LAND & LIGHT: KENYA
A Creative Artist Safari with Katie Rodgers & Todd Ritondaro
June 20-28, 2027
Limited to a private group of 9 guests
An immersion in presence, place, and artistic practice.
This intimate safari retreat in Northern Kenya is for artists and photographers. Poets and adventurers. An exploration of inner and outer landscapes. An invitation to slow down, to get back to nature, to heighten your senses and reconnect you back to your essence.
Our days will unfold in rhythm with the land, shaped by epic landscapes and intimate wildlife sightings in the bush. Creative sessions and visual conversations will be offered organically - allowing space for photography, art, and ideas to evolve naturally. We’ll weave in breath work, meditation, and plenty of unstructured time, alongside conversation over delicious meals, sundowners, and fireside chats under the stars.
8 Nights/9 Days - $15,500
2 nights in Karen, Nairobi at a Boutique Hotel — We’ll ease into the rhythms of Kenya, and take a day to recover from jetlag, visit the Karen Blixen Museum, have a beautiful lunch, do a little local shopping, and prepare for the adventure ahead.
Private Charter across the Rift Valley & Laikipia Plateau - we’ll leave from the historic Wilson Airport, our own private charter bush plane flies us over the “Green Hills of Africa” that Hemingway made famous, soaring past Mt. Kenya before landing on an dirt airstrip in the bush — giraffes and zebras frequently dotting the runway.
3-nights at Lewa Wilderness - One of Kenya’s original safari lodges—still family-run and softly steeped in old-world romance—Lewa Wilderness rests within the 62,000-acre Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, a protected landscape alive with more than 70 species of mammals and over 350 species of birds. It’s one of the finest places in Africa to encounter the Big Five—elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, and, most distinctively here, both black and white rhino—thanks to Lewa’s pioneering rhino protection programs. Expect unhurried wildlife moments: elephant herds moving like weather across the plains, lions at first light, rhino grazing against acacia silhouettes. Choosing to stay here folds you into their story—your visit directly supports Lewa Conservancy’s conservation and community initiatives, helping safeguard wildlife and sustain the people who call this place home.
Private Charter across the Rift Valley & Laikipia Plateau - The short flight from Lewa to Sarara is a quiet transition into deeper wilderness, lifting off from Laikipia’s open plains and gliding north over increasingly rugged, sculptural terrain. As the Matthews Range rises beneath us, the landscape becomes raw and elemental — rocky ridgelines, dry riverbeds, and vast open space — before descending into the remote beauty of Namunyak Conservancy, where the sense of stillness and isolation is immediate.
3-nights at Sarara Camp - We’ll arrive at our private tented safari camp overlooking the Namunyak Community Conservancy—a Samburu-led sanctuary established in 1995 and now a flagship for conservation on community land across Africa. From the deck, elephants drift to the waterhole below; beyond, the Mathews Range lifts in blue ridgelines. We’ll explore rugged valleys and doum-palm riverbeds with expert guides, or simply sit with a book and let the light move across the hills. We’ll visit Reteti Elephant Sanctuary—the first community-owned elephant orphanage in Africa—to meet the calves and the keepers preparing them for a return to the wild. When conditions allow, we’ll witness the Samburu’s singing wells, an ancient tradition that fills the air at dawn. Evenings are fireside and starlit, with the easy hush of the bush around us. And every night you sleep here directly supports community rangers, education and livelihood programs, habitat restoration, and Reteti’s care—an unforgettable stay that sustains the people and wildlife who call this place home.
Private Charter Flight back to Wilson Airport
Optional additional 3 Nights on the Kenyan Coast - $2,800
Manda Bay - For those that want to continue on the adventure, we’ll fly commercially from Wilson Airport to Lamu on the Kenyan Coast, to kick off our boots and wash off the dust of the bush. It’s a nice way to digest the experiences of safari and relax. Manda Bay is a family owned luxury beach lodge with thatched rooms open to the breeze, with an easy rhythm shaped by tide and trade winds.
Our quiet base on the Indian Ocean where days start with a swim before breakfast, sketching in the shade, dips in the pool, cocktails in a hammock, or a wander along the white sands of the shoreline. In the evenings we’ll eat fresh fish by lantern light on the beach under the palms and stars. You’ll feel yourself exhale.
From here we can boat across the channel to Old Town Lamu and Shela. Lamu and Shela carry a Swahili soul shaped by centuries of dhow trade with Arabia—an influence you feel instantly and unlike anywhere else in Kenya. Coral-stone lanes and brass-studded carved doors open to cool courtyards; incense drifts from shaded rooms and shops. Donkeys roam the streets and women in buibui and bright kanga cloth move past workshops where carpenters carve doors and sailmakers mend lateen rigs.
One of the evenings we’ll board a traditional dhow sailboat for sundowners and a sunset cruise through mangroves, feeling time disappear.
FAQs
Accommodation
o 2 nights at a boutique hotel – Karen, Nairobi
o 3 nights lodging at Lewa Wilderness – Lewa Conservancy
o 3 nights lodging at Sarara Camp – Namunyak Conservancy
Individual rooms will be provided subject to hotel and lodge configurations. We aim to provide each guest with their own room whenever possible.
Meals & Dining
o Daily Breakfast in Nairobi
o Lunch at Cultiva Kenya in Nairobi
o Welcome dinner
o Daily breakfasts, lunches, & dinners at Lewa & Sarara Camps
o Beer, wine, and spirits at Lewa & Sarara (premium alcohol not included)
o Specialty dining experiences inspired by local flavors, served with care
Guided Art Sessions
o Daily art instruction and workshops with Katie Rodgers and Todd Ritondaro
o Opportunities for personalized feedback and creative exploration
Game Drives, Bush Walks, Tours
o Tour of Karen Blixen Museum
o Twice-Daily Game Drives in Lewa & Sarara
o Visit to Reteti Elephant Sanctuary / Orphanage
o Opportunities for Bush Walks, Camel & Horseback Rides, Village & Community Visits, Beading Classes with Samburu ladies (some activities incur additional costs)
Comforts & Amenities
o Elegant cottages and luxury tents with attentive service
o Spaces for writing, meditation, or simply watching the African sky
o Bush Pools with inspiring views
o Gym & Tennis Court at Lewa Wilderness
Local Experts & Safety
o Top professional safari guides and rangers ensure that every game drive, walk, and excursion is both safe and enriching. Private vehicles for all transfers to and from airports and lodges are included, allowing you to focus entirely on the experience ahead.
Transfers & Logistics
o VIP meet and greet at Nairobi Interntaionl Airport & driver to Lodging in Karen
o Transport to Wilson Airport for Private Flight to Lewa Downs
o Transport from Wilson Airport to Nairobi Airport for return flights home
o Private Safari Vehicles within the Conservancies
o All conservation fees
What is included
Nairobi / Lewa / Sarara
What is not included
International flights to or from Kenya
Mandatory Medical Evacuation Traveler’s Insurance
Mandatory Kenya Visa
Meals and tours not specified in the itinerary
Tips for hotel and safari lodge guides & staff
Alcoholic beverages in Nairobi / Karen / Manda Bay
Premium spirits at safari lodges
Any additional safari lodge activities that incur extra costs
Pricing and Deposits
A non-refundable deposit of $4,500 usd is required upon booking.
$5,500 usd - 2nd payment is due August 1st 2026
$5500 usd - final payment is due January 15th 2027
Manda Bay Kenya Coast
What is included
Accomodations
3 Nights at Manda Bay Lodge
Individual Suite
Boat transfers to & from Lamu Airpor
Meals & Dining
Daily breakfast, lunch, & dinner
Activitie - Kayaking, Sailing, SUP Boarding, and Windsurfing Equipmen
What is not included
all drinks from the bar including sodas, etc
All alchohol, beer, and wine
Snorkeling
Deep Sea Fishing
Motorized Activities
Spa Treatments
Guide Fees
Pricing and Deposits
A non-refundable deposit of $1,500 usd is required upon booking.
The remaining payment of $1,300 is due January 15th 2027
Meet Your Artists
Katie Rodgers
Katie Rodgers is an artist known for her imaginative play with the natural world. Finding inspiration through gardening and her love for adventure and travel, Katie has created work for world renowned brands such as Clé de Peau Beauté, Oribe, Estee Lauder, Diptyque Paris, La Maison du Pastel, Samsung, Harper Collins, Veuve Clicquot, and Focus Features among others. Katie is based between Santa Fe, New Mexico and New York City.
Working in a variety of mediums, Katie’s work often dances to life through her illustrative pastels, 3D installations, animation, for both fine art and commercial projects.
Her work has appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Glamour Magazine, Elle Magazine, and The New York Times.
Todd Ritondaro
Todd Jason Ritondaro is a film photographer and multidisciplinary artist who has traveled to East Africa for 14 years. He leads intimate, art-forward safari retreats in Kenya that partner with community-run conservancies, ensuring each stay supports wildlife and local livelihoods. Working primarily on film and extending his work with charcoal and ink,
Todd teaches a slow, analog approach that centers on presence - seeing with attention and intention, letting images emerge rather than be chased. Days blend fieldcraft with sketchbook studies, journaling, and simple breath-led resets; evenings are for edit reviews, conversation, and stars. His framework, A Certain Alchemy, underpins the ongoing project Expose for the Shadows: Photography as Inner Work, inviting guests to make honest pictures that carry the felt sense of place. The result is an aesthetic, ethical safari—romance grounded in reality—where time in the bush directly contributes to conservation and community well-being.