BOSTON, MA – Announcing a new luxury conservation-focused safari brand in Kenya: Saruni Basecamp. Saruni Basecamp is the result of a brand acquisition. Basecamp Explorer, a long-operating accommodations firm with properties in the Masai Mara region of Kenya, purchased Saruni, a luxury safari company with properties in the Masai Mara and up in Northern Kenya, in Samburu. A merger founded on shared commitment to conservation and community empowerment, the new rebrand is the result of a vision to expand and support a community conservancy model of tourism operations in East Africa.
Saruni Basecamp is a now a 12-property portfolio of pioneering, innovative and 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. We have uniquely balanced our role as both a non-profit foundation and a for-profit safari business, believing these goals are intrinsically linked. 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. On the business side, our safari operations are designed to offer world-class experiences that celebrate the natural and cultural richness of the Samburu and Masai Mara. By choosing to stay in our boutique camps and lodges, our guests not only enjoy intimate encounters with local communities, wildlife and breathtaking landscapes but also contribute directly to our conservation and community development goals. With Saruni properties now part of our portfolio and more in the pipeline, we’re excited to expand our impact on both the land and the communities that sustain it.”
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.
The article New conservation-focused safari brand launch in Kenya: Saruni Basecamp first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.
