2026 East Africa Dispatch Part II – Boni Solomon and the Radio Call

The Kenya Bluff

Part II of our East Africa dispatch brings us to my native, Kenya. And as always, a trip to Kenya means reconnecting with old friends, not just former classmates, but longtime partners in adventure as well.

Starting off at Ol Lentile, where on a previous trip I had the most memorable elephant encounter (more on that later). But the best part of my stay, wasn’t actually the stay. It was reuniting with my friends Solomon and Boniface. Now mind you, this is right after I was labeled an honorary gorilla tracker by the guides in Bwindi because of my frequent visits. Seeing these two again brought a huge smile to my face. Solomon was not yet at the camp during my last visit, however he and I had connected. Boni on the other hand, was my brother from another… and our last visit was, memorable to say the least.

On my last visit, Boni and I were walking along a trail when we heard elephants in the distance and were aware of their presence. Much like most activities at Ol Lentile, you are on foot or on an ATV. The vehicle isn’t used that often, only to transfer to and from a starting point. As we rounded the curve, a small hill created a blind spot along the path. All of a sudden, a tusk, then two, come to sight. Now mind you, we were, as Solomon likes to say, walking like Maasai, at a brisk pace. Boni and I stopped and stood still as I remembered from past encounters that you never run. We knew we were not in danger, as both of us have had amazing close encounters with elephant over the years, for Boni, his whole life. He has had the closest of all encounters with cheetah and lion, however that is a story for another day. Slowly we moved off the path, almost in slow motion, making it clear to this young bull that we were not a threat. This whole time we were just amazed at another example of just how intelligent these animals are. All of these memories came back to me, as Boni, Solomon, and I talked about the conservancy model, recorded an episode of our podcast, and as I found myself once again immersed into the Samburu way of life.

The final chapter unfolded in the Mara, at a camp that I honestly discovered by chance nearly 20 years ago. I met Andy Stuart, co-founder of Bushtops Camps, on a flight to the Mara as we both happened to spot his camp from the air on our way in. The conservancy model that so proudly represents a path forward for responsible safaris in Kenya, was still in its infancy, which makes me even prouder to see what has become of the camps that participate in this model. Yes, there are still some issues to work through, however the vision that started this path, is still our north star. With the abundance of resident game in this section of the Mara, the sightings began immediately. However, it was not until we were in the main reserve, that we had the most fun.

While vehicles in the southeastern sector crowded around radio reports of lion sightings, we chose to steer clear. I was triggered by the number of vehicles around these lions, something I spoke passionately about in various speeches, and in articles for outlets like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. Crowds of vehicles around one or groups of animals is not what safari pioneers had in mind, and I was reminded of that whenever we moved out of reserves and into community owned land. Now where we had fun with this, was calling by radio to tell one of the group drivers surrounding the lions, about a cheetah sighting we had made without anyone knowing. We gave them a location that was off by a little bit, in order to ensure the cheetah was respected and her boundaries of movement protected, aka, the Kenya bluff.

One by one, the vehicles scattered, and we were left to peacefully view the lions without encroaching on their habitat. Once we left back for the conservancy, I felt empowered to speak even louder about the need for better controls in reserves, the justification of higher prices, and to highlight the work that conservancy-based camps like Bushtops and many others are doing, to preserve the natural setting.

We are not living on this land, we are simply borrowing it, holding it for the next generation.