By Anne Christensen
photos by Melinda Rees

Name, age, rank, Social Security… no, some other significant number: Five, the number of countries I lived in before I found my home in Kenya. Five is also the number of lenses I have for my Canon 500 camera. It’s my baby – I never go on safari without it!

Vocation, avocation, vacation: I have my own company, Best of Kenya, and I custom-design wildlife and cultural safaris. I travel all over eastern Africa investigating camps and lodges.
I test activities from “normal” wildlife-viewing drives to mountain biking, horse-riding through giraffe herds, camel trekking, and tracking big cats. I take photographs of scenery, lodges, and animals for my brochures and Web sites: www.bestofkenya.com and www.eco-resorts.com.

My partner and I give 10 percent of our profits to community projects. We started and support the only public library on Kenya’s coast, and we support a local orphanage. We work with small camps and communities for our safaris, ensuring that local people benefit from our clients rather than a large hotel chain.

When you own your own business, there isn’t much leisure time, but my favorite vacation spot for holidays is Kenya anyway! The scenery is stunning and the people are genuinely friendly and welcoming. I live on the Indian Ocean, where I swim and snorkel. I ride horses through the nearby forest with my camera, looking for birds and monkeys. I love to cook with the exotic ingredients you find here – my husband’s a great guinea pig!

Provocation: My biggest frustration is the western belief that East Africa is dangerous. Recent government travel advisories have devastated Kenya, where tourism is one of the biggest industries. I’m careful in Nairobi, but I’m careful in New York as well. And once out in the country, it’s unlikely you’ll get mugged by a lion or impala! I leave my keys in the ignition of my car when I go to the supermarket, my stereo is on the verandah of my house (which is not lockable), and I walk home on the beach at night. There are not many places in the world where you can still do those things!

Revocation: My biggest regret is that I didn’t take a year off after CC to travel the rest of the world before starting work. Having gotten into photography, I also wish I’d taken art classes while at CC!

What I’d like to say now to one of my professors: “Thank you!” especially to Carl Roberts. He really taught me to focus and concentrate, which has been very useful over the years.

I knew I’d found my destiny when: I moved back to Kenya. I felt like I was coming back home. The longer I am here and the more I get to see of the country and the people, the more I love it!

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