I WALK carefully in the cool night air, focusing a kerosene lantern on the stone-paved path. Suddenly a figure approaches, one arm outstretched, his checkered red blanket gently flapping in the wind.
“Soap,” he says as he stretches his arm toward me.
Such moments of quiet fascination are common during my two-night stay at Oldarpoi Maasai Safari Camp, a permanent furnished tented camp just outside Masai Mara National Reserve. It is on the edge of one of the world’s greatest wildlife safari parks, yet is largely unknown by most travelers to this part of Africa. (A Kenyan friend recommended our guide, and he recommended the camp.) The 40-acre camp, which opened in December 2006 and is solely owned and operated by the local Masai community, is built with all the comforts of home, including hot showers, beds with pillows, sheets, blankets and mosquito nets, and porches with armchairs. A station by a generator that supplies lights and refrigeration for the dining area allows cellphones and digital cameras to be recharged. Read More
