If you’re looking for a combination of wildlife adventure and amazing outdoor experience, a safari retreat may be something for you. Know more about this wonderful place in this interview.

Q: Can you tell us the name of your retreat center/venue and where are you located?*

A: The retreat is called Safari and Yoga. The venue is called Entumoto Safari Camp, Maasai Mara, Kenya.

Q: What is so special/unique about your property/location that sets it apart?*

A: Entumoto is a magical tented safari camp nestled in the middle of a 29,000 acre private wildlife sanctuary, teaming with wildlife, right on the edge of the Maasai Mara. It’s fence free so at night, while you’re sleeping giraffe, lion, leopard, buffalo, zebra, you name it, walk through the camp, while the guards and rangers watch over our tents. Entumoto means ‘the meeting place’ in Maa, the local language. This fits well as the camp is situated where the plains meet the hills and where two valleys come together. There is a watering hole in front of the camp where elephants, zebra, antelope and buffalo meet to drink together on a hot day. On our Safari and Yoga Retreat it is a place to meet the deeper self and to connect to your true nature, by immersing yourself in the wilderness. It is a place to meet like minded souls, and a new type of family, to embark on a meaningful journey together.

Q: Why did you create the space? You can share a backstory of your inspiration or any story that’s unique to your property. *

A: The Co-founder of Entumoto, Karl von Heland, is the grandson of Erik von Heland. Erik was a close friend of Karen Blixen and became the manager of Karen Farm in 1919. This now world-famous farm belonged to the author Karen and Bror Blixen and was the scene of the film, and one of the most famous novels “Out of Africa”. Karen, Bror and Erik’s love of Africa lives on in Karl and in Entumoto. Karl co-founded Entumoto Safari Camp with his friend and colleague Rimoine Ole Kararei, a locally born Maasai, 15 years ago, in 2009. Rimoine was born in a Masai village near the camp and was one of the first from his area to go to university in Nairobi. Rimoine always dreamt of creating a conservation project. His deep connection to the land and his understanding of the communities living in the area have been invaluable for creating a long term sustainable project that respects the cultural traditions and the needs of the people living there. The wildlife sanctuary surrounding Entumoto is called the Siana conservancy. To form the conservancy, Karl and Rimoine had to get agreements from around 2,500 Masai families and landowners. Each landowner agreed to lease their farm land to the Siana conservancy. The land owners now receive an annual income in return for their agreement to stop farming the land, and instead they can now focus their efforts on the meaningful work of protecting their land as a wildlife sanctuary.

Q: What activities and amenities are available in your venue and surrounding area?*

A: The Safari and Yoga week is a once-in-a-lifetime 7 day all-inclusive experience living in a 29,000 acre private conservancy teaming with wildlife. Guests stay in luxury tented accommodation. The main guest area consists of a dining area, a lounge with a fireplace, a bar, library, games cupboard and a veranda with views of the abundant countryside and the watering hole where animals come to drink in the evening. Entumoto has a pool with sun beds, a pool house, pool bar, sauna and a yoga deck for you to enjoy at your leisure. Guests can also book treatments such as massages, manicures and pedicures. Wifi is available in the lounge. The tents are joyously free from wifi, to help guests feel more connected to nature. There are 5 camp safari trucks and 6 guides. Each truck fits 6 to 8 guests. Plenty of flexibility for our small group of 20 to go off on seperate drives, to visit different parts of the conservancy, as and when we please. During the week there is the option to take part in daily game drives, twice daily yoga classes, sunrise experiences with the lions, sundowners with the hyenas, night drives, walking safaris, bike rides, gourmet meals out in the bush, savouring delicious vegetables picked from the on-site ecological garden, an evening with a local herbalist and medicine man, an opportunity to do a craft with the children at the local school, and to take part in a cultural visit to a Masai village to meet the community, to see their houses and to experience the local singing, dancing, bead work, metal work, and fire making skills. On our safari drives we follow the lives of leopards, lions, elephants, buffalo, giraffes, zebra, monkeys and much more. The area is abundant with animals.

Q: What is the nearest International airport? How do we get to your venue from there. *

A: Nairobi International Airport in Kenya. Then a 45 minute internal flight to the Masai Mara, or a 4-5 hour land transfer.

Q: Is there any other thing you want to share that makes your venue an ideal retreat location?*

A: There is something unique about the staff at Entumoto. When you arrive at camp you feel welcomed like long lost family. You feel held and valued for taking the time to visit and support such a beautiful conservation project. It’s hard to put it into words, but it’s almost as if the staff see you through the eyes of the heart. They see you, but they really see you. They see your true essence and the infinite love you hold within. No judgement. No preconceived ideas of who you are or where you’ve come from. They see the real you, under all those labels and those uncomfortable layers of protection. And it literally breaks your heart open. It takes a few days to recognise and settle into the feeling, but by the end of the week you are changed. You feel completely in love with each and every one of them, and somehow more in love and more accepting of yourself. It’s a gift that I’ve carried with me every day since I got home. Entumoto have chosen to employ exclusively local staff. This is a unique take on running a safari camp. Many other camps hire Mzungu’s to ensure they have the type of service that a foreign guest might expect. But not Entumoto. They only employ Masai people. They do this because they want to ensure the camp is contributing to the lives of the local people, and the villages and community projects in and around the wildlife sanctuary they are protecting. And because of this, when you stay at Entumoto, you are really living within the spirit of Africa. The people, the wildlife, the ancient land. It is all encompassing and it changes you. It’s like stepping into your own heart, and feeling it with the door wide open, for the first time. The staff teach us how to lead from the heart, and not from the head. They teach us to be still, and to connect with the land, and the surroundings.. They teach us to feel gratitude for every drop of the present moment and to welcome it all, whatever feelings or experiences it brings up. Everything is equal, and everything is pure and vulnerable, when we see from the heart. A refined skill, passed down from generations. It’s ingrained in their being, part of their way of life. A gift to all those ready to receive it.

Q: How can they contact/book your place?*

A: lucy@safariandyoga.com or 00447809608262 for Whatsapp