Outlier Journeys

In late September in East Africa, the sky takes on a golden hue that photographers dream of.*

After months of dry weather, fine dust particles stay suspended in the air all day. By late afternoon, the sun lowers into the haze and turns into a flat amber disk well before it reaches the horizon. Distant hills fade to a gradient of hazy outlines and the sky turns a brilliant orange.

This phenomenon doesn’t last though. Once rains arrive in October or November, the first real storm of the season rinses the sky. On the morning following a big storm, you can clearly see distant ridge lines that were hidden for weeks.

Our pick for observing this magical light is Ol Lentille, located up on the granite kopjes of northern Kenya’s Laikipia Plateau. Here you have 40,000 acres of conservancy owned by the local Samburu and Maasai communities, who receive a share of every visitor’s conservation fee. A delightfully long way from the congestion of the Mara, one of the key reasons we love to send travelers up here.

*While the magic golden hours at dawn and dusk can be observed year round, the light at the tail end of the dry season is particularly special.

If you are already thinking about Kenya 🇰🇪 or Tanzania 🇹🇿 for next season, now is a great time to get in touch. Just don’t be surprised if we start with a conversation about where to go and what to experience beyond the Migration!

When guests who love hiking and being out in the wild come to us for a safari, we send them to Julian. Guided by his expertise, they step out of the vehicle and discover the landscape on foot, following lion tracks through the sand until the prints run out at a pride asleep in the shade.

Julian is a top guide in Zimbabwe, the country with the most rigorous and time-intensive requirements for a safari guide license. He reads the bush in a way that the rest of us can’t: noticing tracks, bird calls, plants and the small disturbances that everyone else walks past. He gives these details the same attention he gives the big sightings, while explaining it all with a patience and dry humor that keeps our travelers engaged, and a calm that encourages them to explore further than they planned to.

This is what we look for in every guide, everywhere we go: someone with a passionate spirit for their craft and the credentials to prove it.

Long after the beautiful tented suite is forgotten, you remember the person who changed how you saw and experienced a destination.

Do you know a guide like Julian? We’d love to hear about them.

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Where our travelers are now:

Witnessing the migration in Tanzania and then trusting us to show them even better corners of the country, where lower visitor numbers and private concessions lead to richer wildlife encounters.

A classic pairing of London and Paris via Eurostar. First class experiences and private access all the way.

Eternally vivid and captivating Iceland…post Eclipse madness. Including our favorite peninsula just north of Reykjavik.

Where can we take you? Get in touch via the link in our bio.

During Jeff’s last trip to India, he spent time in Rishikesh and attended a Ganga Aarati ceremony on the banks of the Ganges River.

Each evening at sunset, the banks of the Ganges begin to glow as people gather for the Ganga Aarati ritual, offering fire, prayers and gratitude to the Mother Ganga.

Small lamps called diyas are prepared with flowers, a cotton wick and oil or ghee before being lit and gently released into the Ganges. Each one carries something personal; thanks, remembrance, a personal hope or a prayer for a loved one. It’s a simple and beautiful intention, letting the prayer travel with the river rather than holding onto it.

Afterwards, the full Ganga Aarati begins. Priests raise heavy brass lamps towards the river as bells are rung and prayers are chanted while the flames move in rhythm along the water.

It was special to witness this active tradition - not a performance but a regular spiritual ritual, practiced daily by shared between families, pilgrims and visitors. Just one of the many upwelling cultural moments that make India such a rich and fascinating destination to explore.

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How do you know when your kids are ready to move from “going on vacation” to “traveling”? Embarking on a family trip that may challenge and stretch them as much as it excites them?

We have a new guest post on our blog today. LeeAnn Stivers (Jeff’s wonderful wife) shares how watching her boys thrive on increasingly further flung trips helped her realize that they were ready for the next big step.

With their sons now 8 & 12, the whole family is headed to Kenya in November, on an incredible journey that includes Nairobi, Ole Lentille (a community-owned conservancy in Laikipia, Northern Kenya), and two remote camps in the Maasai Mara.

If you’ve seen photos of parents traveling the world with toddlers and infants joyfully in tow and thought to yourself “that just isn’t my kid”, LeeAnn’s words and her family’s gradual approach to more adventurous and immersive travel may resonate with you. Link to read is in our bio!

And part 2 - how they are helping their boys prepare and build excitement for the journey to Kenya - is coming soon!

For travelers venturing to Patagonia, exploring Chile’s Torres Del Paine National Park is often the most-anticipated experience of their trip. And where you stay matters!

For vibe, service & amenities, logistics and access to certain activities and trailheads, each lodge has strong points and considerations.

Here is a brief (and by no means comprehensive) roundup of where we recommend you stay in and around Torres Del Paine. We’ve stayed at or visited these properties on multiple occasions and design private Patagonia trips for dozens of travelers every year.

📸: Estancia Cerro Guido (photos 1 & 5) Explora (photos 3), Awasi (photo 6) All other photos belong to Kirsten A. Gardner

Click through the photos for our insight on each featured lodge!

Scenes from a summer in Corsica.

When it comes to planning multigenerational family trips, eliminating overly scheduled itineraries in favor of ease, relaxation and flexibility is often the best way to keep everyone happy. A well-located and fully staffed villa as a home base. Beaches, markets and historic towns within easy striking distance. A rental car or access to bikes, boats and “toys” to enable spontaneity (or as an outlet for those with a more active agenda.)

A couple of years ago when our niece was two, our family rented a villa outside of Calvi in Corsica’s northwest corner. There was a boulangerie 10 minutes by foot which we patronized daily. A handful of undeveloped beaches perfect for digging and splashing And the surrounding La Balange offered plenty of small villages scattered throughout the hills where one could observe an afternoon pétanque match or pick up some local olives and cheese.

When my husband and I grew antsy from exploring at toddler pace, we took off to Corte in Corsica’s mountainous interior and spent two days hiking and swimming in the surrounding national parks. Then reconnected with family for a final few nights in Ajaccio before flying back to Paris. It was a blissful trip.

This kind of travel doesn’t apply only to Europe - though we tend to default there when we hear the world “villa”. Private, exclusive-use options exist all over the world - from remote Kenyan camps on private concessions to restored farmhouses in Japan’s Kiso Valley to private islands in Panama. All give you what we consider to be the ultimate luxury - the ability to explore on your own schedule, allowing the days unfold effortlessly.

Zambia delivers one of the most intimate wildlife experiences on the African continent - with quiet sightings, close animal encounters and wonderfully uncrowded landscapes.

But on Jeff’s most recent trip to Zambia, one of the most unexpected joys came after dark, when the team at Chiawa Safari Lodge gathered to sing. Their warmth, harmony and energy was truly on point.

However, it’s wasn’t the liquid courage of evening sundowners that made them sound so good!

“I learned that choir singing is a large part of Zambian culture. It’s been a foundational part of how they share stories, reinforce community bonds and express their spirituality for centuries. This type of performance at the lodge is not only appreciated by guests, but taps into a major thread of the local’s cultural identity and enables them to share an integral part of their lives with visitors.” - Jeff Stivers.

All photos taken by Jeff Stivers at Chiawa Safaris

Towards the northern edge of Chilean Patagonia, the vivid turquoise Futaleufú River tumbles down from the snowmelt in Los Alerces National Park, drawing whitewater enthusiasts and thrill seekers from all over the world.

The river’s name comes from the indigenous Mapuche language and translates as “Big Water.” Twenty-six miles of continuous IV-V rapids ensure that the action never stops, though competent and skilled guides (plus adequate safety boats) help ensure that even novice rafters have a great time, though every passenger needs to paddle!

But this remote area of Patagonia isn’t all high stakes adventure. There are gentle stretches of water for casting a perfectly placed fly, valleys and forests for hiking among ancient, giant trees, cycling and horseback riding across alpine meadows, lazy farm-to-table dinners and plenty of dogs looking for scritches. The only thing you won’t find are the crowds.

Futaleufú isn’t the easiest place to access. You can fly to Esquel in Argentina and cross the border. Or do what I did and include it as a stop along a long roadtrip down Chile’s famous Carretera Austral. A few days in a comfy bed, sharing meals around the communal table and soaking in the riverside hot tub at cozy Pata was a top highlight from my drive through Chile two years ago.

We’d love to help you get there and discover this gorgeous hidden corner of Northern Patagonia! A favorite spot in a country with no shortage of awe-inspiring natural beauty.

From her son’s favorite kioscos, to the iconic asado, the treasured practice of merienda and the debate over batata vs. membrillo, Leslie Holgate penned a culinary love letter to her former home in Argentina and the food experiences she misses the most. Her new post is on our blog (link in bio) and is a must-read for Argentina bound travelers who truly want to eat like a local and understand the cultural rituals and norms surrounding food.

Leslie H