My journey through Naibunga Lower Community Conservancy brought me to three women’s groups, one in each of the communities that collectively own and manage the conservancy. The first encounter was in Koija, where the Chui Mamas were already at work when I arrived.

I met them with pangas and hoes in their hands, bent forward at the waist, some weeding the communal farmland with their bare hands.

From a distance, the eyes of some young ladies were on the mzungu, following my steps from the moment I crossed the gate. They were standing untroubled with their babies wrapped around their upper bodies, under the quiet acacia tree, whose branches were holding everybody’s bottles and belongings.

One of the elderly ladies stood up as soon as she heard Stella, the interpreter, calling for their attention. Tiny drops of salty sweat were decorating her face with geometrical perfection. Beauty moulded by decades of sun and rural life in a challenging land.

The permaculture farm is only one of the activities running under the umbrella of the “Chui Mamas” Resource Centre, which brings together approximately twenty women’s groups from across the Koija community, one of the three communities that form Naibunga Lower Conservancy. The women also run a soap-making lab, beadwork production, and a newly opened tailoring workshop, which will soon start providing school uniforms to local schools. Collectively, they manage a beekeeping project comprising 200 beehives, which supply between 10 and 15 kilos of honey per harvest, twice a year.

In 2024, with support from partners, including San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDWA), Loisaba Conservancy, Powering Africa Recharging Conservation (PARC) and their local conservancy, the women established a system to promote community development through conservation efforts. The core idea was that by creating alternative sources of income and providing environmental education, the women would stop cutting down trees to produce charcoal for sale.

The spinning top was moving on the rough surface of red mud while the women took turns sharing their stories with the interpreter and me. I heard struggles, but also determination and, above all, conviction in the choice they had made.
“So we have joined hands and decided, instead of chopping trees and destroying the ecosystem, we looked for another alternative to living”, says Metian Kididing, one of the ladies.

Wangui Naiputari, chairlady of the Chui Mamas, adds, “We volunteered to cultivate this piece of land with our bare hands, so we could plant food products”. She concludes by saying, “But despite all the challenges we have endured, we have strived to make our projects a success so we can bring change as women”.

I left the farm with my heart full of joy and gratitude for their time and trust, holding tight to the little bag of hibiscus flowers I would use to prepare some refreshing tea back home.

Visitors, though, besides buying some fresh crops and their own bags of tea directly from the women, can also extend their guided tour with a tasting of the organic products while looking at the plants and fruits still hanging from the branches.

L’article The women of Naibunga Lower: Chui Mamas, choosing another way to live est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

According to a press release, Solar Team Eindhoven from Eindhoven University of Technology, in partnership with international health organisation Amref Health Africa, demonstrated their “Stella Juva” technology in trials in Kenya.

The solar ambulance is fitted with solar panels on the roof and generates energy while stationary via the use of extendable panels on the sides of the vehicle. This energy proved “to be sufficient to drive and to power medical equipment,” the team said. That equipment included an X-ray machine, ultrasound, an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), and cooling apparatus for vaccines.

Bringing healthcare directly to people, the researchers tested Stella Juva in the field around Kenya’s Narok region. The solar ambulance is approved for use on public roads, meaning that it could be deployed on both paved and unpaved roads, reflecting the reality of the conditions the vehicle could ultimately face. At one point, the team spent six hours travelling on challenging roads to reach a remote field location in Mosiro.

In total, the team covered more than 800 km, suffering only one issue en route – a broken steering rod, which was replaced within half an hour. This demonstrated “that the solar ambulance is reliable and performs well under challenging conditions,” the team claims. The vehicle generated more solar energy than it consumed whilst using all the medical equipment simultaneously.

“It is really great for the team to see the potential of Stella Juva in practice”, says team manager Mathijs van Gerven. “Not only to drive sustainably, but also to be able to provide fully independent care. Especially in remote areas where energy is often scarce, this can make all the difference.”

Health workers from facilities that Amref Health Africa works with tested the medical equipment and have hailed its promise. “Now that we have seen what Stella Juva can do in practice, we see enormous potential for remote communities. This could truly be a gamechanger”, says Geoffrey Sadera, project lead, maternal and child health at Amref Health Africa.

Narok is not the only example of a place where Stella Juva could make a real difference: one third of Kenya’s counties face similar challenges, with populations living at least two hours from care facilities, High levels of maternal and child mortality is just one consequence. “If we could deploy Stella Juva in these areas, the potential impact could be enormous: we could identify risks earlier, intervene sooner, and ultimately save lives,” Sadera explained. For example, during a single outreach, 30 to 40 pregnant women could receive an ultrasound in their own community, the researchers noted.

With the power and medical equipment required to examine and diagnose people on the spot, Stella Juva could revolutionise healthcare provision in remote destinations, making a tangible difference to locals, as well as to volunteer workers and visitors to these regions.

L’article Dutch researchers bring world’s first solar ambulance to remote destinations est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

I’d just crossed the Equator a few miles before entering the town, and I knew for sure that the sun was at its zenith; both the car temperature and my skin could confirm it. However, the heat couldn’t mask my excitement at taking the bumpy road again and leaving civilisation behind.

This time, though, I needed a map. The majority of Kenyans I had shared my travel plans with hadn’t heard of Naibunga Lower Conservancy either, including my experienced driver.

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The adventure for me really started when the car turned left at Il Polei village – thirty miles away from Nanyuki’s shops – and I saw Ellens Rock disappearing in the back window, waving goodbye to Rosemary and the other women of Twala Tenebo.

I noticed Gabriel, the driver, breathe a sigh of relief as soon as we left the village after the sharp left turn, because the road became smooth again and his car stopped its shaky, bumpy dance over the terrain.

The road rose swiftly, and not long after, we were presented with 360 degrees of green and open spaces, except for the few tin roofs of Il Polei village, quickly disappearing from our sight below the hill we were still climbing.

I was still finishing the fresh fruit on my breakfast plate when Francis Sapuro – the Conservancy Manager – entered the living room of the lodge where I had comfortably spent the night.

We had exchanged a few emails and briefly chatted over the phone when I was still in Naivasha. Now, on Maasai land, it was time for me to fully understand the place I had been invited to by the Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association – KWCA.

Like all the other Community Conservancies in Kenya, Naibunga Lower is fully owned and managed by the local communities that traditionally call this place home. Its legal history began in 2004.

It has a population of approximately 8,300 individuals, who belong to three communities:

• Koija
• Ilmotiook
• Tiamamut

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I was delighted to hear that Kajwang, as Francis is known here, had modified my initial schedule so that I could meet with the three women’s groups – one from each community – in the context where they operate daily.

One of the main reasons tourists visit the northernmost part of Laikipia County is to see the charming and rare black panther, the dark-pigmented leopard. This is, in fact, one of the few locations in East Africa where one can spot it. When visitors come, they also find themselves immersed in a peaceful and remote environment, and I tend to believe that more and more people are consciously choosing this tranquillity over the long queues of vehicles in the far more famous and glamorous Maasai Mara — or soon will.

If someone is in search of a deep travel experience, this is the place to be. I learned from the lodge’s local Maasai guide, Peter, who showed me around on the evening of my arrival, that the opportunities to encounter wildlife are naturally increased by the fact that animals and humans coexist nowadays, as they always have traditionally.

Seeing elephants, zebras, impalas, giraffes and other animals can happen unexpectedly, and perhaps more often than announced when you are outside the perimeter of the lodge.

Human-wildlife coexistence is a reality in the Community Conservancy.

We were walking in the bed of a temporary river that had dried up again that morning, as it does regularly in this season, when Peter told me about his latest encounter with an elephant while grazing his family’s cows a few days earlier. For a second, I realised that the chance of meeting an elephant on its evening stroll wasn’t that remote after all.

I spotted animal footprints crossing the riverbed; wild noises came from the distance. “There must be a cat around; those noises are a warning sign from the other animals moving away”, Peter commented and continued walking calmly, his stick resting across both shoulders, his arms comfortably lounging on each end. I mirrored his tranquil steps, but my legs felt slightly wobbly for a moment. I blamed the sandy terrain, not the emotional reaction that was going on inside me.

I was on Maasai land, walking on the land of his ancestors. I held that thought for a little longer, until my legs felt steady again. I took another step in the dry riverbed. This is how things are here, unfiltered.

I swallowed the last sip of my freshly brewed coffee and deeply thanked Kajwang for the interesting briefing on the conservancy’s governance.

At that moment, a rush of anticipation came over me. I quickly stood up and grabbed my bags with a broad smile, then stood waiting next to the solid wooden table. My intentions were clear to all: I was ready to meet the women.

L’article The women of Naibunga Lower: A hidden gem of Northern Kenya est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Dubbed ‘the greatest wildlife roadshow on Earth’, the Great Migration attracts enormous global attention to the Maasai Mara ecosystem. It is therefore unsurprising that the luxury hotel chain chose this area for its new tented camp.

STATEMENT ON CLAIMS OF WILDEBEEST MIGRATION BLOCKAGE IN THE MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE pic.twitter.com/jzmGW4a3sO

— Kenya Wildlife Service (@KWSKenya) November 27, 2025

Since August, the project has faced fierce pushback when conservationists and Maasai leaders filed a lawsuit accusing the newly opened lodge of disrupting a critical migration corridor.

Every year, around 1.5 million wildebeest, 400,000 zebras, 12,000 elands and 300,000 Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles travel from Tanzania’s Serengeti to Kenya, covering approximately 800 kilometres in a clockwise loop, to spend several months on the plains of the Maasai Mara. The timing of their arrival depends on rainfall patterns, grazing conditions, and wider climatic shifts.

The legal case was filed on 7 August by Meitamei Oloff Dapash, director of the Maasai Education, Research and Conservation (MERC) Institute. He argues that the 20 tented suites, each with private decks and plunge pools, built along the Sand River violate the 2023–2032 Maasai Mara Management Plan, which imposed a moratorium on new tourist accommodation in ecologically sensitive areas until 2032.

“The preservation of wildlife migration is a treasure that we cannot afford to lose,” said Dapash.

The controversy escalated after a video circulated online seemingly showing confused wildebeest confronted with a barrier, with people in the background attempting to move them away.

In a detailed statement issued on 27 November, KWS said it had “noted with concern” the allegations circulating on social media. The authority stressed that the camp lies within a designated low-use investment zone, as defined by the Maasai Mara National Reserve Management Plan. This zoning, KWS explained, is based on comprehensive scientific assessments, ecological sensitivity analyses, and spatial planning frameworks informed by over 20 years of GPS-collar tracking data.

These long-term datasets demonstrate that migrating wildebeest “use the entire breadth of the 68-kilometre Kenya – Tanzania border and have no specific or preferred corridor”.

KWS also stated that several images circulating online, which are being used to blame the Ritz-Carlton camp, are “outdated, misleading or presented without context”.

This video shows how the Ritz-Carlton concealed a section of its construction from the official drawings, placing it directly in a migratory corridor. A hotel charging $350,000 per night means it will never even be accessible to most Kenyans, but choosing short-term profit over… https://t.co/zHiisJANRK pic.twitter.com/6xenwBCzmB

— Nelson Amenya (@amenya_nelson) November 20, 2025

The agency insisted that all ecological, environmental and regulatory requirements had been met prior to the camp’s approval and emphasised that all developments in protected areas undergo mandatory assessments to ensure they align with conservation priorities.

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has confirmed that the Ritz-Carlton camp is not located on any wildlife migratory corridor, ‘in line with its statutory mandate under the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act’.

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), in line with its statutory mandate under the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, has formally testified and certified that the Ritz-Carlton Masai Mara is not situated on any wildlife migratory corridor.

This confirmation is supported by…

— NEMA Kenya (@NemaKenya) November 28, 2025

David Ongare, NEMA’s Director of Compliance, said that the Environmental Impact Assessment had been carried out in full, involving public participation forums and stakeholder input. He added that the project’s certification was supported by ecological surveys, GPS-referenced field studies, and scientifically verifiable data, all of which were consistent with the EIA licence and subsequent environmental audits.

Narok County officials have also dismissed the accusations as unfounded and misleading.

Undeterred, activists argue that the issue goes beyond this one development. They say that the case reflects mounting concern about the rapid expansion of high-value tourism in Kenya’s protected areas.

‘It is deeply troubling that a company known for maintaining strict environmental and ethical standards would abandon those same standards in Kenya,’ said Dapash.

L’article Kenyan authorities reject claims Ritz-Carlton camp blocks wildebeest migration est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

This was the case on a recent Hi Fly flight from Dzaoudzi, a commune in the French overseas department of Mayotte, to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Described by the airline in an Instagram post as a “miraculous moment”, a baby boy was safely born prematurely aboard the Airbus A330, registered CS-TCE.

Luckily for the woman, who was travelling with her young doctor, not only were there three doctors aboard the same flight, but one of them was even an obstetrician. Assisted by the cabin crew, they all helped the woman through a safe delivery. The family of the three was taken into care by health professionals waiting for them upon landing in Nairobi.

“Huge thanks to our incredible, well-trained cabin crew who responded swiftly and worked alongside 3 doctors (one being an obstetrician) who happened to be on board as passengers,” the airline wrote on social media. “Despite the intense situation, our crew kept everything running smoothly, and their collective expertise ensured the safety and comfort of both mother and premature newborn.”

The newborn is doing perfectly well, and we wish him a lifetime of happiness!

Hi Fly Airline

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Although last year two on-board births happened within two weeks of each other, on VierJet and Wizz Air flights, it’s rare that babies are born on planes due to rules about pregnant women flying in their third trimester. According to a 2020 study, published by the International Society of Travel Medicine, 74 children were born on commercial flights between 1929 and 2018, of which all but three survived.

The rules on flying while pregnant are hard to navigate because of the huge variety from carrier to carrier, with some requiring a doctor’s certificate to fly after a certain number of weeks’ pregnancy, and others applying different conditions. It’s unsurprising therefore that the overall result is to discourage women near the point of labour from flying.

L’article Baby boy safely delivered on flight to Kenya est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Kenyan President William Ruto made the announcement during the Magical Kenya Travel Expo in Nairobi on October 2^nd. The Digital Nomad Work Permit will allow foreigners to stay in Kenya on a long-term basis, thereby boosting tourism, the local economy, innovation and entrepreneurship.

A room full of people, from across the country, the continent and the world, all come together in Nairobi for the official opening ceremony of the 14th Magical Kenya Travel Expo.

Our chief guest for the day, H.E Dr. @WilliamsRuto #MKTE2024 #MagicalKenya ExploreConnectCelebrate… pic.twitter.com/dEnJrhsKvW

— Kenya Tourism Board (@magicalkenya) October 2, 2024

“Kenya can be your home, where you and your family can experience the wonders of magical Kenya every day, all while serving clients from anywhere in the world on your digital platform”, the President stated. “I invite you to explore, connect with our people, and celebrate everything that makes Kenya a top global destination.”

No release date or price has been announced for the new visa just yet. However, the requirements for those wanting to apply have already been shared. Digital nomads wanting to station themselves in Kenya will need a valid passport, proof of remote work outside Kenya, proof of accommodation within Kenya and a clean criminal record. They will also need a minimum annual income of 50,000€. 

In order to be even more attractive to digital nomads, who will get to experience the country’s astonishing nature during their stay, Ruto also announced that the country would expand its fibre optic footprint to increase internet connectivity. 

President William Ruto: ""Tourism is more than just a sector; it's a driving force behind Kenya's economic growth. From creating jobs and supporting local communities to generating vital revenue, tourism plays a crucial role in our development. pic.twitter.com/CcJ7xdHbk7

— Magical Kenya Travel Expo (@MKTravelExpo) October 2, 2024

During his speech, Ruto also mentioned that Kenya will be creating an electronic travel authorisation system that will allow travellers with long flight layovers in Nairobi to leave the airport and explore the city while they’re waiting for their next flight. 

“They can come and enjoy a meal in the city, they can go to the National Park, they can see our wildlife, they can visit our national museum and be able to travel back. And that visa arrangement is being rolled out to make sure that we have additional numbers of people visiting our country”, Ruto said.

The two new announcements come months after the introduction of a 90-day visa-free travel for many nationalities in January. Travellers who obtain their ETA at least 72 hours before setting off can thus stay nearly 3 months in the country. That period can be prolonged to 6 months for a fee of 45€.

L’article Kenya is introducing a Digital Nomad Visa est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Ruto has been advocating for Kenya to become a completely visa-free country for a long time, building on a campaign that invites people from around the world to return home, repeatedly reminding people that humans first developed in Kenya, then spread around the world from there.

“Science tells us that the earliest remains of man are in Kenya, meaning humanity started here”, the President said earlier this year. “And therefore, the people in Europe and America and all those other places, they came from here and it is not fair to ask anybody for a visa when they are going home. (…) We could possibly drive our tourism numbers from our 2 million to maybe 20 million by just telling everybody ‘Please come home!’ “

To echo the call of the Turkana people to the world: ‘Tobong’u Lorre!’ Kenya has a simple message to humanity: ‘Welcome Home!’

William Samoei Ruto, President of Kenya

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After gradually scrapping visas for citizens of other African countries throughout 2023, Ruto’s wish is finally coming true starting in January 2024. “It shall no longer be necessary for any person from any corner of the globe to carry the burden of applying for a visa to come to Kenya”, he said on Jamhuri Day.

To implement the new policy, the government has developed a digital platform where all travellers must register before arriving to the country. Thus, visitors will still be identified, but will receive an electronic travel authorisation instead of needing to apply for a visa.

L’article Kenya invites all international visitors to “come home” visa-free from 2024 est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.