Cultural Safaris

Chyulu Hills

The Chyulu Hills lie more or less on the boundary of two different tribal areas - the Wakamba people to the north and the Maasai to the south. The land on which lodges such as Ol Donyo Wuas are built is Maasai land, so staying here means that you have a fascinating and unobtrusive way of experiencing the Maasai culture, and hearing about it from your Maasai guides. These areas aren’t flooded by thousands of minibuses and the people you’ll meet won’t feel any pressure to perform for you. Staying in the Chyulus is a great way to see a relatively untouched part of Maasai land, and to hear about this area from the Maasai perspective.
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Laikipia Plateau

Much of Laikipia borders either Samburu or Maasai group ranches, and these days most of the lodges have an active involvement with local communities. Many lodges are, at least in part, staffed by the local tribes, so the chances are you'll be guided by people who have grown up in these parts. This is the case at places like Ol Malo and Loisaba and is undoubtedly the most “real” way of including a cultural aspect in your safari. This is principally because it allows for dialogue, rather than simply stilted observation.

Going a step further, there are one or two community lodges, which are run on a day to day basis by the communities. The best examples of this style of lodge are Il N'gwesi and Tassia. These lodges are an interesting concept and are well worth the visit, but we feel it’s important that people realize that a community run lodge is just that – not somewhere you’ll find first world levels of service, and rightly so. Go with an open mind and you’ll find this a highly rewarding way of seeing this part of Kenya.
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Maasai Mara

As the name suggests, the Maasai Mara is in fact owned by the Maasai - it's not a National Park. That said, the actual Maasai Mara National Reserve is run along pretty similar lines to a national park with respect to people. Broadly speaking, this means that this isn’t an area where you’ll find Maasai communities living. For that, you need to go to the Mara Conservation Area which borders to the north.

Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean you can’t get some superb cultural insights in the Maasai Mara itself, and the one place where this is the case more than anywhere is Rekero tented Camp. You won’t find a traditional cultural experience here, but what you will find is some of the best Maasai guides in the Mara. Jackson, also a director of Rekero, is surely one of the most interesting and surprising people you’ll meet in this neck of the woods and if you’re interested in hearing about Maasai and Dorobo culture from the horses mouth, make sure you go to Rekero.
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Mara Conservation Area

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