David Livingstone explored the heart of Africa and David Attenborough brought its majestic wildlife to our tv screens. Together, they have stirred the discerning traveller to find their own inner pioneer. For generations, Ker & Downey Africa has made such encounters possible by enriching their guests’ lives with traditional animal safaris and incredible adventures like floating over Botswana’s UNESCO Okavango Delta in hot air balloons, flying to the exotic island of Mauritius or even exploring the wilds of Antarctica. Chief Executive Officer, Lee Kelsall, believes that ‘pushing the boundaries of African travel’ in this way means every exploration ‘ticks somebody’s bucket list’.

Adventure, Challenge and Legacy

Once, a luxury trip to Africa meant month-long safaris in the bush but, as Kelsall emphasises, Africa is so much more than just safaris. Their three pillars – adventure, challenge, legacy – ensure that Ker & Downey Africa’s LuxVenture trips do just that. For many, a traditional animal safari is adventurous enough, but Ker & Downey Africa take it further, organising foot safaris into the bush to get as close as safely possible to Africa’s ‘big five’ – lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and buffalos. The company’s travel designers work with clients’ passions to create unique trips that offer everything the elegant traveller desires – from a photographic safari through Namibia, to culinary workshops in Morocco, or simply relaxing at wellness retreats in Mauritius.

From law to luxury travel

Since Ker & Downey Africa was founded in the mid-1990s, its mission has been to create life-changing luxury experiences that reveal the true delights of the continent. No-one typifies this more than Kelsall, a Cambridge graduate who took a sabbatical from a successful law career to live with the Maasai Mara tribe in Kenya in 2010. This ignited his love for African travel, and he decided to build a career out of it, becoming CEO of Ker & Downey Africa in 2013. The transition, he reveals, was easy, since law and luxury travel are both based on ‘trust and integrity’.

The Great Migration

A sight to behold is the Great African Migration beginning in northern Tanzania, when 1.5 million wildebeest journey 1,800-miles across the vast Serengeti plains to the champagne hills of Kenya’s Masai Mara. One of the earth’s greatest shows also attracts zebras, gazelles and hunters like lions and hyenas. Ker & Downey Africa can take you right to the heart of the action with their Northern Tanzania circuit  LuxVenture trip. Alternatively, their Luxury Seychelles & Kenya Safari is a chance go beyond the Serengeti to Kenya. Staying at Sir Richard Branson’s  Mahali Mzuri Maasai safari camp, travellers have front-row seats to the great gnu procession passing by their tents. Then they jet off to the private island of Félicité in the Seychelles for tropical pampering at Six Senses Zil Pasyon.

Beyond the safari 

Ker & Downey Africa trips span a range of experiences and geographic locations. For example, the culinary LuxVenture trip offers travellers the chance to immerse themselves in the spicy air of Morocco with cooking classes, exploring Marrakesh, sailing the coast of Essaouira and visiting Casablanca.  Or go beyond the continent and follow in the footsteps of Prince Harry, Buzz Aldrin and Bear Grylls on the South Africa to Antarctica Expedition. Stay in state-of-the-art igloo pods, discover ice caves and cross frozen lakes. Return to Cape Town and stay the finest hotels, explore Bo Kaap and climb Table Mountain, before going on safari at the Kruger National Park. Here adventurers can track lions, elephants, hippopotamus, leopards, rhinos, cheetahs and buffalo.

Legacy travel 

Just by going on a Ker & Downey Africa adventure, elite travellers support entire communities and leave their own legacy. These tailored trips have discreet fees built in and by booking an Elephant Conservation Safari or Rhino Conservation Safari in South Africa, a donation gets re-invested back into the projects. The newest opportunity to leave a positive legacy is by signing up to Ker & Downey Africa’s 12-day Conservation Safari in collaboration with the Tracker Academy in South Africa. Here guests can help preserve endangered species and enjoy game drives, guided bush walks and horseback safaris.
Environmentally, Kelsall explains, the key to balancing sustainable and ethical practices is to guide guests to locations that have ‘resisted the damaging effects of commercial tourism’. Ker & Downey Africa select safari lodges that consider their environmental impact, from the plastic-free practices at Angama Mara in Kenya, to the use of solar energy at Xigeria Lodge in Botswana, and farm-to-fork dining experiences at Singita in the Serengeti. There are lodges constructed from organic materials at Tswalu Kalahari in South Africa, while the private game reserves – Londolozi, in Kruger National Park  and Samara, in the Great Karoo, play an integral role in wildlife conservation.  

Luxury lodging

Whether staying in five-star hotels, safari lodges with star beds, a Tanzanian tree house or Richard Branson’s luxury Mahali Mzuri Maasai mobile camp, guests can rest in extravagant elegance with Ker & Downey Africa. Accommodation ranges from colonial mansions, such as Ellerman House in South Africa, to the finest family lodges like the French La Clé des Montagnes in the Winelands. Then there is the contrast of unique Bisate Lodge – six exclusive conically shaped thatched forest villas built into the walls of extinct volcanoes in Rwanda – and the tropical One&Only Le Saint Geran in Mauritius.
Each Ker & Downey Africa trip promises adventure, challenges and the opportunity to engage. Overwhelmingly, Africa offers high-octane adventure and lavish experiences to last a lifetime.