5 ways to see the real Kenya on safari

From its dramatic plains and valleys to its scenes of primal instinct provided by Earth’s biggest predators, Kenya is among the top destinations to take a classic safari. You’ll no doubt encounter some of the coveted Big Five. However, when you travel with Journeysmiths, you’ll get an even richer experience: dive deep into the country’s soul, discover lesser-known wildlife and embark on one-of-a-kind adventures. Here are five ways to do things differently.

The experts at Journeysmiths are driven by their philosophy for responsible travel and respect for the natural environment. And thanks to partnerships with conservation changemakers like those at Lewa Wilderness, you can be rest assured that your accommodation in Kenya will be underpinned by a light-touch philosophy, placing impactful ecotourism at the heart of its work.

To see wildlife conservation in action, consider a stay at Sarara Camp. This intimate and sensitively designed haven lies in northern Kenya’s Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy, where once-dwindling elephant populations have been significantly boosted thanks to the rehabilitative work of the Reteti Elephant Orphanage. Here, you can spend a day with elephant keepers from the local Samburu community and help care for these abandoned creatures, which, once deemed able to, are later returned to the wild. There are opportunities to see the work of anti-poaching patrols and witness conservation education in local schools, too.

Your memories of action-packed game viewing and Kenya’s soul-stirring scenery are even more enduring when you’ve captured visuals you can look back on. With award-winning cinematographer Warren Samuels, you can do this via specially curated itineraries that help you capture wildlife photos like a pro.

While picking up the key techniques that underlie professional-level photography, you’ll learn how to scope out the land and discover the best sightings. Acclaimed for his work on documentaries like the Big Cat Diaries, Warren can accompany you on your game drives and help you snap everything from big cats slinking in the grassland to mesmeric birdlife that brings all manner of rainbow hues to the scene.

Staying at lodges such as Angama Mara, you can use dedicated photographic studios and, if you wish, document personal memories too, with photographers on hand to take photos of you and your loved ones.

Sleeping out under a night sky makes for a riveting adventure. So, imagine doing this in the African bush, where remote plains, free of light pollution, reward you with the most pin-sharp views of the Milky Way.

Consider a treehouse stay at Segera Retreat’s Nay Palad Bird Nest in Laikipia. Meanwhile, perched on a rocky kopje, Loisaba Star Beds commands a dramatic vantage point for admiring the mountain-backed Laikipia Plains and, of course, the dazzling night skies, from its elevated four-poster beds.

Other spots like the esteemed Ol Donyo Lodge, nestled in between Kenya’s Tsavo West and Amboseli National Parks, can provide star beds for your villa terrace while specialised star safaris can also be organised. Expert guides will help you scope out constellations from the northern and southern hemispheres, both visible from here, due to the country’s equatorial location.

Jeep safaris are undeniably thrilling, but there are many other ways to explore the Kenyan wilderness. From the luxury bush home of Ol Malo in north-central Kenya, for example, you can uncover rarely-explored terrain via camel treks led by members of the Samburu tribe. Here, and at Lewa Wilderness, a camp that affords dramatic Mount Kenya views, guests of all riding abilities can take horseback safaris, too. There’s the option of camping out under the stars where you’ll have opportunities to glimpse giraffe, zebra and, perhaps, some of the Big Five.

For those who really want to surround themselves in nature, little beats a walking safari which allows you the thrill of having your feet on the ground. Head up into the Matthews Range, for example, and you will be surrounded by  the sounds of birdsong and the rustle of wildlife in forest that’s bound to get the heart racing.

For a unique perspective of the landscape, take a tranquil hot air balloon flight, absorbing gripping natural scenes, like galloping wildebeest, play out beneath you. For a different type of thrill, explore the bush on an all-terrain bike, or, while staying at Segera Retreat, enjoy a flight in the beautiful biplane once used in the Out of Africa film.

While many safari-goers are keen to seek out the Big Five or perhaps even witness some of Kenya’s world-famous Great Migration, there is much more wildlife to explore beyond these big-hitting sights. Discover a wide range of wildlife adventures to suit your interests, whether that’s watching Amboseli’s vivid flocks of flamingos against a Kilimanjaro backdrop or embarking on hands-on tracking experiences from Laikipia Wilderness Camp in northern Kenya.

Allow keen-eyed rangers to open your eyes to fascinating animal tracks and lesser-known species such as the gerenuk, oryx and Grevy’s zebra, from beautiful camps like Saruni Samburu. Or stay at Loisaba Lodo Spring and join the conservation team in the diverse Loisaba Wildlife Conservancy in observing the elusive black leopard. In partnership with San Diego Zoo, these conservationists were the first to discover this subspecies in this region in more than 100 years.  

And don’t miss the chance to spot a “Super Tusker’ in the Amboseli region of southern Kenya. These rare, aptly-named bull elephants sport tusks that can grow up to 2.5m long and can weigh a staggering 45kg.

About the experts

With over 30 years experience, Journeysmiths curates highly-customised, expert-led holidays in some of the world’s wildest, and most remote places. Driven by the philosophy that travel can generate a positive impact, its specialised teams handcraft itineraries that work closely with conservation initiatives and local communities. Thanks to Journeysmiths and its expert guides, travellers glean a deep cultural understanding of their destination while having access to some of the most immersive adventures.