Conservation in Action
Journeys With Purpose in Partnership with San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
11
DAYS
5
DESTINATIONS
5
BIOMES
Conservation in Action: A Learning Journey to Kenya
15 – 25 February 2027
A purpose-driven journey through Kenya’s conservation heartlands
From the vast wilds of Samburu to the Maasai Mara, you will gain privileged access to visionary initiatives at the forefront of community-led conservation. Track rhinos on foot at Lewa, visit Reteti, the first community-owned elephant sanctuary in Africa, and gather around fireside conversations that explore land, legacy, and technology in conservation.
This journey is more than a safari. It is a meaningful encounter with Kenya’s land stewards, wildlife champions, and the vital ecosystems they protect. Through curated hosted dinners, private field visits, and unforgettable wilderness experiences, you will see the tangible impact of SDZWA’s work and your support in action.
Trip Highlights
Conservation at the Frontline
Travel through some of Kenya’s most important protected landscapes, guided by experts working at the forefront of wildlife conservation. From private conservancies to community-led reserves, each region reveals how protection, research and local stewardship come together to safeguard some of Africa’s most threatened species.
Wildlife Encounters Across Diverse Ecosystems
Experience Kenya’s extraordinary biodiversity through expert-accompanied game drives across savanna, grassland and arid landscapes. Encounters may include elephant, rhino, lion, cheetah, giraffe, hippo and countless bird species, each sighting shaped by the rhythm of the land and the knowledge of those who know it best.
Rhino Conservation and a Rare Encounter
Visit Lewa and Ol Pejeta, pioneers in rhino protection and conservation science. Here, gain insight into one of Africa’s most ambitious wildlife recovery stories, including a deeply moving encounter with the last two remaining northern white rhinos, a powerful symbol of both loss and hope.
Culture, Community and Human Connection
Step beyond the safari vehicle into meaningful cultural encounters. Walk with Samburu communities to the Singing Wells, where traditions of livestock herding continue as they have for generations, and visit a female-led elephant orphan programme, offering intimate insight into care, resilience and the human role in conservation.
Activities tailored for all experiences
Guided Safaris and Intimate Wildlife Encounters
Experience Kenya’s wildlife through a variety of immersive perspectives, from classic game drives to walking safaris, horseback exploration and camel walks. Moving quietly through the landscape allows for a deeper connection with animals in their natural habitat, guided by expert trackers and conservationists.
Scenic Flights Across Wild Landscapes
Chartered light aircrafts connect remote regions while offering breathtaking aerial views over savanna plains, river systems and wildlife corridors. These flights reveal the true scale and beauty of Kenya’s protected landscapes from above.
Sundowners in the African Wilderness
End your days with sunset safaris followed by drinks in extraordinary locations, from open plains to rocky outcrops. As the light fades and the bush comes alive with evening sounds, these moments capture the timeless romance of a safari.
Behind-the-Scenes Conservation Experiences
Go beyond observation with private visits to conservation projects and research centres. Engage with biologists, rangers and community leaders to understand real-world challenges and successes in wildlife protection, offering rare insight into how conservation works on the ground.
Your Journey Overview
DAY 1 | Nairobi Arrival and Group Gathering
Your journey into Kenya begins in Nairobi, where you will be greeted at the airport and transferred to Hemingway’s Residence. Blending the feel of a private home, private gallery, and a deeply stylish boutique retreat, the property provides the perfect base to unwind and refresh after your journey. You will meet your fellow guests and the team from SDZWA over dinner this evening, an opportunity to delve into the plans for your upcoming days, hear stories from the field, and look ahead to the future of our conservation efforts in Kenya and beyond.
Exceptional Stays in Hemingways Eden Residence
DAY 2 | Arrival in Loisaba Conservancy
Today you leave the city behind and fly north into the vast open landscapes of Laikipia. A private transfer takes you to Wilson Airport, where a scenic charter flight carries you over Kenya’s changing terrain to the remote Loisaba Conservancy. From the air, the savanna unfolds in sweeping patterns of plains, rivers and escarpments, offering your first glimpse of the wild spaces that will define the journey ahead.
On arrival, you are welcomed into Loisaba, a pioneering conservation landscape where wildlife, community and cutting-edge protection coexist. Settle into Loisaba Lodo Springs, your home for the next three nights, an ultra-private retreat overlooking endless wilderness and distant views of Mount Kenya. The afternoon brings your first game drive with the Loisaba rangers, an introduction to the conservancy’s remarkable wildlife and the people working to protect it. As the sun softens across the plateau, you begin your immersion into one of Kenya’s most inspiring conservation success stories.
DAY 3 | Science, Community and Conservation at Loisaba
Today offers a deeper understanding of what makes Loisaba such a powerful model for conservation in Africa. The morning begins with a meeting with the resident research team, who share how cutting-edge science is used to monitor and protect key species across the conservancy. Through GPS tracking, camera traps and field observation, you gain insight into the daily realities of conservation work and the delicate balance between wildlife, habitat and people.
Later, you visit the Naibunga Lower Community Conservancy to explore innovative human–carnivore coexistence projects. Here, local communities, conservationists and international partners work together to reduce conflict with predators while safeguarding both livelihoods and wildlife. It is a moving example of how protection is most effective when led from within.
As evening falls, gather for an intimate fireside chat with conservation specialists to learn more about the flagship species of Loisaba and the wider northern rangelands. The day concludes with a hosted dinner with representatives from the Northern Rangelands Trust, offering a rare opportunity to hear firsthand how community-led conservation is shaping the future of this extraordinary landscape.
DAY 4 | Behind the Scenes with Lewa and Global Conservation Leaders
Day 4 offers rare access to two of Kenya’s most influential conservation landscapes. You begin with a private flight to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, where pioneering rhino protection models have helped shape conservation strategies across Africa. Guided by those working on the ground, you gain insight into how science, security and community partnerships come together to protect some of the continent’s most endangered species.
From Lewa, continue by air to Ol Pejeta Conservancy, home to the last two northern white rhinos and a leading chimpanzee sanctuary. This deeply moving visit highlights both the urgency of species recovery and the global collaboration required to prevent further loss. Throughout the day, the shared work between Lewa, Ol Pejeta and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance reveals how research, innovation and local stewardship are redefining conservation at scale.
At lunchtime, join a hosted gathering with the Craig family and key conservation partners for an intimate discussion on Lewa’s long-term vision and community impact. As evening falls, a fireside conversation with Natural State explores how new financial models are transforming the future of nature restoration, shifting conservation from philanthropy towards sustainable, investable solutions.
Exceptional Stay at Loisaba Lodo Springs
DAY 5 | Into the Mathews Mountains and Samburu Heartland
This morning, take a short private flight from Loisaba into the remote wilderness of Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy, set within the Mathews Mountain Range. Open plains fade into forested slopes and rocky valleys, creating one of northern Kenya’s most striking and least visited ecosystems. Elephants, giraffes, buffalo and gerenuk are commonly seen, with rarer sightings of black rhino, leopard and wild dogs.
Your home is Sarara, an intimate, community-owned lodge overlooking the conservancy. With just a handful of beautifully positioned tents, it offers a deeply personal connection to both land and people. Working closely with the Samburu community, Sarara weaves local culture and conservation into every experience. Your stay may include game drives in electric vehicles, guided walks, horseback safaris, or visits to the Singing Wells and Reteti Elephant Sanctuary.
As evening falls, head out on your first sundown safari. In the soft golden light, pause for drinks at a scenic viewpoint as the sun sinks behind the Mathews Range. With vast skies, glowing hills and the sounds of the bush around you, it’s a memorable introduction to this soulful conservation landscape.
DAY 6 | Community, Conservation and Shared Futures at Sarara
Today is devoted to seeing conservation in action at Sarara, where wildlife protection and pastoralist life are closely linked. In the morning, join Samburu women for the Milk to Market experience, watching camel or goat milk collected and prepared for transport. Supported by the Sarara Foundation, this community initiative provides vital income, strengthens food security and encourages sustainable land stewardship.
As evening falls, gather around the fire for a conversation on land, legacy and conservation with Sarara’s founders, Jeremy and Katie Bastard, alongside Samburu elders. Beneath the vast Mathews Mountain sky, they share the story of building a community-owned conservancy and the partnerships behind it.
The day ends with a hosted dinner with Save the Elephants, in collaboration with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Learn how research, tracking and community engagement are helping protect elephants across northern Kenya – a meaningful close to a day rooted in purpose and partnership.
DAY 7 | Elephants and Living Traditions
Today offers two of the most meaningful and emotionally resonant experiences of the journey, bringing you face to face with the human stories behind conservation in northern Kenya. Begin with a private visit to Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, the first community-owned elephant orphanage in Africa. In an intimate, behind-the-scenes encounter, meet the dedicated Samburu keepers as they care for orphaned elephants, from feeding and medical treatment to the gentle socialisation that prepares them for eventual release back into the wild. Reteti is not only about rescue, but about empowerment, a model where conservation directly supports local livelihoods and places stewardship in the hands of the community.
Later, if conditions allow, you may be invited to witness the Singing Wells, one of the most extraordinary cultural traditions in East Africa. Hidden deep in dry riverbeds, Samburu pastoralists dig by hand to reach water for their livestock, singing rhythmic chants that guide their animals forward. This is not a performance, but a living practice shaped by necessity, memory and deep connection to land. There is no guarantee of timing or location, which makes the experience all the more special when it happens. Observed quietly and respectfully, it offers rare insight into a way of life where culture, survival and landscape remain inseparable.
Exceptional Stay at Sarara
DAY 8 | From Mountains to the Mara
This morning, fly south from the hills of Namunyak to the legendary plains of the Maasai Mara. In just over an hour, rugged mountains give way to sweeping savanna, acacia trees and vast open skies. Landing at Ol Kiombo airstrip, you arrive in one of Africa’s most celebrated wildlife landscapes, rich in both diversity and drama.
Your home for the next three nights is Emboo River, a carbon-neutral, unfenced camp set on a bend of the river. Wildlife moves freely through camp, from hippos below to elephants passing by and big cats often seen soon after setting out. With expert Maasai trackers and Kenya Wildlife Service rangers, your first safari reveals the rhythms of the Mara, from lions and leopards to great herds on the plains.
As evening falls, enjoy a hosted dinner focused on conservation technology. Discover how EarthRanger, a real-time monitoring system, is helping protect wildlife across the Mara through tracking, patrol data and remote sensors – a powerful reminder that this timeless landscape depends on innovation and collaboration.
DAY 9 | Inside Emboo’s Carbon-Neutral Vision
Go beyond the guest experience with a private back-of-house tour at Emboo River, one of Africa’s most innovative safari camps. Explore how the lodge operates entirely off-grid, powered by solar energy and supported by closed-loop systems that recycle water, convert food waste into biogas, and grow organic produce on site. Learn how Emboo’s silent fleet of electric safari vehicles is redefining wildlife viewing, minimising disturbance while eliminating emissions.
In the evening, gather for an intimate hosted dinner with Emboo’s founders and owners. Over shared stories and conversation, hear how their vision came to life, blending sustainability, innovation and deep respect for the Maasai Mara’s ecosystems and communities. It is a rare opportunity to engage with the people shaping a new model for conservation-led luxury travel.
DAY 10 | Reflections and the Road Ahead
As your journey through Kenya draws to a close, gather for a final hosted dinner with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance team. This is a moment to reflect on the landscapes, people and projects you have encountered, from rhino conservation at Lewa and research at Loisaba to community-led models at Sarara and Namunyak.
Through open conversation and shared insights, the SDZWA team will explore how these initiatives connect within a wider global mission, and how their partnerships continue to drive meaningful, long-term impact. The evening also looks forward, offering space to consider how your own involvement might continue beyond this journey, whether through advocacy, philanthropy or ongoing collaboration in shaping a future where people and wildlife thrive together.
Exceptional Stay at Emboo River
DAY 11 | Journey Home
After breakfast, transfer to the Mara Ol Kiombo airstrip for your scheduled flight back to Nairobi. A final aerial view over the Maasai Mara offers a last glimpse of the sweeping savanna and the landscapes that have defined your journey.
Arriving into Nairobi in good time, you will connect with your onward international departure. We recommend booking flights from 16:00 onwards, allowing sufficient time for international check-in and a smooth transition home, carrying with you the memories, stories and connections formed across Kenya’s wild north.
Our purpose
Journeys With Purpose engage guests with the world’s most ambitious and exciting conservation projects across our seven continents. We believe travel can be a powerful force for learning, for expanding horizons and shifting perspectives on the magic and wonder of our natural world.
Our journeys invite you to step outside of your daily ecosystem and engage with new cultures, environments and people in the world’s wildest corners. At this moment in history, we are placing unprecedented pressure on the planet and wildlife, communities and nature is under threat. True wilderness is increasingly rare, yet there are remarkable examples of nature rebounding, and flourishing.
These conservation successes showcase the resilience of our natural world, and our journeys serve to spotlight, and support, these projects. Whether on a safari, diving trip or mountain expedition, by travelling with JWP you contribute to our mission: to conserve and restore 30 million acres of land and 30 million acres of seas by 2030. We are proud members of 1% for the Planet, through which we donate 1% of our annual revenue to grass-root initiatives.
Journeys With Purpose is also a member of The Long Run, a Conde Nast Traveller specialist travel agency, and a Certified B Corp, awarded “Best for the World: Environment 2022”.
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