Exotic yet faintly familiar, Kenya calls to that wild streak deep in the human heart that longs to be out in nature, to be part of something grander than ourselves. And in no place is that more evident than on the rolling grasslands of the great Masai Mara.

For generations of travelers, Kenya has answered that call with one of the greatest natural shows on earth – the annual migration of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebra crossing the Masai Mara’s rolling grasslands and wooded savanna. Kenya welcomes travelers with luxury, tented camps, private estates nestled deep in the wilderness, and classic game lodges. The sweeping countryside of the Great Rift Valley takes in striking Mt. Kenya, the second highest peak in Africa. Vast Lake Victoria is the second largest freshwater lake in the world, and the source of the White Nile, one of the two tributaries of Egypt’s mythic Nile River. Kenya is also the ancestral home to more than 40 distinct tribal groups. This is quintessential safari country ripe with adventures. With its wealth of wildlife, cultures and dramatic scenery, Kenya remains one of the most popular and best organized safari destinations.

Yet, Kenya’s wildlife populations, and therefore its people, face serious threats from human overcrowding, habitat loss and the seemingly endless appetite for illegal ivory and other animal products. There are pockets of hope in Kenya’s private conservancies such as the Chyulu Hills, which has achieved the lowest rates of poached elephants in Africa, and with organizations such as the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. We recognize that a multi-pronged approach is needed that includes tour operators, conservancies, conservation groups and local communities working together to save Kenya’s, and indeed Africa’s, wild places for the sake of future generations, and the diversity of the planet itself.

From Big Five Tours