Press

Top Cats: Five Wild African Escapes

Jabali Private House | October 2021

Private houses are going stronger than ever in the bush, particulalry in East Africa. The remoter the place, the more gratifying the creature comforts of the model. Case in point: Ruaha in east-central Tanzania - a national park of 20,000sq km, with only a handful of lodges.

Visit the Masai Mara and Serengeti

Rekero, Sayari | October 2021

Sayari Camp, in northern Serengeti, delivers on the same high expectations set by others in the Asilia group. It offers the epitome of comfort in 15 tented suites, daily bush breakfasts (and even fresh lunches delivered to your vehicle if you're waiting for a crossing), and exquisite three-course meals, endless high-end wines and cocktails, and a spa and plunge pool, back at the camp.

This tiny solar-powered factory cleans up dirty water

Sayari | October 2021

In situ, at the safari operator Asilia’s Sayari Camp, this circular system has eliminated single-use plastic bottles by nearly 18,000 units per year, not only for the camp guests but also for the operating staff and the park rangers in the region.

Ahead of the Game

Asilia | June 2021

Asilia Managing Director, Jeroen Harderwjk, tells how he set up Asilia Africa in the Serengeti, a ‘live’ experiment in developing a sustainable tourist business which has empowered the local community.

Witness the Great Migration

Asilia | May 2021

"Getting tourism up and running again is also essential for the conservation projects tourism supports, the funding of the Serengeti National Park and Mara Reserve, and the local communities who work in the lodges and camps."

Pioneering Women Changing the Landscape

Dunia | March 2021

Dunia Camp in Tanzania goes even further, with an all-female staff, from rangers to the General Manager. Safari guide Jonesia “Kazawadi” Dominic feels this has made a real difference to perceptions in the region. “They said, ‘Bush life isn’t easy for girls.’ But we’ve shown them we are strong,” she says.

Women Changing the Way We Travel

Dunia | March 2021

"For too long, so many career fields have been dominated by men. Travel is no exception. From operators designing itineraries, to guides leading tours, few distinguished roles have been easy for women to reach. All that is changing though..."

Serengeti Savvy

Sayari, Namiri Plains | February 2021

The camp itself also impressed as one of the Serengeti’s best. Transformed in 2019 from its humbler origins, Namiri Plains is now a collection of 10 solar-powered tents and tricked-out common areas, all crafted from ancient sedimentary rock, resulting in a fabulous, fossil-chic vibe. 

Why We Travel

Asilia Adventures | January 2021

A multiday walking safari in a Kenyan conservation area presents a more sustainable model that benefits animals and locals alike.

Out and About

Asilia | January 2021

Safari company Asilia Africa is assisting young Kenyan and Tanzanian employees obtain more hospitality skills to help to weather the economic fallout of COVID-19.

A Longing to Move

Asilia | November 2020

My guide Hamza Visram and I had staked out beneath the shadow of an acacia tree, a few hundred metres away from the river, on an incline, so we had height to study the direction the herds were moving in. The ritual of waiting for a crossing is like war. Nothing much happens, until it does.

On safari in Tanzania

Sayari | November 2020

'I witnessed scenes I’d long forgotten: crowded market stalls; bars spilling with noisy revellers; friends greeting each other with hugs'

Make the Link

Dunia | October 2020

One in 10 people around the globe earns a living from tourism, making it a delicate ecosystem with roots that spread out through the multitude of cities, islands, and wildernesses to those roadside crab shacks, small hotels, shops, galleries and nightlife spots whose survival depends on visitors - all of whom have been affected, in some way by the planet-wide COVID crisis.

Step into the Savannah

Asilia Adventures | September 2020

An intrepid on-foot safari across the Kenyan savannah bordering the Maasai Mara National Reserve reveals, at rivetingly close range, the rich drama of this unique African ecosystem. Exploring terrain inaccessible to vehicles, walk between remote lodges and luxurious fly camps through lesser-visited conservancies, where guides share their intimate knowledge of its creatures, great and small.

Do Safari Companies Really Want African Travelers

Asilia | September 2020

Border closures, national lockdowns and other measures put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus have devastated Africa’s $39 billion tourism industry. The tourism industry funds wildlife conservation across the continent and the lack of international tourists has led experts to fear that threatened animals would be poached at higher rates, further endangering them.

Serengeti’s First Solar Powered Microbrewery

Sayari | August 2020

Reopening after a complete rebuild, Sayari has undergone a transformation in line with Asilia’s environmental ethos and according to the bold design approach of designer Caline Williams-Wynn, a long-time collaborator with Asilia and the creative mastermind behind award-winning camp Jabali Ridge.

Rebooting the African Safari

Sayari | July 2020

Across the continent, innovators are rethinking everything you thought you knew about heading into the bush - and changing these iconic journeys for the better.

Simply Wild About Safari

Kwihala | July 2020

Across Africa, millions of people are employed in the safari industry and vital conservation projects benefit from donations driven by tourism. Even the sheer presence of more people is a deterrent to poachers.

The Best New Hotels in the World

Namiri Plains | June 2020

The bad news? The travel industry is reeling. The good news? Once restrictions are eased, the 65 remarkable hotels and resorts on the pages that follow—and the communities that depend on them—await. Here’s to recovery, everyone.

Be Inspired to Travel

Naboisho Camp | May 2020

Set in the 210km2 private Mara Naboisho Conservancy, Naboisho Camp offers spectacular game viewing, from the herds of antelope that dot the plains of this wilderness corridor throughout the year to the high concentrations of predators, including lion and cheetah.

Coronavirus Will Change the Future of Safaris

Asilia | April 2020

Conde Nast Traveler speaks to Asilia's head guide, Hamza Visram, about how Coronavirus will change the future of safaris. The closing of camps impacts more than just the guides—it’ll change animal behavior and attract poachers, too.

Safaris on hold, locals and animals at risk

Asilia | April 2020

With the coronavirus pandemic threatening the 194.2 billion tourism industry across Africa, that safari ecosystem locals and animals alike rely on is on shaky ground. While some parks are still open, most plan to reopen no earlier than late May or June—maybe as late in the year as October.

Bursting with pride

Namiri Plains | February 2020

The eastern Serengeti is a cheetah hotspot.
Lions, cheetahs and leopards roam undisturbed across Namiri Plains, which is at the heart of big cat conservation projects in the Eastern Serengeti.

Ladies of the Serengeti

Dunia Camp | February 2020

Meet the women redefining Africa’s safari industry.
In the Serengeti’s all-female Dunia Camp, 16 women are pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a woman in Africa.

Sisterhood in The Serengeti

Namiri Plains, Dunia Camp | January 2020

The Serengeti National Park hardly needs an introduction.
Synonymous with safari, Tanzania’s most iconic National Park is famed for its Great Migration.

Into The Wild

Rubondo Island Camp | November 2019

The most intriguing place to track chimpanzee has to be Rubondo.
Seeing chimpanzees in the wild is one of Africa’s many great animal encounters; providing you’re up for some hot and arduous trekking

The Perfect Safari

Namiri Plains | November 2019

After a lifetime exploring Africa, I've found the perfect safari.
In just seven days there, I saw 20 cheetahs, more than 60 lions and, uniquely, a melanistic serval cat that has established its home range not far from Namiri Plains.

The Real Jurassic Park

Rubondo Island Camp | September 2019

The only place in the world where chimpanzees have been reintroduced into the wild.
There are now about 60 chimps on Rubondo, and amazingly they have formed their own social structure and settled into two distinct troupes.

Namiri Plains Review: First In

Namiri Plains | October 2019

Asilia rebuilds an eco-chic safari camp in its own corner of the Serengeti.
As guests of Namiri Plains, we had this part of the Serengeti—Tanzania’s largest National Park, known for the sight of 10 or more cars circled up around a lone elephant—practically to ourselves.

Stay at the Centre of the Action in the Masai Mara

Mara Bush Houses | September 2019

The wide open plains host herds of elephant and giraffe, and clusters of wildebeest.
It’s an unusual option, and the advantages of having your own house are obvious. You also have a guide at your disposal all day, which makes everything more flexible.

Big Cats and Gin and Tonics: See the Best of the Masai Mara on Foot

Asilia Adventures | August 2019

An exclusive trek through Kenya’s top conservation areas is like walking in a wildlife documentary

Walking safaris are nothing new, but our Kenyan adventure takes it to the next level: a four-day, 85km hiking trip across five of the wildlife-rich conservancies surrounding the Masai Mara.

Real Life Locations That Inspired the Lion King

Rekero | August 2019

If you’ve ever dreamed of visiting Pride Rock, here’s where to go.
Asilia Africa’s Rekero Camp, in southwest Kenya’s Masai Mara, not far from the border of Tanzania and right in the middle of Great Migration country. led Chinlund to the look of the lions’ stalking grounds. The area’s bushland, rivers, and wide-open savannas dotted with dramatic umbrella-like acacia trees provided just the right look.

Get Up Close and (Very) Personal with the Tanzania Locals

Kwihala | August 2019

Night drives, day drives and walking safaris – that’s what you’re there for.
Kwihala is intimate, but the staff – who all gathered to welcome me with a Swahili song and never lost that level of smiling, personable hospitality – ensure everybody’s stay is their own.

17 Unforgettable African Safaris

Namiri Plains | August 2019

Set off into the wild and see the world like never before with this guide to the best experiences in 11 countries
At Asilia’s Namiri Plains camp in northern Tanzania, visitors become part of the migration as they travel in a luxury mobile camp alongside herds of wildebeests, zebras, and gazelles. Walking safaris get you closer to the action, with veteran Serengeti safari guides giving the play-by-play.

Brides Magazine: Honeymoon Guide

Jabali Ridge | August 2019

Find your dream getaway on our annual list of 70 award-winning hot spots
The eight tree-house style stilted bungalows—enclosed by teak shutters and nest-like thatched roofs—hide between boulders on a soaring granite outcrop, offering unparalleled panoramic views of plains and otherworldly baobab trees in Ruaha, Tanzania’s largest but still off-the-radar national park.

The Best Family-Friendly Africa Safaris

Mara Bush Houses | June 2019

Familes can set their own schedule when they stay in a six-person bush house with Asilia Africa.
If recently released “The Lion King” has you and your brood yearning to witness savannah animals up close, or if you have always dreamed of an all-ages African adventure, these outfitters can make that dream a reality.

Meet the Designer Behind the World’s Most Mind-Bending Safari Camps

Jabali Ridge, The Highlands | July 2019

Deriving inspiration from lodge locales, Caline Williams-Wynn’s trained eye makes a safari experience sing, there’s no doubt about that
In Tanzania, Jabali Ridge’s nest-like abodes are a cross between the native baobabs that dot the landscape and actual native birds’ nests.

The Secret to Planning a Successful Three-Generation Safari

Kimondo | April 2019

Asilia’s semi-mobile Kimondo camp tracks the seasonal 1,200-mile trek of 1.5 million wildebeest from just north of the Mara.
Seeing real life was exactly why we’d come – in our first few hours at Kimondo we saw four of the Big Five.

The Women Changing Safaris

Dunia | March 2019

How an entirely female-run safari property in the Serengeti is shaking up the status quo.
“When we first began with an all-female team it was hard,” says Dominic, who often faces challenges like changing a tire in the middle of the Serengeti—even if its pounding rain or there’s a pride of lion nearby.

Walking Through Kenya’s Maasai Mara

Asilia Adventures | March 2019

86 kilometres, one big African landscape and many, many predators. Lizzie Pook takes the ultimate walking safari.
I’m on foot in the Maasai Mara, where I’m spending four days traversing four different conservancies using just my legs as part of Asilia’s new Adventures offering.

Island of the Apes

Rubondo Island Camp | January 2019

Meeting the lucky chimps of Lake Victoria
Am I about to meet the luckiest chimpanzees in the world? As I fly over the ruddy hills of south-west Tanzania in a tiny single-prop aeroplane, my background reading certainly suggests so.