Maassai / Kevin Garret
You’ll have been captivated by Africa’s sepia-tinged images long before you touch down on its dusty, sunbleached tarmacs. Out of Africa, Born Free, The Flame Trees of Thika — the continent plays a starring role in movies, novels, storybooks and especially our grandest globetrotting fantasies. And when you’re dreaming of Africa, you’re likely thinking of Kenya. Home to the Maasai, arguably the continent’s most fabulous-looking people, Kenya also boasts a population of warm, laid-back, easy-smiling types that I always think of as the Italians of Africa. Edged with a spectacular coastline and sand-dollar islands, Kenya is blessed with a bonanza of landscapes and wildlife — particularly during the July-to-October Great Migration, when nearly two million zebra, wildebeest and antelope, closely tailed by their predators, make the long journey across the savannah from Tanzania’s Serengeti to Kenya’s Masai Mara.
Maassai / Kevin GarretUltimate Luxury
You won’t find Jeeps full of tourists all pointing
their cameras at the same giraffe at Shompole,
a hilltop compound set on a vast private
conservancy. The beauty of the landscape
and wildlife here is equalled by the cultural
experience. The Maasai are partners in the
lodge: They share in the profits and are involved
in the lodge on every level, working as waiters,
chefs and guides. As their guest, you experience
a way of life that’s been unaltered for centuries.
This isolated eco-chic hideaway on the edge of a cliff has eight rooms that curve around the contours of the escarpment, each with its own plunge pool, and each a vision of white simplicity. Who needs walls? Enjoy the drama of a room open to the elements and the cinema that is the African bush. Rough-hewn fig-wood furniture under soaring 40-foot ceilings of woven thatch, all-white fabrics embellished with monochrome Maasai beading, floors inlaid with mosaics of local stone — Shompole is a study in organic luxury. Electricity, yes; Wi-Fi and cable, no. Even air conditioning is managed naturally, with continuously flowing, icy spring water flushing through the shallow channels that edge every room before emptying into refreshing plunge pools. Meals are largely organic and delicious, with much of the produce harvested from the on-site garden.
This is the sexiest perch in Kenya — David
Bailey, who shot it for Vogue, is listed among
the brochure’s photo credits — and, yes, cool
posh comes at a price. (Wilderness-ventures.com, dbls from $1,221,
including meals and game drives).
Family Camp
An hour’s flight from Nairobi, Mara Safari Club is a classic tented camp at the edge
of the Masai Mara National Reserve, where your front door is a zipper and hippos are
sunning themselves on a riverbed 20 feet from the veranda. Inside, ceiling fans rustle
the mosquito net draped over a four-poster bed, North African–style rugs line the floor
and there’s a bar tucked into a stand-up leather steamer trunk. It’s no place for late
risers: You’re up with the sun for game drives that track elephants, lions, vast herds of
wildebeest and zebra, scampering gazelles and doe-eyed giraffes nibbling at the acacia
trees. Unlike lodges that are exposed to the reserve, this is a protected, family-friendly
property where you won’t need an armed guide to escort you to your tent at night.
Small children can roam freely or splash around in the pool while Mommy enjoys a
massage in a nearby cabana. (Dbls from $485, including meals and game drives).
Give a little bit
For a little expert assistance,
Micato tailors safaris to your
interests, managing everything
from hotel bookings to internal
flights and car rentals. No detail
is too small. Forgot postage?
Cards arrive pre-stamped.
Need earplugs? They’ve got
them. Gum for the flight? It’s
on your seat. Guests are also
treated to turndown gifts —
a beaded Maasai wedding
necklace one night, a colourful
blanket the next — so even
those who don’t enjoy shopping
leave with cool keepsakes.
For every safari booked,
Micato sponsors a Kenyan child’s
education through its One to One
program. And Micato’s non-profit
foundation, America Share,
has managed to create a safe
haven of playgrounds and schoolhouses,
and provide clean water,
AIDS programs, books, breakfasts
and a basketball court in the
Nairobi slum of Mukuru.
“Tourists come to Africa for the
animals,” says Micato’s founder
and owner, Felix Pinto, “but it’s
the people they remember when
they leave.” Many do more than
remember: One couple were so
inspired by Kenya that they
raised $100,000 to build Mukuru
a new community centre in 2010.
The basketball court? A gift from
an American boy who donated
the proceeds of his bar mitzvah. (Dbls from $8,475).
Take a hot-air-balloon ride
Gliding over an African
savannah scattered with
herds of zebra, elephants and
wildebeest in the golden light
of early morning is extraordinarily
silent and peaceful—
until you dip down above the
treetops over a Maasai town
and the kids go crazy, waving
and shouting. Do this during
the Great Migration, when the
plains are flooded with wildlife,
and you can tick the box next to
Ultimate Safari Experience.
The luxe champagne breakfast
that awaits after the ride is the
perfect ending. (Book through
Micato Safaris, $450).
Go island-hopping
Kenya’s coastline is killer, and Lamu is a 70-minute direct flight from Nairobi. Home to
Lamu Town, the country’s oldest Swahili settlement, this car-free island retains a spice-route
vibe in its ancient architecture, sailing dhows and locals who get around on donkeys. Lamu
House, restored by a Spanish architect, overlooks the bustling harbour from a tree-shaded
restaurant veranda. Tucked inside you’ll find 10 rooms wrapped around a lounge-like
courtyard pool. (Dbls from $258).
On the other end of Lamu, in the genteel enclave of Shela, you’ll find miles of white-sand beach and a lively crowd of locals, expats and old-school Kenyans gathered at Peponi Hotel—one of the island’s oldest hotels, and a favourite bar and social hub. (Dbls from $292).
Rainy Day
Named for Karen Blixen, the
Danish baroness better known
as Isak Dinesen, the district
of Karen is a 30-minute taxi
drive from downtown. Her
farmhouse is preserved as the
small, charming Karen Blixen
Museum.
Possibly the most fun lunch in the world is at Giraffe Manor, also in Karen. A 1930s manor house turned into a six-room hotel, it serves as a sanctuary for giraffes that amble over to eat right out of your hand.
Featured in the film Born to Be Wild, narrated by Morgan Freeman, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust shelters baby elephants and rhinos whose parents were killed. Watch them tussle in their daily mud bath.
Hit the Shops
For an Afro-copia of curios and
cultural crafts — textiles, masks,
jewellery, drums and carvings —
cruise the endless stalls of the
City Market, sheltered in an
old aircraft hangar. (Monday to
Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
Nairobi is also a great place to pick up some striking accessories. Gemini Desai’s showroom is heaped with coralfiligree necklaces, outsized amber rings and glam curtain tie-backs made of chunky beads. (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., jdesai@wananchi.com ).
The tribal-chic statement
jewellery and handbags of Adèle
Dejak are found at her studio, by
appointment.
Penny Winter’s boutique at Ngong House stocks stylish linen, silk and leather clothing.
African Art
Curator Carol Lees showcases
Kenya’s top modern artists at her
One Off Contemporary Art
Gallery. Don’t miss work by
Ehoodi Kichapi, who expertly
mimics the style of Basquiat,
and Timothy Brooke’s elegant
watercolours. (By appointment: oneoff@africaonline.co.ke).
Checking in
In the leafy suburb of Karen,
the stunning Ngong House is
your go-to for tree-house living.
Forget your backyard hideout. In
these stunning sleeping quarters,
even the mosquito netting is
glam. Or choose a six-person
log cabin or a suite in the main
building. (Rooms from $450).
In Nairobi proper, Kenyan native
Mark Somen, former GM at New
York’s Soho House, runs the
sleek Tribe Hotel: 137 rooms
in the sophisticated Gigiri area,
which attracts Nicole Kidman
with its chic design. (Rooms from
$275).
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