We chatted this month with Josh Outram, Director of African Heli Adventures, to learn more about the fantastic helicopter trips that guests can book during their stay at Loisaba.
What inspired you to start offering these helicopter trips?
I am hugely passionate about flying, and what Kenya has to offer, especially the North, are some of the most diverse landscapes over a very short distance. What I get to see every day is something that I feel everyone coming through Kenya should to see. It truly is some of the most mind-blowing landscapes, that most people in Kenya don’t realise is there, and a helicopter opens up the opportunity to see this.
What makes seeing Kenya from the air so different from a traditional safari on the ground?
Without a helicopter there are parts of Kenya that are inaccessible, and those parts that are, are some of the most beautiful. Flying gives you a whole new perspective of what Kenya truly looks like and takes you to places that are so remote and completely untouched. Most of all you experience places that no-one else on safari gets to.
What’s one of your favourite experiences from a helicopter adventure?
The Suguta Valley in North Kenya has to be my absolute favourite. There is no place like it in Kenya. There aren’t many places on the planet where you can start off in wildlife filled conservancies, onto volcanic craters for tea and coffee, to landing on the sand banks of a river for breakfast, to swimming in crystal clear pools in old lava flows, onto sand dunes, to the Logipi lake bed filled with flamingos, onto the world’s largest permanent desert lake where all humanity stemmed from (Lake Turkana), and finally through a mountain range that predates the Great Rift Valley with Cycads that date back to the Jurassic era. It’s a phenomenal experience. I’d say seeing client’s reactions to the variety of places we take them in the Suguta Valley is what makes the experience for me.
Can guests mix and match parts of different tours to create their own custom adventure?
Absolutely, we love to customize trips to suit the clients. If clients have particular interests, then we work with that to create what we think is the best experience for them.
How does Africa Heli Adventures support conservation and local communities?
We support Loisaba Conservancy and surrounding conservancies with aerial support for wildlife monitoring, translocation of animal species, and darting wildlife for treatment or collaring. This is our way of giving back and supporting conservancies for a more sustainable future.
In terms of communities, there are particular places we take the clients where the communities benefit directly through conservancy fees. We are currently involved in tree planting projects in some of the drier areas in North Kenya. A large portion of our trips support Reteti elephant sanctuary, which is a cause very close to my heart.
