New Luxury Safari Brand Launches in Kenya

September 6, 2024 ctn_admin

Guests can now experience one of the life-changing vacations Michelle and Barack Obama have had with a new luxury conservation-focused safari brand in Kenya: Saruni Basecamp. 

Basecamp Explorer and Saruni, a luxury safari company, have merged, creating a 12-property portfolio of ethical safari lodges and camps rooted in community-based conservation and tourism.

This collection of camps and lodges features the very best Kenya has to offer, including Big Five exclusive game viewing opportunities with special opportunities such as night-drives, off-roading, family-friendly safari activities, and lots of “do-good” experiences such as tree-planting, fair-trade women’s jewelry collaborative and a tour of a wildlife and Maasai education center. 

President Barack and Michelle Obama stayed at one of the early flagship tented camps – Basecamp Masai Mara, where now a small collection of native Kenyan trees outside camp are dedicated in their honor.  Up north in Samburu, guests can have an unparalleled experience of tracking rhinos on foot in Sera Conservancy while staying at Saruni Rhino. Sera Conservancy is a major rhino conservation success story – it now boasts 25 rhinos – both Eastern White and Black.  

Jeremiah Mutisya, CEO of Saruni Basecamp commented on the acquisition of Saruni properties by Basecamp Explorer.  

“Our vision at Saruni Basecamp is to create a lasting, positive impact on people and the planet. To achieve this, we’ve developed a sustainable community model that we are now scaling through our community conservancies.

Our foundation’s mission is to safeguard wildlife corridors for wildlife to thrive, while also uplifting local communities through employment and land leases and engaging in regenerative practices that enhance the ecosystem.”

Saruni Basecamp boasts a fully local Kenyan management team at corporate headquarters, and 90% rate of camp staff that is hired from local rural tribal communities near the camps. This “hire local” philosophy means that guests feel like they are walking in the shoes of a Maasai or Samburu warrior when they arrive at camp and partake in the myriad cultural activities and excursions available through the collection.

There is a strong emphasis on education – Saruni Basecamp wants guests to have an immersive cultural and ecological experience that they can take back home with them.

You can explore more on their newly launched website – www.sarunibasecamp.com

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