highs * The most magnificent views. * Amazing hosts, they are so much fun you won't want to ever leave! * Best kept secret - go early in December - no-one around and it is just gorgeous!

lows * The Big 5 can be sparse Jan-March - but after all Africa is much more than just the Big 5 as we well know! * Atkins dieters beware - the heaping bowls of homemade pasta will wreck your diet ethos but it is well worth it!

Campi ya Kanzi accommodates a maximum of 14 guests in six thatched roof tented cottages and in the Hemingway and Simba suites. The first one is named after the famous author who wrote of the nearby Chyulu Hills in his book "The Green Hills of Africa"; the latter cottage is named after the Swahili name for Lion. Each tented cottage enjoys a different view, and accommodates one or two adults. An extra bed can be added for a child. Each tent has en suite permanent bathrooms as well as a wooden verandah overlooking the Tsavo Hills and Mt. Kilimanjaro. Paraffin lamps provide light in order to give the real atmosphere of the earlier grand African safari. All tented cottages are constructed of volcanic stone, fabric, and wood and they feature a full elegant bath with shower, bidet, basin, and flush toilet and electric light; brass plumbing fixtures add an unexpected touch of elegance and comfort with hot and cold running water. Each tented cottage has a wide veranda to provide superb views of either Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Tsavo Hills, and the Chyulu Hills. Our state-of-the-art solar system provides 220-volt electricity for your cottage (plugs and sockets are Italian).

"Landscape, sunsets, wild animals, the wind and the smiles of the people…How could I forget this extraordinary place where life began?" Isabel Allende -San Francisco (USA)

"To all our friends at Campi ya Kanzi: This place is so special…Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Asante Sana, Mzuri Sana." Edward Norton, Brianna Leigh Bell-(USA)

"Thank you for the helpfulness and the kindness, which make you really special… by all means!" Licia Colò -Italy

"This is Africa!! And it is just fantastic. The setup of Campi ya Kanzi is amazing, the views are spectacular, the animals great and the people wonderful. We loved our time here and thank you for an unforgettable 38th anniversary with our whole family." Lee and Jo Ann Blumberg -New York (USA)

"There are places I’ll remember all my life and I’ve loved them all"… (Beatles) But Campi ya Kanzi and the Maasai People are in my soul forever. Such peace and such tranquility! The rhythm of the land will be remembered." Deborah Dodds -San Antonio, Texas, USA

"… it is the poem of a unique Africa, singular and Special, seen by your eyes with much love.
It comes from the heart and it stays in the memories, the sweetest ones Thank you for "your Africa". Paola and Ugo Albini -Italy

Campi ya Kanzi lies within Kuku Group Ranch in Southern Kenya. The ranch covers about 400 square mile of African wilderness, owned by Maasai herdsmen. Being a natural corridor for wildlife between Tsavo and Amboseli National Parks, this land is to be protected. According to 30 years of records by Dr. David Western, former KWS director, up to 90% of the population of some herbivores of Amboseli National Park need this land for some part of the year in order to survive. We chose to create an eco-tourism enterprise, jointly with the Maasai community, in order to achieve the goals of protecting the wildlife, the wilderness, and the culture of the Maasai. Your visiting us plays a crucial role in proving to the Maasai community that keeping the land united, making it a place where wildlife can thrive, pays off economically. Our aim at Campi ya Kanzi is not to have huge profits and, eventually, leave Africa. We chose to come, to invest our money in creating a community lodge (paid for by Luca and Antonella Belpietro, but owned by the Maasai community), with the purpose of staying and spending the rest of our lives here. Profit is our aim in the sense of sustainability. To be sustainable we need to be profitable. Every year we invest in better technologies to better preserve the environment, in work force to get more Maasai involved in conservation and prove to the community the economic advantages of wildlife. That is what Campi ya Kanzi stands for: a community ecotourism lodge, built, owned and run by a Maasai community, for the benefit of the local people. Here you will experience true ethical and solidarity tourism.

Campi ya Kanzi is managed by Luca Belpietro and Antonella Bonomi. Forty-two people from local Maasai villages help them with the cooking, housekeeping and maintenance at the camp. All of them are dedicated to making your safari at Campi ya Kanzi the most memorable vacation of your life. Luca Belpietro will be your host and professional guide at Campi ya Kanzi. He was born in Italy, and with his family has been a part of Africa since 1969. He toured Africa on many sporting safaris with his father, and divides his time between Italy and Kenya. He has a degree in economics and wrote his thesis on Sustainable Development and Environment Conservation: Wildlife as a Natural Resource in Kenya. Following this, he had a successful career as managing director of a financial consulting firm. However, he never forgot his dreams of Africa, and stayed involved in wildlife conservation in Kenya. This led to the creation of Campi ya Kanzi. Luca speaks fluent English, Italian and Kiswahili. He is a freelance writer for an outdoor magazine, and founder and managing director of Luca Safari Ltd. Luca: "As a child, I started sleeping in a tent in the backyard of my house, dreaming of Africa. I've always been fascinated by Africa, its wildlife and its people. Now that my dream is reality, I look forward to meeting you and assisting you on your African safari." Your hostess at Campi ya Kanzi will be Luca's wife, Antonella Bonomi (they just got married in the Chyulu Hills!). She comes from the same Italian town as Luca, and graduated with a law degree. After working for a while at her family's vineyard, she visited Africa with Luca and found that she shared his passion for the country and the Maasai people. Antonella is fluent in Italian, English and Kiswahili. She also knows a little French and German. Antonella: "When I came here for the first time, I saw a paradise on Earth and knew I had to live here. After I moved to Kenya, I did my best to create Campi ya Kanzi as a place where I would like to live. I look forward to sharing it with you."

National Geographic- September 2005
"How Tourism Can Help"
If Africa's wildlife and cultures are to be preserved for future generations, sustainable tourism is the only way to travel. Visitors can help support local aconomies and conservation efforts with these ecofriendly African adventures. At Campi ya Kanzi's luxury tent camp in Kenya, activities for tourists include following wildlife on foot with local Maasai trackers.

USA Today - August 20, 2004
"10 great places to tread lightly on Earth" -Campi ya Kanzi, Mtito Andei, Kenya
Located in the foothills of Kilimanjaro, this safari camp with a difference offers rare wildlife viewing and a glimpse of Maasai culture. A joint venture between a private safari company and the Maasai community, the camp helps Maasai women preserve carft-making skills; bedwork profits benefit them directly.

The Best of Travel News - August 1998
Campi ya Kanzi, a small luxury tented camp, is the result of a young boy's dream, Luca Belpietro, to return one day to live to Africa. The tents, six of them, are set well apart from each other to give maximum privacy to guests. They are spaced around a hill, at the top of which stands the Tembo House, so named because of a log in the dining room which resembles an elephant's trunk. The room is warm, confortable, inviting, and, in the nicest possible sense, used, as if generations of one family had lived here...

Imagine a day that begins with the aroma of Kenyan coffee or tea brought to your tent by your personal Maasai attendant. Enjoy your coffee or tea and the view of Mt. Kilimanjaro on the veranda, and then head out for your morning walk or game drive. After your safari, return to the camp for a breakfast that includes fresh local fruit such as mango and pineapple or enjoy a picnic breakfast in the middle of the savanna, complete with eggs and bacon cooked on a bush fire. Following breakfast, you can enjoy an escorted safari on foot, or just relax at the camp. At lunchtime, we can organize a grand picnic for you, featuring fresh vegetables from our garden, or you can dine at Tembo House and then take an afternoon siesta. It will be up to you to decide what you will like most to do. Consider these options:

Game drives in open Land Rover, Tsavo and Chyulu National Park excursions, Maasai cultural villages visits, Bush breakfast, picnic, dinner, Forest walks, Escorted game walks, Bird watching, Visit the Trust activities (schools, dispensaries, etc.), Mobile camping, Air excursions, including a Kilimanjaro scenic flight.

The suggested guideline for tipping is $10 per person a day at each property visited. The tips are collectively gathered from all guests after their stay at each property and distributed amongst the staff, you either give the tips to the manager or usually there is a staff tip box within which to put your tips. The tips are then divided equally amongst all the staff on the property. Many people like to leave a little extra with their dedicated guides on game drives as they spend so much time with them and it is perfectly fine to give the tip directly to the guide. For guides we suggest approximately $30-$50 total for a stay of 3 days. If you feel your guide has been exceptional, some guests will sometimes give up to $100.

The best months for travelling to Kenya are June through the end of October and then December through the end of March. July, August and September, are the busiest times along with the Christmas holidays as this is when school holidays fall. If you prefer to travel when the game is still superb but it is not so busy then I recommend the following months, June, September, October, November, February, March, April and May!