By Britta Foulis – Content Marketing Manager

As a new year begins, we are incredibly lucky to be able to look back at a year filled with wonderful accomplishments, memories, and new adventures. Looking at the year that lies ahead, we hope to create even more unforgettable moments and brilliant memories with you. You may be asking yourself, “what are the best places to travel to?”, “what should I do in 2020?” or “where should I go in 2020?”

We are blessed to call East Africa home – the entire region is home to incredible wildlife numbers and experiences, the most amazing scenery, and remarkably interesting cultures as well. With all of our camps situated in key wilderness areas, we’ll provide you with a backstage pass to East Africa that allows you to experience a safari like no other. No matter where you stay or what you do, you’ll have an immersive and fulfilling safari experience with guaranteed wildlife sightings and encounters, epic safari moments, incredible accommodation, and the usual warm hospitality you’ve come to expect at Asilia properties.

Visit The Serengeti’s First Solar-powered Microbrewery

In celebration of our 15th birthday, our luxury flagship camp, Sayari, will be reinvented in 2020. The camp will not only feature more spacious, open, and upgraded accommodation and extras, it will also feature the Serengeti’s first solar-powered microbrewery.

A first of its kind – solar-powered, eco-friendly micro-brewery offering guests tastings and tours later this year.

The brewery will create four unique beers for Asilia – perfect for safari sundowners! It also has the ability to produce soft drinks, as well as purifying water and producing sparkling water using solar power. Our brand-new brewery also means that there is no longer a needto bring plastic bottles and aluminium cans into camp, ultimately reducing our plastic waste as well as our transport impacts on the environment.

We are incredibly proud of this achievement and would encourage any beer lover to join us for a visit and try out some of Sayari’s own brews!

Asilia Adventures

Let us introduce you toAsilia Adventures – acollection of uniquely designed itineraries that offer far more than your usual safari experience. This is the ultimate way to experience Africa. Asilia Adventures are raw, dynamic, and engaging. We take you closer and offer you an adventure that truly immerses you in the wilderness area and community cultures that you choose to explore.

Our packages include stays in both Kenya and Tanzania, as well as some that feature a beach-retreat in Zanzibar.Take a moment to watch this video which showcases the highlights of a Kenyan Asilia Adventure.

Our mini-expedition Adventures are available during our “Adventure Season” which runs from November through until May each year. Once you’ve decided on the perfect package, you’ll embark on an action-packed adventure exploring a hidden side of East Africa experienced by few other travellers. Find out more about our Asilia Adventure itineraries here and get inspired to do something completely unique and entirely immersive on your next trip to East Africa.

The Future of Air Travel: Carbon-Neutral East African Safaris

Late last year, we launched our exclusiveAsilia by Airoffering. We have carefully curated six safaris to showcase the absolute best experiences East Africa has to offer, perfectly designed to maximise the time spent on safari by flying you from point to point. What makes these flying packages even more special is the fact that they offer acarbon-neutral way to travel. We have carefully calculated how much each flight generates in greenhouse gas emissions and have then directly invested back into positive impact projects which offset these emissions. We’re proud to say thatin the past year we have offset a total of 1,505 tonnes ofcarbonwaste.

Read more about the future of carbon-neutral air travel here.

Rubondo Island Chimpanzee Habituation Experience

Rubondo Island Camp is home to a very special group of chimpanzees whose ancestors were brought here in the 1960s as part of anambitiousconservation project. Today you can be part of the Chimpanzee Habituation Project on the island which provides auniqueopportunity to join our habituation and tracker team as theyaccustomthe chimps tothepresenceof humans and witness them up close in the wild.

The habituation process is proving to be successful and guests are spending more and more time with these incredibly interesting and intelligent creatures while staying with us.The chimps are becoming more accustomed to our presence which ultimately is what makes theHabituation Experienceso special and something that should be on any nature lover’s bucket list!

Namiri Plains: A New Look

Earlier this year, Namiri Plains was relaunched with a brand new camp. Wemade some special changes to the accommodation while still retaining the same fantastic safari experience, excellent staff, and exceptional guiding that Namiri Plains is known for. The new camp boasts some seriously appealing additions while still offering one of the best big cat experiences that East Africa has to offer. So if you’re after an epic big cat adventure in 2020, a trip here should be on your list of things to do…

The upgraded accommodations are not the only reason for you to visit in 2020. The plains surrounding the camp are famous for their thriving lion and cheetah populations. The area’s short grasses make excellent hunting grounds, offering the most incredible sightings and big cat hunts. You can read more about the upgrade here.

Naboisho’s New Pool

Naboishois now home to the Mara Naboisho Conservancy’s newest pool, and we think 2020 calls for a refreshing dip in the Mara! During the heat of the day, you can enjoy a relaxing swim or lounge poolside with an ice-cold drink as wildlife pass by the camp. In the evenings, you’ll be treated to the most mesmerizing skies which are the perfect backdrop for an outdoor dinner.

If you’re looking for the ideal location to enjoy a Kenyan safari, Naboisho is definitely a place to consider visiting.While spending time with us, you’ll experience a level of safari solitude and serenity that is simply unheard of in the busier Serengeti and Masai Mara national reserves.Naboisho is an intimate, elegant safari camp which balances an exceptional wilderness experience with comfort – and now, our new pool area only adds to the camp’s unique appeal.

Stargazing Beds: Olakira Migration Camp

Whilst Olakira Migration Camp is more commonly known for its superb locations during The Great Wildebeest Migration, the camp has one more surprise that awaits you – our magical stargazing tents. Olakira’s tents have been perfectly designed so that a portion of the tent boasts a 270-degree view from beneath a meshed net, offering you an outdoor experience whilst still remaining indoors.

Join us at Olakira Migration Camp in 2020 for an unforgettable safari stay. While the galaxies glitter above you and the wildlife begins to stir at night, you’ll drift to sleep with the sounds of Africa surrounding you and the promise of adventure on the horizon…

Dive Into Zanzibar’s Crystal Clear Waters

If you’d rather spend some time in 2020 soaking up the sun and getting your hair wet, a trip to Zanzibar is needed. Join us at any of our three Matemwe properties for a true island-escape that is sure to leave you with a big grin on your face, memories to last a lifetime, and a great tan too!

We’ve teamed up with One Ocean to offer a truly special way to experience Zanzibar’s waters. Dive with turtles, swim with dolphins, explore the coral reefs and get closer to the water’s diverse species including rays, sharks, eels, and so much more!