Do you day dream of having “a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills”? Do the exploits of Denys Finch Hatton and Ernest Hemingway leave you longing for an old fashioned safari adventure (without the hunting!)? Would you like to be inspired to re-kindle your love? Does the romance of Africa stir in your soul?
Traveling In The Footsteps of…
If the answer to any of the above is a resounding “yes”, you’ll be delighted to discover that you can enjoy a wonderful African safari with a brushstroke of yesteryear’s glamor thrown in. Here are some of our unique recommendations.
Fans of Karen Blixen and Denys Finch Hatton — “Out of Africa”

Fans of Danish Baroness Karen Blixen and her lover Denys Finch Hatton, made famous by her biography which became the wonderful movie “Out of Africa”, are in luck with several great options to follow in their footsteps and re-live the romance of Kenya in the 1920’s.

• The Karen Blixen Museum is located in Karen, now an upscale Nairobi suburb named after her. The Museum is the original house owned by Karen Blixen and her husband Baron Bror von Blixen Fincke. Karen lived there and ran her coffee farm from 1917-1931. The house is still in good shape, and visitors will enjoy seeing the original furniture and beautiful gardens. The Museum is open to the public every day from 9.30 am to 6pm.
• Karen Blixen Camp – inspired by Karen Blixen’s safaris and style, the Karen Blixen luxury tented camp is perfectly located on the banks of the Mara River, in Kenya’s famous Masai Mara Reserve. The Camp gives a feeling of the early 1920’s era with beautiful and comfortable furniture. You will find that Karen Blixen Camp is a step back in time with the luxury of today.
• Karen Blixen Coffee Garden and Cottages – The Historic Swedo House at the Karen Blixen Coffee Garden and Cottages was the original hunting lodge/farm house which was built around 1906 to 1908. It is located approximately a half mile from the Karen Blixen (Bogani House) museum, and is 15 minutes from downtown Nairobi. The cottages have been designed after the historic Swedo House to give a sense of reliving history in elegant style. There are 11 cottages, each with their own verandahs looking over a beautiful garden.
• Finch Hatton Camp – As one of Kenya’s great adventurers and safari guides, Denys Finch Hatton devoted his life to exploring the wild — but in style! In his camp, dinner was served on fine china with silver and crystal, while the gentle strains of Mozart played in the background. At Tsavo West National Park, where he lived and died, this tradition lives on for you to enjoy at this luxury tented camp named in his honor.

Fans of Ernest Hemingway
In the summer of 1933, Hemingway traveled to Africa for a three-month safari. Inspired by the legendary hunts of Theodore Roosevelt, Hemingway set off for a safari and traveled through Kenya and Tanzania. Hemingway hunted the plains of the Serengeti, tracked animals through the bush, and recorded his experiences in the novel Green Hills of Africa, and collection of short stories: The Snows of Kilimanjaro and The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber. Obviously we don’t condone the hunting, but the images and atmosphere his writing evokes can best be experienced at a luxury mobile camping safari in Tanzania and Kenya. In Kenya, we highly recommend our Hemingway style Rafiki Safari, and few nights at Ol Donyo Wuas in the Chyulu Hills, Hemingways “Green Hills of Africa”. In Tanzania, you can follow in Hemingway’s footsteps by taking one of our favorite luxury mobile camping safaris in the Serengeti — AndBeyond Serengeti Under Canvas.
Fans of the Royal Family
In 1952 Princess Elizabeth was on holiday in Kenya, at the time it was still a British colony. She checked into to the Treetops Hotel, in Kenya’s Abedare National Park, as a Princess but checked out as Queen. Her father had suddenly passed away, and the young Queen had to cut her stay short and rush back to Britain. Here’s the BBC report at the time. Treetops Hotel still stands and you can stay in the room she was checked into at that historic moment.
Prince William has traveled to Kenya many times, he spent part of his gap year before going to university in Kenya and Tanzania. In 2003, he told the BBC he was studying kiSwahili. One of the first holidays Prince William and Kate took together was to Lewa Downs, in Kenya’s Laikipia region, and that is also where he finally proposed a few years later! Lewa is a wonderful wildlife area, and you’ll feel like a true Royal when you stay at Lewa Safari Camp.
Fans of Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie penned her novel 1937 Death on the Nile at the the Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan. You can even book the very room she occupied at the time! If you’re inspired to cruise the Nile as they did in the book on a Nile Steamer, there are a few options of restored steam cruisers. Personally, we love the Nile Adventurer, one of the best of the smaller, more intimate cruise boats on the Nile. It sleeps a maximum of 64 guests in air-conditioned comfort and luxury.

Fans of Liz Taylor and Richard Burton
In 1975, Actors Liz Taylor and Richard Burton secretly got re-married and spent their second honeymoon together in Botswana’s Chobe National Park. They were married in the tiny town of Kasane, and celebrated with a champagne toast on the banks of the Chobe River. The Chobe River is just a beautiful spot to enjoy a water-based safari. We highly recommend a cruise on the Zambezi Queen, or a few nights at the Chobe Chilwero. It will do wonders to rekindle any relationship!
Please contact us if you would like to find out more about any of these trips, we customize all our itineraries to suit our clients.