Why Lewa?

When the producers of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown were considering a safari in Kenya, Kili McGowan, a second-generation safari travel specialist and Managing Director of Next Adventure, knew they were looking for something special. The producers wanted to explore the complex relationship between conservation and communities, and Kili immediately thought of the extraordinary work being done on and around Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.

Lewa is home to one of the most successful rhino conservation projects on the planet, but it also provides medical services to nearly 50,000 people in the surrounding communities. Lewa is an epicenter of conversations about land and wildlife management, anti-poaching strategies, and secure, sustainable development, and the lesson from Lewa is simple: if you want to protect wildlife, you have to build clinics, support schools and empower local communities.

Of course, a safari is about wildlife, spending time amongst dazzling concentrations of big charismatic animals, but it is also about land, people, and cultures coexisting, now and for future generations. Lewa is known as “a catalyst and model for conservation,” and there is no better place that ties together all the themes one encounters on a safari.

What we were able to do for this production is what Next Adventure strives to do with every safari: get to know the traveler, understand what’s important, and plan a trip that tells a story with experiences that are relevant, rewarding and memorable.

Watch the trailer of Bourdain’s trip to Lewa with W. Kamau Bell, the host of CNN’s United Shades of America.