My recent article highlighted how to jump start your Kenya Safari planning. As I mentioned, a safari requires advance planning (six months to a year is not unusual), therefore it is wise to start the research while you have some down time. As a Travel Agent, I am here to ensure that your dream trip is seamless from initial inquiry to safe return home and I can help you craft the perfect trip to suit your interests and budget.

International flights to Kenya are routed through centrally located Jomo Kenyatta Airport (JBO). Since most flights arrive in the late afternoon or evening, you will most likely need to stay overnight in Nairobi prior to boarding a bush plane at local airport Wilson. If your schedule allows, I highly recommend staying at least a night or two. Traffic can be daunting in downtown Nairobi, so an overnight stay will allow ample time between experiences and airport transfers. Plus, this will give you a chance to adjust to the new time zone and give you an opportunity to learn a bit about the country, the people, the culture and wildlife prior to embarking on safari. Here are just a few suggestions not to be missed:

Karen Blixen Museum:
“I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills…” is the famous first line of the novel, Out of Africa, penned by renowned Danish author Karen Blixen. The farm, owned by Karen (pen name Isak Dinesen) and husband Baron Bror von Blixen Fincke, gained international fame after the release of the 1985 epic award-winning drama based on this autobiography. Starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, it’s a must-see prior to your visit to Kenya.

Single handedly, Karen (and Streep) inspired a generation of safari goers (and safari chic!). Visit the farmhouse and Museum and step back in time to 1914 when Karen moved to Africa to marry her half cousin and carry out dairy farming in the then British Colony of Kenya. Her husband, however, changed his mind and wanted to farm coffee, which did not go well. After her divorce, Karen was left to run the financially troubled farm on her own, a daunting task for a woman of that generation. She fell in love with an Englishman, Denis Finch Hatton (Redford) and the rest I will not comment on, lest I spoil the movie.

Giraffe Center Wildlife Conservation Park:
On safari, you will of course see hundreds of giraffes in the wild, but at this Nairobi center, created by the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife, you will get up close and personal with the beautiful Rothschild giraffe and even have the opportunity to hand-feed this stately subspecies of the giraffe found only in the grasslands of East Africa. At the time the center was established in 1979, the animals had lost their habitat with only 130 of them remaining. This 60-acre sanctuary started with just two giraffes and now there are over 300 safe and breeding well in various Kenyan National Parks.

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust:
Founded in 1977, this non-profit focuses on anti-poaching and safeguarding the natural environment, enhancing community awareness, addressing animal welfare issues, providing veterinary assistance to animals in need, and rescuing and hand rearing elephant and rhino orphans. The Trust’s main base, the elephant orphanage, often referred to as the Nairobi Nursery, is in Nairobi National Park. As of now, the visitation to the center is closed, but hopefully will resume in the near future so you can witness the care and feeding of these lovely animals up close. In the meantime, you can support the organization by personally “adopting” an orphaned elephant.

Travel with a Purpose:
Including “Purposeful Travel” in any vacation is something easy to do. It’s about engaging in educational and mind-opening experiences that benefit both the traveler and the location, often shining a light on local communities, their needs and their accomplishments. My recent article Travel with a Purpose highlighted my visit to the Harambee Community Center, the non-profit partnership between Micato Safaris and AmericaShare, located in Mukuru, East Nairobi’s densely populated slum. During the pandemic, their school was hit hard, and students risked several months without guided learning which would significantly set back their future performance.  As an update to my article, I am pleased to report that through their Student Sponsorship Program, students were successfully connected to the online world: smartphones were distributed with access to educational apps, resources, and streaming lessons hosted by local teachers in the community. To find out more or donate, please visit AmericaShare.

Travel with a Purpose, Part Two:
Another stop I made during my recent trip to Kenya was to learn about Huru International, which manufactures environmentally friendly, reusable sanitary pads that have been distributed to more than 175,000 girls in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Founded in 2008, this organization addresses an important issue: East African girls cannot afford sanitary pads and very often avoid school during their period resulting in missing as much as an entire month of school yearly. Girls who miss school fall behind, drop out, or even quit which leads to the endless cycle of poverty and gender inequality. Huru Kits are a simple, sustainable, and practical way to tackle this problem. The kits include a colorful drawstring backpack, eight reusable pads, three pairs of undergarments, detergent soap, and educational materials on HIV prevention and reproductive health. The items are replaced on a timely basis.

All Huru supplies are produced in their sprawling factory by women and men from underserved communities who have learned the art of industrial sewing and tailoring, along with lessons on business, finance, and entrepreneurship.  Now, in the age of Covid-19, the production facility in Nairobi is running full steam, producing much needed multilayered cloth face masks that are donated to the residents of Mukuru.

Huru also designs and manufactures lovely reusable, colorful fabric tote bags and lunch bags which we had the opportunity to purchase and bring home — a heartfelt memory of this amazing organization. For more information or to donate, please visit Huru International.

Ready to plan your next adventure? It’s never TOO early to plan. Would you like to maximize the redemption of your American Express Points? Email me: mollie@herrickstravel.com, and find out about upgrades, special amenities, and VIP service for all Herricks Travel American Express/Altour customers regardless of credit card membership

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