't take care of it now, we won't have it tomorrow."
Note: This article was written after I visited Kenya in May 2006 as part of a press trip, sponsored by the Kenyan Tourism Board and Gamewatchers Safaris. To book a similar safari or customize your own Kenyan adventure with Gamewatchers, go to www.porini.com.
Practical Details
Almost all nationalities visiting Kenya must have a valid passport and visa. A single-entry visa for U.S. tourists, valid for 3 months, costs $50. You can obtain a visa upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, but I highly recommend acquiring one before you depart. For more information on entry requirements, contact the Embassy of the Republic of Kenya in Washington, DC (2249 R Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20008; 202/387-6101) or a consulate in New York (866 UN Plaza, Suite 4016, New York, NY, 10017; 212/421-4741) or Los Angeles (Park Mile Plaza, Mezzanine Floor, 4801 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90010; 323/939-2408). Visa application forms can be found at www.kenyaembassy.com. Additional details are available on the U.S. State Department's website at travel.state.gov.For useful, comprehensive information on planning a trip to Kenya, visit the Kenya Tourist Board's official website, Magical Kenya, at www.magicalkenya.com.At press time, the exchange rate was approximately 73 Kenyan shillings (KSH) to the U.S. dollar. For up-to-date currency conversions, go to www.xe.com.
Swahili is Kenya's official language, but most people who work in the tourism industry speak English. Attempts by travelers to learn at least a few words in Swahili, and in local languages when in rural parts of the country, don't go unnoticed and are greatly appreciated.
Kenya's high season is July, August, September, and mid-December through February. Low season is typically considered April/May through November, but don't let low season discourage you. In fact, I generally prefer to travel in low season to avoid crowds, and my visit in May was wonderful. We enjoyed nearly perfect weather (about 70F to 80F during the day, a bit cooler at night, and it only rained one night after dinner), and we avoided the crowds.
Getting There
Numerous airlines fly to Kenya, but none go nonstop from the States. I flew with Virgin Atlantic (tel. 800/821-5438; www.virgin-atlantic.com) from New York's JFK airport to London, and then with Kenya Airways (tel. 800/343-2506; www.kenya-airways.com) from London to Nairobi. If you book in advance, you should be able to find round-trip airfare in May for approximately $1,300. If you book your safari through a tour company, your itinerary will typically include at least one night in Nairobi upon arrival in Kenya and another one before you depart the country. Most companies, including Gamewatchers Safaris, also provide all land and air transfers from Nairobi to game parks and other locations (such as tented camps) within Kenya. All of these costs are built into the total package fee, but double check with your company to be sure.Safari Costs
A safari like the one described above costs approximately $2,300 per person sharing in high season and about $1,850 per person in low season. The rate is all inclusive, although tipping the tent/kitchen staff about $10 and the guides about $15 per day, respectively, is suggested and greatly appreciated.
Health & Safety Precautions
At least six weeks to two months before you depart for Kenya, consult your doctor or a travel clinic. Although no vaccinations are currently required by law, it's highly recommended that your following vaccinations are up-to-date: yellow fever; tetanus; polio; measles, mumps, and rubella; hepatitis A; hepatitis B; typhoid; and meningitis. Talk to your doctor about which anti-malarial drug is right for you. I took Malarone and experienced no noticeable side effects.
Be sure to pack any medications you take regularly, as well as any personal hygiene products you use on a daily basis. Bring bug spray with DEET, along with plenty of sunscreen and a hat. Also consider asking your doctor for an antibiotic you can take in case of stomach upset. (Cipro is the most commonly prescribed antibiotic to treat severe stomach problems.)Check with your current health insurance provider to see what expenses are already covered, but you might also want to consider purchasing international medical and evacuation insurance. A good provider is International SOS (www.internationalsos.com).
The U.S. State Department currently has a travel warning posted on its website to "remind American citizens to consider carefully the risks of travel to Kenya at this time due to ongoing safety and security concerns." For the full warning, go to travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_923.html. As when traveling to any developing country, stay vigilant and follow your guides' instructions. Don't walk around by yourself in Nairobi, and don't wander off on your own in the bush or at night while on safari.
For an added sense of security, consider bringing a mobile phone with you that you can use in the cities. To rent a dependable, reasonably-priced model that works well in London and Nairobi, I'd recommend Roberts Rent-a-Phone (tel. 800/964-2468; www.roberts-rent-a-phone.com). The company offers speedy, personalized service and competitive rates. There's little to no cell service in the most rural parts of Kenya, but all the tented camps mentioned in this article have satellite phones in case of emergency.
Suggested Reading List
- Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, Barack Obama
- Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown, Paul Theroux
- Footprints Kenya, Lizzie Williams
- Out of Africa, Karen Blixen