25
The African sun, at the apex of its slow crawl across a clear sandy-blue sky, beat down relentlessly, the midday heat seemingly driving me into the ground. My patch of shade had drifted, and I was crisping. I glanced over at my partner, who lay still, prostrate. I shut my eyes against the glare. Was there any salvation in this arid wilderness? ‘So … thirsty,’ I croaked. ‘Need…’
I hadn’t finished my sentence when a cool hand fell reassuringly upon my forehead, and I felt droplets of liquid alighting on my lips. It was bitter. Wait, was that … aloe?
I opened my eyes to find my progeny crouched over me, carefully squeezing the sap from a thick, green piece of the fleshy plant. I spat and spluttered, and my partner failed to stifle a laugh, shifting their deck chair beneath the umbrella. Lying beside the higher of two infinity pools at Saruni Samburu, I might’ve preferred something like, say, a cocktail to quench my thirst. I would’ve settled for some Chardonnay.
After all, what are a few days at a luxury Kenya safari lodge for if not kicking back and enjoying the finer things in life? Endless semi-desert vistas, crystal-clear pools, delicious drinks and snacks … and a precocious, burgeoning young Samburu warrior for a child.
I suppose I had no one to blame but myself. I’d been the one who’d suggested we try the Warriors Academy – something a little unusual
At Kenya’s Saruni lodges, families can take a break from unfettered
luxury and enjoy a different kind of safari experience: joining the Warriors Academy and learning the ways of a Maasai or Samburu tribe, with a real Maasai or Samburu warrior – or ‘moran’ – as a guide.
PHOTOGRAPHY: CHEM CHEM SAFARIS TANZANIA, SARUNI, SHUTTERSTOCK
By Anthony Sharpe
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