You dream of going to Africa. The old Africa. The Africa of pristine wilderness and endless horizons, teeming with wildlife. You dream of waking up in a bed swathed in mosquito netting, sipping a cup of Kenya coffee, watching as the curtain of clouds slowly dissolves and Mount Kilimanjaro emerges, singular and majestic, right before your eyes.
Are you dreaming? Not if you’re working with Chip and Sandy Cunningham, co-owners of Uncharted Outposts, an elegant custom tour company with a portfolio of intoxicating African destinations. “If a client wants the quintessential ‘Out of Africa’ experience,” says Sandy, who grew up in South Africa, “we design a safari that transports them into the Africa of a lifetime ago.”
And that journey is handcrafted specifically for that client. “All we do are custom-designed itineraries,” says Chip, a native Californian who flew bush planes in Africa and managed a safari camp in Kenya’s breathtaking Chyulu Hills. “We get our clients into small, privately-owned camps where they will have a very hands-on, authentic safari experience.”
Building that portfolio of beautiful, intimate destinations and charming hosts took years, say the Cunninghams, but it’s what gives them an edge over their competition. Thrown into this mix is their deep commitment to conservation-based tourism. “All of our properties and owners work hand in hand with local people in preserving and bettering the wildlife,” says Chip who along with Sandy are partnering with a British non-profit, Tusk Trust, to fund conservation and development projects in 15 African countries.
Now, if you plan an Uncharted journey, you won’t be roughing it. Tented camps are sumptuous and romantic and the food is unexpectedly delicious. “We really design our itineraries for the senses,” explains Sandy. And you never know how and when something unexpected and unusual might appear. On a game drive you could see a rolling grassy plain brimming with zebra. On a visit to a local village, Maasai children might shyly reach out and touch your hair and then run away giggling in amazement. And, says Sandy, she always tells her clients that they will never sleep on their first night in Africa. “They’ll lie awake and listen to the magical symphony of the African night, everything from the high-pitched hyrax to the deep throaty sawing of a leopard, to the bark of a frightened zebra.
And yes, Chip and Sandy have their favorites. For a luxurious tented experience, they might send clients to Cottars 1920’s Safari Camp, located in Kenya between the pristine Maasai Mara, Serengeti and Loliondo reserves, where the Purko Maasai clan still roam. You will stay in gorgeous white canvas tents, decorated with original 1920’s safari antiques – quintessential Africa – it is what everyone expects!
Another favorite is The Sanctuary at Ol Lentille, which sits on a bluff on the edge of Samburu land with breathtaking views of Mt. Kenya. This five-star destination touts a collection of private houses, some of the most luxurious anywhere in East Africa. You can view wildlife from the back of a camel or horse, or climb aboard a helicopter and swoop over a herd of wildebeest. Sandy was the first ever to send a guest there when they opened last December. “We feel very strongly about supporting new camps, she says, “especially ones with conservation-based partnerships with local communities.”
Nduara Loliondo, is one of the newer camps in the Uncharted portfolio and it has been designed to be a seasonal camp, moving every six months so that guests can experience game in both the northern and southern Loliondo regions. Six Mongolian yurts are fitted out in nomadic chic and are open and airy and memorable. Picnics are sumptuous and offered in stunning locations.
Chip and Sandy now live in Santa Fe, N.M., which looks, they say, remarkably like their beloved Chyulu Hills. They return to Africa each year (this year, for the first time, with their daughters who will be 4 and 6) to search out new destinations and to renew old friendships.
“This is far more than a business for us,” says Sandy, “It’s about staying connected with Africa, our clients who become friends and our commitment to bettering the lives of people in Africa through responsible conservation-based tourism.”