ZAWADISHA'S ARTISAN SAFARI
Join us on a 13-day trip through colorful Kenya where you'll be wowed by wildlife, learn from artisans preserving their traditions through craft, and rest and relax on the white sand beaches of the Indian Ocean.
+ Explore the vibrant capital city of Nairobi and visit our favorite local and up-and-coming spots
+ Safari through the lesser-known and less-traveled conservancies and parks where you'll be in awe of the African wildlife you'll witness
+ Learn the craft of basket weaving from master women weavers in our community, from harvesting the sisal to dyeing it, twining it, and weaving it
+ Rest and relax on the pristine white sand beaches of the Kenyan coastline
WHAT'S INCLUDED
+ All meals, in-country transport, and accommodation
+ Curated tour of Nairobi away from the tourist traps aka our secret gems
+ Game drives in Tsavo Conservancy where you are guaranteed to see elephant, giraffe, zebra, antelope, birds, and more
+ Small group workshops and supplies to learn the art of basket weaving alongside our friends at Hadithi
+ Community visits and cooking lessons with Zawadisha
+ An afternoon strolling through the spice and craft markets in Mombasa
+ Two days to fully unwind and absorb your experience on the white sand beaches of the Indian Ocean
ARTISAN SAFARI ITINERARY
KARIBU KENYA: A Skillcation Through the Green City, the Savannah & the Swahili Coast
August 15 – August 27, 2027
DAY 0 · August 15 · Karibu Kenya!
Arrive in Nairobi. A private transfer with a trusted driver relieves the stress of a new place. Arrive at the guest house, where a soft bed and warm shower await. This is the calm before a very beautiful storm. Rest up, you'll need it :)
DAY 1 · August 16 · The Green City Under the Sun
Over a welcome breakfast, we'll gather and then set out to discover the Nairobi most travelers never see. Morning unfolds in the Karura Forest, where you can hike, stroll, or cycle beneath a canopy of green, followed by lunch in a garden so magnificent you won't want to leave the table. The afternoon belongs to the city's electric, up-and-coming art and culture scene. We'll end the day the way we love best: around a table, breaking bread.
DAY 2 · August 17 · Artisan Day Trip to Lake Naivasha
We trade the city's hum for the still, silver waters of Lake Naivasha, driving through the Great Rift Valley before we glide out on a boat safari among some 1,500 hippos and more than 400 species of birds that make this lake their home. Then we meet the Elementeita Weavers, a cooperative that dyes, spins, and weaves its own wool on traditional looms. This is the first of many hands and many stories you'll carry home with you.
DAY 3 · August 18 · A City of Makers
Nairobi is quietly becoming one of Africa's great creative capitals, and today belongs to the artisans driving that renaissance. We'll move from workshop to workshop, meeting the makers where they work, among the beads and the looms, the clay and the colo. Some are cooperatives uplifting women and some are bold young collectives reclaiming Kenyan culture in real time. All of them will send you home with more than a curio. You'll leave with a name, a face, and a story stitched to the thing you carry.
Day 4 · August 19 · Journey South to the Place We Call Home
We catch the 8 a.m. train south to Maungu, the community we call home. You'll arrive to the sound of drums and the movement of dance, welcomed by the women of Zawadisha themselves. Over the afternoon, you'll come to know our microlending program that has lifted this community, woman by woman, for more than 15 years. As the savannah light turns gold, you'll settle into our charming open-air home beneath the wide Tsavo sky. Don't be surprised how quickly it feels like yours. Lodging at Kivuli Camp in the Tsavo Conservancy.
DAY 5 · August 20 · Where the Wild Meets the Made
The day opens on a game drive through the Tsavo Conservancy, and then your skillcation truly begins. Alongside the artisans of Hadithi Crafts, you'll learn to draw sisal thread straight from the plant and coax color from the natural landscape through the ancient art of dyeing.
DAY 6 · August 21 · Basket Weaving & Game Drives
What will you check off your list today? We're out at first light in search of elephant, giraffe, zebra, and more before returning to Hadithi, where the craft deepens: learn the skill of the twining as the patient beginnings of a basket take shape in your hands.
DAY 7 · August 22 · The Finishing Touches
On our last day in the community we call home, a morning game drive carries us once more into the bush before we return to put the final touches on your basket. And because one is never enough, you'll have the rare joy of sifting through hundreds of finished baskets to find the one that's yours. Each a small masterpiece, each made by a woman you now know by name.
DAY 8 · August 23 · Maungu to Mombasa
All aboard! We'll travel by train to Mombasa and step off into the perfume and color of the spice and craft markets. Bags full and senses fuller, we retreat to a Swahili hotel to spend the night wrapped in old-world charm.
DAY 9 · August 24 · Mombasa to Lamu
An early flight lifts us to Lamu, a Swahili island and UNESCO World Heritage Site that may just be our favorite place on this earth. From the moment you step onto the tarmac and are handed down into your waiting boat taxi, you'll feel it. Lamu is a very, very special place, and it is about to work its magic on you.
DAY 10 · August 25 · The Soul of Swahili Old Town
There are no cars here, only donkeys and dhows. We'll lose ourselves in the labyrinth of Old Town, where coral-stone walls rise close and cool, and centuries-old doors are carved with a craftsman's devotion. We'll wander past open workshops, pause for Swahili coffee poured from a brass pot, and then enjoy a sunet dhow cruise before we say goodnight.
DAY 11 · August 26 · A Trip Back in (Island) Time
A day to breathe with no agenda. Surrender to the unhurried grace that has drawn wanderers here for centuries. We'll share our recommendations (and provide a map) so that this day can be all yours to experience Swahili culture at its most generous in the food, the fabrics, the faces, and the welcome. By nightfall, over a rooftop feast beneath a wide coastal sky, you'll understand why we always find our way back.
DAY 12 · August 27 · Kwaheri, For Now
Time to say goodbye, but it won't feel like the end. It'll feel like a promise to return. Or at least that's been our story for the past 20 years.
Optional Add-On: A two-day safari in the Maasai Mara, with a visit to Maasai beading groups—more artisans, more stories, more magic.
Want to learn more before you reserve your spot? Please contact us!
Artisan Safari: Your Skillcation Awaits
Regular price
$250.00
FAQs
You've got questions? We've got answers.
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Yes—this is a craft-focused trip built for makers, crafters, and creative travelers who want more than a standard safari. Our artisan safari in Kenya is a "skillcation," a hands-on creative vacation where you learn basket weaving directly from master women weavers, meet makers in Nairobi's growing craft scene, and visit weaving and beading cooperatives across the country. If you love pottery retreats, textile tours, weaving workshops, or craft-centered travel, this trip turns those passions into a two-week immersion in Kenyan craft and culture.
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No experience is required. Our basket weaving workshops are designed for complete beginners, and the master weavers of Hadithi Crafts guide you through every step—harvesting sisal, dyeing the fibers, twining, and weaving your own basket to take home. Whether you've never picked up a craft or you're a seasoned maker, you'll be welcomed exactly where you are.
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A skillcation is a vacation built around learning a hands-on skill, and on this trip that skill is traditional Kenyan basket weaving. Over several days in the Tsavo community of Maungu, you'll learn the full craft from start to finish: extracting sisal thread from the plant, dyeing it using natural methods, mastering the twining technique, and weaving a finished basket of your own. Along the way you'll also meet weavers, beaders, and makers in Nairobi and on the coast, learning the stories and techniques behind Kenyan craft.
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Our guests are people who have always wanted to visit Kenya (or Africa), but didn't want to plan it on their own. They need to trust the organization facilitating the trip, and they don't want to be caught up in tourist traps. They care deeply about empowering women, and they love wildlife. They have a thing for artisinal goods or are craft curious.
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Absolutely—many of our travelers come solo, and this small-group trip is especially popular with solo women, nonbinary, and trans travelers looking for a safe, connected way to see Kenya. Our groups are capped at eight people, and we host optional monthly Zoom calls before departure so you'll know your travel companions before you arrive. Standard rooms are shared for two travelers, and a private-room upgrade is available if you'd prefer your own space.
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This is a moderate, accessible trip suitable for most fitness levels. Expect gentle activity: a forest walk, hike, or bike ride in Nairobi (your choice), early-morning game drives from a safari vehicle, boat rides, and strolls through markets and the coral-stone alleys of Lamu's Old Town, which are uneven underfoot. There's no strenuous trekking, and much of the pace is relaxed—including two full days to unwind on the beaches of the Indian Ocean.
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Our trips are fundraisers for our microlending program in Kenya. Your trip is more than a holiday; it's an investment in the lives of women and their families. And you'll get to see that with your own two eyes.
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This is ethical travel with real impact: 100% of the profits from your trip fund Zawadisha's microlending program, which has supported women in the Tsavo community for over 15 years. Beyond that, your journey directly benefits the artisan cooperatives and craftswomen who host and teach you—from the weavers of Hadithi Crafts to the makers you meet in Nairobi—through fair pay for their work and direct purchases of their crafts. Every basket you weave and every keepsake you carry home helps sustain traditional craft and women-led enterprise in Kenya.
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Your trip price covers all meals, in-country transport, accommodation, game drives, guided workshops and supplies with Hadithi Crafts, community visits with Zawadisha, and all the experiences in the itinerary. Not included are international airfare, travel insurance (which is required), your Kenya visa, any recommended vaccinations, gratuities, alcohol, and personal shopping. Planning for those extras ahead of time keeps your budget stress-free.
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Most international visitors need travel authorization to enter Kenya, which is arranged online before departure. Because entry requirements and fees change, we always direct travelers to the official Kenyan government portal for the current process, and we'll remind you well before your trip. Be sure your passport is valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, with blank pages for entry stamps.
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Yes, with arrival at JKIA. We suggest you land in the evening on Day 0, and depart late in the evening on the final day. It is very normal to arrive and depart after 11 pm.
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You can receive a full refund up to six months before the departure of the trip. If you need to cancel within three to five months of the departure, we will provide credit for a future trip. There is no refund provided for cancellations within two months of the departure date. If we are not able to run the trip due to circumstances out of our control, we will reschedule the trip for 2028.
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We will create a fundraising platform like this one from a previous cycling trip that makes it easy for you to raise tax-deductible donations for Zawadisha. If you choose to fundraise, you are required to fundraise at least $500. We encourage everyone to fundraise so that we can make the most positive impact in the lives of the women we serve, although it is not required.
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Yes! We can split it into two or four payments. You will need to pay the full amount two months before the trip starts.
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Game drives will be about two hours in the evening and in the mornings, which are the best times to see the animals. For morning game drives, we depart at 6 am with coffee and snacks. Breakfast is after the drive at the game lodge, as is lunch. Evening drives start around 4 pm and dinner is served at the lodge afterward.
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A maximum of 8 people will be on this trip. We will all have a chance to get to know each other before the trip through optional monthly Zoom calls.
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We will stay in mid-range, comfortable hotels and guest houses. All rooms are shared accommodation for two, but you can upgrade to a private room if available.
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They are delicious, nutritious, and filling. We will eat a variety of food, from meals you are familiar with to East African specialties. We can accommodate dietary needs.
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THE FINE PRINT
Please note that airfare is not included. You will need to purchase that separately.
The payment you make today is to reserve your spot. You will be invoiced for the remaining payments once your participation is confirmed.
Travel insurance is required.
We are committed to creating a safe space for all participants and as such have a zero-tolerance policy for harassment, intimidation, and/or verbal/physical abuse.