Elevate Destinations

Experts in socially responsible luxury travel. We design travel experiences that support conservation and local communities without skimping on comfort.

Kenya: Conservation, Community,
and Climate Resilience Safari

Kenya

Regenerating one of the last wild frontiers of Africa

Northern Kenya represents one of the last wild frontiers in Africa. Take an unforgettable journey through this complex wilderness region, only recently opened up to tourism. Learn about the intricate details of the northern Kenyan landscape and its rare and unique wildlife, people, and cultures. Develop an understanding of key climate resilience initiatives now underway in the region that support local communities and conservation, as well as the wider world.

Northern Kenya has a fascinating history. Many of its communities have aligned with a common vision: to protect natural resources and embrace conservation as their core value. The Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) supports rural communities across 45 community conservancies to govern wild spaces, lead development projects, and build sustainable economies. Wildlife moves freely and is thriving, with elephants returning in large numbers after they were poached heavily in the 70s and 80s.

Native, a public benefit corporation, has partnered with NRT to develop the world's first, largest, and most unique grasslands/soil-based carbon projects — the Northern Kenya Rangelands Carbon Project (NKRCP). As carbon developers, Native has brought technical and financial capacity to northern Kenya, enabling an extremely exciting and sustainable commercial opportunity for the communities living there. The NKRCP focuses on improved grazing management and uses livestock as a tool to ensure grasses and other plants are given time to rest, recover, and deepen and broaden their root structures. Grass is great at sequestering carbon, so the more grass the communities can grow, the more carbon they can store, and the more revenue they can generate to support their livelihoods. This project supports traditional practices and incentivizes positive change, bolstering community livelihoods and ensuring a safe haven for biodiversity for the long term.

Few outsiders have explored the far reaches of Kenya’s north, let alone taken a deep dive into the issues being addressed by these pioneering organizations. Expertly guided by Native’s Director of Project Development and Operations, Kieran Avery, you will immerse in an intricate web of people and wildlife in a unique part of Kenya.

Suggested Length: 10 days/9 nights
Starts from: $25,000 per person, based on a two person minimum

"We spent three weeks on safari in the beautiful Laikipia region of Kenya. I can’t begin to describe the beauty of the camps and lodges, the kindness of the staff and guides, and the transformative experiences they created for each one of us. No detail was spared in attending to our every comfort and need. Every moment was a gift. We felt a renewed faith in human kindness and communication regardless of culture and geography. The trip surpassed our every expectation and we ended up extending our stay by an extra week because we couldn’t bear to return."

Leanna McGrath and family
Kenya

Highlights

  • Visit premier private conservancies in Northern Kenya.
  • Enjoy a private guide, conservation expert Kieran Avery.
  • Go off-grid in a remote bush camp.
  • Dialogue with Samburu tribespeople.
  • Experience endangered and iconic species of Northern Kenya, including a visit to Reteti Elephant Sanctuary.
  • Immerse in the significant work undertaken to regenerate traditional pastoralist land holdings.

Sample Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival

Upon arrival into Nairobi, you will be met off your plane by a representative and provided with VIP service into the arrivals terminal. Enjoy the beginning of your stay at the beautiful Hemingways Hotel before your early departure for the bush tomorrow.

Overnight Hemingways Hotel

Day 2
Sirikoi Lodge — Visit the Northern Rangelands Trust HQ

Early this morning you will be transferred to Wilson airport to catch a flight out to Lewa Airstrip. You will be met on arrival by a car and driver and transferred from the airstrip to Sirikoi Lodge (20-minute game drive). Today you will have a unique opportunity to visit the Northern Rangelands Trust Headquarters, which allows you to understand how both Lewa Wildlife Conservancy (owned in Trust) and the Northern Rangelands Trust (community-based NGO) function.

This is a wonderful experience and a great way to learn how NRT initially evolved from Lewa in order to ensure community buy-in around Lewa’s borders, which worked to protect key wildlife migration corridors into, and out of, Lewa. It also ensured that communities benefited from wildlife conservation instead of resenting it.

This visit will also expose you to the JOCC (joint operations and command center), which is where all incidences of human-wildlife conflict — poaching, stock theft, etc. — from the Northern Rangelands Trust landscape and surrounding private ranches are reported and responded to. The JOCC is a unique and state-of-the-art security asset, working hand-in-hand with the Kenyan government (police department and Kenya Wildlife Service). During the visit you will meet the superb team of Lewa sniffer dogs and have a chance to see other NRT and Lewa assets, including the aviation fleet, which are key players in the security / logistics of this vast region.

This evening, enjoy your stay at the beautiful Sirikoi Lodge.

Overnight Sirikoi Lodge

Day 3
Ngare Ndare Forest

Today is an opportunity to visit the Ngare Ndare Forest, one of the first NRT-supported community conservancies. Located on the boundary of Lewa, a complete contrast to the wide-open plains of the conservancy, Ngare Ndare is one of the only forests within Kenya to expand since independence, which beautifully illustrates the potential of coordinated community conservation.

Walking through the forest canopy of enormous indigenous trees on the elevated walkway and diving into blue glacial pools and waterfalls is an exceptional experience of a very different wilderness. Depart in the morning after breakfast, and drive for 40 minutes through a few small Kenyan rural communities, to reach the forest. The elevated canopy walkway is about 10m high and 400m long, ending at a beautiful lookout deck. You may take lunch to the forest and enjoy it on the deck. Pack your swimsuits, and Sirikoi will pack towels.

Enjoy another evening at Sirikoi Lodge, with plenty of time for a game drive viewing iconic species and a sundowner at one of Lewa’s magnificent viewpoints.

Overnight Sirikoi Lodge

Day 4
Venture Off Grid

Begin a rare adventure into a very remote bush camp. Locations are chosen closer to the time, based on wildlife movements, weather, etc. Camps are generally positioned slightly set back on the luggas (dry river beds), so that you can watch the action of wildlife coming in to drink. At sunset, it is lovely to sit quietly, hoping for the elephants to come in and give you a show. With a small safari team and being hundreds of miles from the next tourist, the experience is wonderfully intimate and off-grid.

Each day is flexible, and the day’s adventures will be discussed with Kieran based on wildlife movements and herd locations. You might jump in the Landcruiser to find collared elephants in remote bushland, go for a beautiful walk along a truly wild stretch of dry river, or try out fly fishing for barbel in warm clear waters! There are endless opportunities for walking, bird watching, wildlife viewing, camel safaris, ATV quad biking, and relaxing.

Overnight Latitude Safari Camp

Day 5
Rhino Tracking on Foot, Sera Rhino Sanctuary

Track wild black and white rhino in the Sera Rhino Sanctuary — the first community conservancy in East Africa to operate a sanctuary dedicated to the conservation and breeding of the critically endangered black rhino.

Northern Kenya was once the stronghold for black rhino. They thrived in the landscape until the poaching of the 70s and 80s. The reintroduction of black rhino into the Sera Sanctuary has been a great success, with a growing population that currently stands at 16 individuals. Enjoy a unique opportunity to track them up close on foot. Relax in the heat of the day, and watch the wildlife come and go.

Overnight Latitude Safari Camp

Day 6
Native Projects

Today’s activities will focus on deepening your understanding of the relationship of conservation and wildlife to the herding practices of local tribes through the lens of Native’s work in the area.

The day’s activities will be accessible based on the current conditions and activity in the wild. Take advantage of opportunities by plane, helicopter, 4×4, or foot.

Overnight Latitude Safari Camp

Day 7
Samburuland

Kalepo Camp is nestled in the heart of Samburuland, Northern Kenya. Experience authentic kijijis (Samburu villages), incredible elephants, singing wells, and soaring mountains. Kalepo Camp is the perfect location from which to explore the diversity of the “Big North.” Located on a dry river with sweeping views of the majestic Mathews Mountains, this private-use, family-friendly, luxury tented camp offers exclusive use of 390,000 acres, straddling both sides of the Mathews Mountains.

Walk with Samburu herdsmen and their cattle to their village or along the beautiful, dry river beds. Accompany honey hunters and traditional wood carvers. Fly by helicopter to high Mathews Mountain, and swim in river pools, or enjoy sundowners on a kopje with a magnificent view. From here, you can also fly by helicopter to the Suguta Valley, Lake Turkana, or to visit the Pokot tribe. Sundowners in camp are particularly special, with elephants at the waterhole.

Overnight Kalepo Camp

Day 8
Reteti Elephant Sanctuary

Today we have included a private visit (exclusive access) to Reteti Elephant Orphanage, 45 minutes’ drive from Sarara, including a picnic.

Reteti Elephant Sanctuary is found in the remote Mathews Mountain Range, among the second largest elephant population in Kenya. It is the first community owned and run elephant sanctuary in the world. The orphanage rescues and takes in abandoned elephant calves with the aim to raise them and release them back into the wild herds adjoining the Sanctuary.

During your visit, you will be paired with a keeper who will accompany you the entire time to tell you about their work and answer any questions. From a special viewing platform, you will watch the elephants come in from their walk to receive their bottles and then have mud hole playtime. Afterwards, you will be given a behind-the-scenes tour of the sanctuary.

Overnight Kalepo Lodge

Day 9
Kalepo Lodge and Singing Wells

Today will be another day of exploration. Perhaps you will watch the "singing wells" ritual as the Samburu warriors bring their cattle to the wells to drink during the dry season. This ritual is fascinating. Samburu warriors descend deep into the wells, forming a human chain and chanting traditional songs to a mesmerizing rhythm, passing water up by hand for the cattle. It is a site to behold.

This evening, enjoy a beautiful performance by Samburu dancers, who will show the traditional songs and dances of their tribe. The bright colors of their traditional tribal dress, stunning beaded jewelry, and elaborate headdresses are spectacular. The Samburu people have a rich history and strong culture, which you will learn about, surrounded by the landscape that they call home.

Overnight Kalepo Lodge

Day 10
Departure

This morning, you will be privately transferred by road from Kalepo Camp to Samburu Kalama Airstrip (approx. 1.5 hours drive). Fly from Samburu Kalama Airstrip to Nairobi Wilson Domestic Airport. You will be greeted with a VIP private transfer from Nairobi Wilson Domestic Airport and transferred to a day room.

You can take the rest of the afternoon to freshen up before your international departure. You will be collected from your hotel for your VIP private road transfer to Nairobi International Airport in time for your flight home.

Back to Main Kenya Page

Meet Your Private Guide

Kieran was born and raised in Kenya. Along with his family, he spent many of his holidays as a child on safari in northern Kenya developing a deep passion and understanding of the area – its people, their cultures, and the wildlife. Having studied Veterinary Science in the UK – where he also practiced as a vet surgeon for 4 years specializing in dairy and beef work – Kieran always hoped to return home to Kenya to use his veterinary skills to benefit both the livestock belonging to pastoral communities, and the wildlife which lives alongside them.

Kieran has been working in northern Kenya since 2017 and joined the Native team in 2022. He is a qualified pilot, which is invaluable when working in the remote north Kenya landscape. His role at Native is to oversee the operations of the Northern Kenya Rangelands Carbon Project (NKRCP) – to ensure that the project implementation strategy is efficient and progressive, to provide technical support to the communities involved, and to secure positive carbon sequestration within this unique area. Kieran is also involved in scouting potential project sites within the East African landscape. He hopes to bring big impact to these areas by introducing novel ways of approaching the issues at hand – scalability and sustainability are key.

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