| Cottage or Tent? |
The Serengeti. The name conjures up mythic Africa, images created by writers the likes of Hemingway and Robert Ruark. The Serengeti’s oceanic plains in northwestern Tanzania are home the year round to an ark of wild things, but twice annually they host the world’s largest, longest overland animal migration. The Great Migration has been called one of the 10 best natural travel wonders on earth. We want to see it now, before climate change and man’s other follies permanently alter the experience, but who should we choose as our guide? There are so many safari operators in Tanzania. On their websites they all sound great.
As green travelers we go beyond great. We want a safari experience that is both great and green … both unforgettable and sustainable. Our choice: &Beyond. Until recently they called themselves Conservation Corporation Africa—CC Africa for short—and they’re widely recognized as among the world’s pioneering eco-tourism companies. The name change is a nod to their widening scope beyond Africa, into India. They call what they do “responsible luxury” and their code of ethics encompasses care of the land, care of the wildlife, care of the people. We urge you to check out the comprehensive sustainability section on their website.
Now we truly narrow down our choice: cottage or tent? Why not both?
On Masai land
First we fly to a private airstrip at the base of the Kuka Hills and proceed upwards to Klein’s Camp. Klein’s perches on a precipice of these hills, just 10 thatched cottages with whitewashed walls, overlooking the Serengeti valley. If the migration had arrived, we would see it spread out below. The camp is in a private concession of nearly 25 thousand acres leased from the tribespeople of the Ololosokwan Masai (who receive an overall leasing fee plus extra for each safari guest). That means only Klein’s guests roam these game lands,and, unlike in the national park, we needn’t stick to the well-trod paths; our safari vehicle is equipped with a jump seat above the front fender for our tracker, a tall, rangy Masai with eyes trained to read the significance of bent grasses and the freshness of leopard tracks or Cape Buffalo dung. We also get to take a walking safari. Into the hills we march, with our guide pointing out plants and roots the Masai use for everything from stomach ache to toilet paper. (That this is no ordinary nature hike is made abundantly clear by the powerful rifle our guide, at the head of our column, carries at the ready; guarding our rear is the Masai tracker, wielding a spear.)
Klein's Camp: on walking safari, remains of a kill
You’ll feel pampered at Klein’s. A butler attends to the needs of each cottage, which comes supplied with a cut-crystal decanter of brandy and other vintage safari comforts. At night he tucks hot water bottles wrapped in flannel beneath the bedsheets, and in the mornings he appears with steaming coffee or tea. Fine linen, silver and china sparkle in the candlelight of the open dining areas, and Pan African meals are expertly prepared using fresh veggies from the camp’s shamba (organic garden). There’s a pool for cooling off. And you might very well find yourself treated to a special dinner in the bush.
Over the years more than US$100 thousand has been invested by &Beyond and its &Beyond Foundation into local community projects and activities, large and small. These include conservation lessons for Masai children (“why not kill the lion?”), a bee-keeping program (the villagers sell their honey to the camp), anti-poaching initiatives, a medical clinic and ambulance plus support of a local doctor and nurse, refurbishment of school classrooms, organic gardening for the Masai’s own use and for sale to Klein’s. Green features of the camp encompass solar-heated hot water from a well that supplies water on a gravity-feed system, energy-efficient lighting, natural and biodegradable cleaning, laundry and pest control.
We spot amazing game while at Klein’s, including leopard, most elusive of the safari Big Five of lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. But the Great Migration had yet to show up, and we dearly hoped to see it. So we leave the “sustainable luxury” of Klein’s and make our way to the middle of … nowhere … and a million beating hearts….
Amid the Great Migration
… To Serengeti Under Canvas. These Tanzanian encampments leave the smallest of eco-footprints. Like the traditional nomadic Masai, 3 settlements of just 6 tents each move around Serengeti National Park throughout the year. For most of this time they follow the Great Migration; otherwise they nest in remote corners of the Serengeti with ample resident game.
Serengeti Under Canvas: tent washstand
As we arrive we think … Tonight we will sleep under canvas. We will eat by the camp fire or under canvas. This is the real African bush. Nothing separates us from them. All true, all totally natural. We are camping in the isolated bush, but it’s safari camping that evokes African legend. First off, there’s our tent. It has, effectively, 4 rooms: sleeping area, dressing and washing area, a separate canvas room with its gleaming flush toilet, and, with a few extra unzippings, an al fresco room with a bucket shower where water heated over a fire is supplied on request. Polished brass pitchers at washstands with brass sinks that drain into brass buckets are replenished with hot water twice daily. Indian rugs run across coir matting. A plush queen bed is draped with a down comforter. And what’s this? Ah, yes—playful little crystal chandeliers dangle from the canvas roof, cleverly concealing CFL lighting. Each tent comes with robes and slippers as well as rubber wading boots. And, of course, a personal butler, who lugs the hot water, zips down the tent flaps at night and gently urges you awake at the appointed hour. Similar rustic elegance awaits in the dining and lounging tent, with its abundant supply of fine liquor and wine, comfortable sofas and well-set tables for the fulfilling fare that has been prepared over an open flame.
Serengeti Under Canvas: tent chandelier
The cocktail hour under the African sky, as night arrives and the bonfire begins to roar, is a time of sharing stories with the rangers and fellow guests about what the Serengeti has revealed. We do have much to share, for we indeed see what what we came for. The Great Migration. We have been in its very vortex. Surrounded by wildebeest and zebra in incalculable numbers as far as the eye can see on the Serengeti’s vast and endless horizon. We can only hope that, one day, you will be so lucky. For this is the ultimate green and great.
