The Next Chapter: Kenya | 13-Day Hosted Trip with Wendy Huffman

The Next Chapter: Kenya Apply to Join Wendy in Kenya

Sometimes you have to step outside the life you know to see it differently.

A 13-day hosted experience in Kenya with Wendy Huffman for people who are ready for extraordinary adventure, meaningful connection, and room to consider what they want the next chapter of their life to hold.

November 29 to December 11, 2026 | Kenya | A small, intimate hosted group

Explore the Experience

From your host

A Personal Invitation

Wendy Huffman, founder of Let’s Make THE Difference, and your host in Kenya, on why she created The Next Chapter and what she hopes you’ll find there.

Apply Now

There comes a point when the questions change.

For years, much of life may have been shaped by building.

A career. A business. A family. Financial stability. Relationships. Responsibilities. A life you once worked very hard to create.

At some point, different questions become worth asking.

What do I want this next season of my life to be about?
What do I still want to experience?
What matters to me now that didn’t matter ten or twenty years ago?
What do I want to do with the time, resources, experience, and opportunities I’ve been given?

These questions can be difficult to hear clearly inside the rhythm of everyday life.

The calendar fills. Familiar responsibilities keep your attention. The people, places, and routines around you reinforce patterns you have lived inside for years.

Sometimes a completely different environment gives you access to a completely different perspective.

That is where The Next Chapter begins.

Changing your environment changes what you notice.

At home, your brain knows the landscape.

It knows the drive you take every day, the rooms you move through, the responsibilities waiting for you, the people you see, and the patterns that keep everything running.

Put yourself somewhere completely unfamiliar and your attention changes.

You begin taking in details again. You become more observant because your surroundings require it. You encounter people whose experiences stretch the limits of your own perspective. You see different ways of living, leading, solving problems, building community, and making use of what is available.

And with thousands of miles between you and ordinary life, you may see your own choices differently too.

Kenya becomes the setting for that shift.

You don’t have to know exactly what comes next to know you’re ready for something new.

Africa may have been on your list for years. Or it may never have been on your radar at all.

For some people, what they know about Africa has been shaped mostly by headlines about conflict, poverty, instability, or places that feel very far from home. Kenya gives you the opportunity to experience something much fuller for yourself.

You’ll see extraordinary landscapes and wildlife, but you’ll also meet people building businesses, leading programs, raising families, creating solutions, and shaping the future of their own communities.

You may also be thinking more seriously about what deserves your time now, what you still want to experience, and where you want to place more of yourself in the years ahead.

Curiosity matters here.

You do not need to arrive already fascinated by Africa or certain about what you hope to get from the experience. A willingness to enter a new place with an open mind, meet people outside your usual world, and pay attention to what becomes clearer along the way is enough.

Come on your own, or bring the person you’d most want to see this with. Couples and traveling companions are very welcome, and some of the questions this trip raises are worth asking together.

Thirteen days that give you room to see differently

The experience begins in Nairobi with a day among the city’s own wildlife before taking you north to Kakuma, where you’ll spend two days meeting people connected to LMTD’s work and hearing directly from refugee leaders.

Then the landscape opens into Kenya’s safari country.

You’ll drive south to Amboseli, where Mount Kilimanjaro rises beyond the plains and the elephant herds are among the largest in Africa. A flight carries you west to the Masai Mara for three nights in one of the most celebrated wildlife regions in the world. From there the road winds through the Rift Valley to Lake Naivasha, where the pace changes again: a boat among the hippos, a walk on Crescent Island, an evening by the water.

The trip closes in Nairobi with one final evening: THE Gathering, the first time LMTD’s full team has been together in one room in seven and a half years. You’ll already know half of them.

Along the way, there will be wildlife, shared meals, long views across the landscape, conversations you could never have planned in advance, and time to take in where you are.

Wendy will help the group pause at a few key moments and notice what those experiences are bringing into focus.

Your 13 Days in Kenya

Day 1

Nairobi

You’ll arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and be met by your driver for the transfer to your hotel. Nothing is scheduled. Settle in, sleep, and meet the group when you’re ready.

If you’d like a day or two to recover from the flight before the trip begins, extra Nairobi nights can be arranged when you book.

Day 2

Nairobi’s wild side

Your first full day in Kenya begins early, with a morning game drive through Nairobi National Park, where lion, rhino, giraffe, and buffalo move across open plains with the city skyline behind them.

From there you’ll visit the Sheldrick elephant orphanage during feeding time, when the youngest rescued elephants come in from the bush, and spend the afternoon at the Giraffe Centre feeding endangered Rothschild giraffes from an eye-level platform.

It’s a gentle first day: close encounters, short drives, and an early evening back at the hotel before the trip turns north.

Day 3

North to Turkana

An early flight from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport takes the group to Lodwar, then by road to your tented camp about an hour from Kakuma.

After checking in, you’ll make your first visit to the camp that afternoon, meeting people connected to LMTD’s work and beginning to understand the place you’ll spend the next day in.

You begin far from the routines that normally shape your days. As Nairobi gives way to northern Kenya, the sights, pace, and rhythms of home start to feel farther away.

Day 4

Kakuma

A full day in Kakuma.

Let’s Make THE Difference supports refugee-led programs across eleven countries in Africa, with primary operations in Kenya’s Kakuma and Kalobeyei refugee settlements. Refugee leaders help design and lead the work serving their own communities and are paid a living wage for that leadership.

Your time here creates opportunities to meet people connected to LMTD’s work, hear directly from local leaders, and learn about initiatives such as the Knead to Feed Bakery and the Peace and Conflict Resolution Outreach.

The Peace and Conflict Resolution Outreach is built around a refugee-written peace curriculum that has reduced violence in two settlements by an estimated 60%.

The most memorable moments may happen in conversation.

You may hear how someone sees their own community, what they are working to build, what they believe is possible, and how they lead in circumstances very different from your own.

You’ll also get to see firsthand what thoughtful giving can make possible when resources are placed behind people who are already leading in their own communities. Philanthropy becomes tangible when you’re meeting the people, seeing the work, and understanding the impact beyond a number on a report.

These two days are centered on listening, relationship, leadership, and seeing LMTD’s work through the people closest to it.

Day 5

Return to Nairobi

After breakfast, the group flies back to Nairobi.

There is time for what you have seen and heard to settle.

Wendy will guide a conversation around what stayed with you, what surprised you, and what you want to keep thinking about as you move into the next part of the experience.

Days 6 and 7

Amboseli

The safari portion begins with a morning drive south from Nairobi to Amboseli, with game viewing on the way and lunch at your lodge beneath Mount Kilimanjaro.

Amboseli is often called the best place in Africa to see elephants, and the herds here include some of the last great tuskers on the continent. You may also encounter zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, hippo, giraffe, cheetah, and other wildlife on your game drives.

Day 7 is a full day in the park. Dawn is the time to be out, when the plains are gold with the first light, Kilimanjaro is most likely to be clear, and the predators are still moving.

Early December is green season in Kenya: newborn plains game, migrant birds, dramatic skies, and far fewer vehicles than the peak months.

For a while, the usual list of things waiting for you at home has nothing to do with where you are.

Days 8 through 10

The Masai Mara

After breakfast, a flight carries you from Amboseli to the Masai Mara, landing in time for lunch at your camp and your first game drive that afternoon.

You’ll have three nights and two full days here, with morning and afternoon drives across one of Kenya’s most celebrated wildlife regions and the chance to see the Big Five.

The Mara gives you time to take in the landscape at its own pace. There are long views across the reserve, wildlife encounters, conversations with the group, and moments when simply being there is enough.

Guests who want another perspective on the Mara can start one of these mornings in the air with a sunrise hot air balloon safari, and one evening the group can visit a Maasai village for a glimpse into the lives of the people who have shared this land with the wildlife for generations.

By this point, the trip has accumulated layers. Conversations from Kakuma. Elephants in Amboseli. Thoughts that surfaced somewhere between home and Kenya. Questions that may feel different now than they did when you first asked them.

Day 11

Lake Naivasha and the Rift Valley

After an early breakfast, the road leads out of the Mara and through the Great Rift Valley to Lake Naivasha, a freshwater lake ringed by grassy banks and fever trees.

After lunch at your lodge, you’ll cruise the lake by boat, watching for hippos, buffalo, and the African fish eagle, then step ashore on Crescent Island, a wildlife sanctuary in the middle of the lake where you can walk among giraffe, zebra, and wildebeest with no vehicle between you and them.

The evening is quiet and by the water. Wendy will bring the group together to talk about what the days since Kakuma have brought into focus, before the last leg back to the city.

Day 12

Nairobi and THE Gathering

A morning drive returns you to Nairobi with the afternoon free to rest, repack, and sit with your journal.

Your final evening is THE Gathering: the first time Let’s Make THE Difference’s full team, from across the countries where LMTD works, has been together in one room in seven and a half years.

You’ll join the team for dinner. By then you’ll have already spent two days in Kakuma with the team members based there, so you won’t need to be introduced to the work. You’ve been in it.

Over the evening, each team member will share a few minutes about their own work in their own words. The rest of the night is unhurried conversation.

Guests finish the trip in the room where the people behind the work are together for the first time.

Day 13

Departure

The group returns to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for the homebound flight.

You leave with photographs, stories, and new relationships.

You may also leave with a priority that feels clearer, a conversation you want to have when you get home, or something you have decided you are finally ready to do.

Apply to Join Wendy in Kenya

Meet your host

Wendy Huffman

Experience Africa alongside the founder whose relationships make this trip possible.

Wendy knows firsthand what can happen when travel changes your perspective.

Years ago, after building a career, raising a family, and creating many of the things people associate with a successful life, she still found herself searching for greater meaning and contribution.

Then she met Bill Spalthoff.

Bill had survived a devastating stroke, yet he remained one of the most joyful, adventurous, and compassionate people Wendy had ever known. He had already traveled to 27 countries and hoped to see 100 during his lifetime.

Together, Wendy and Bill spent two years traveling through South America.

Wherever they went, they looked for people quietly doing good inside their own communities. They volunteered, listened to their stories, and became fascinated by what ordinary people could create with very little visibility or support.

Wendy kept thinking that if more people could see these stories and meet the people behind them, they would want to become part of what was possible.

Those travels planted the earliest seed for what would eventually become Let’s Make THE Difference.

In 2019, Bill traveled to Zambia.

He spent time mentoring teachers in a rural community outside Livingstone and called Wendy to talk about ways they might help create greater opportunity for the people he was meeting.

Later that same week, on his birthday, Bill suffered a fatal stroke and died in Zambia.

The last promise Wendy had made to him was that she would find a way to help the teachers and communities he cared about.

She kept it.

Let’s Make THE Difference grew from that promise into an organization supporting refugee-led and locally led work across eleven countries in Africa.

Today, Wendy brings decades of experience in business, design, leadership, communication, and relationship-building to LMTD. She has traveled, experienced profound loss, rebuilt parts of her own life, and seen how deeply people long for connection, purpose, and a way to use their lives meaningfully.

Wendy continues building, traveling, connecting people, and asking what else might be possible.

Her own next chapter was shaped in part by the places she went, the people she met, and what those experiences allowed her to see.

Now she is inviting a small group to experience Kenya alongside her.

How Wendy will guide the experience

Wendy will weave reflection into the trip at a few carefully chosen moments. Most of your time is spent in Kenya itself. The reflection lives on paper, in your own hand, at the pace of the trip.

Before departure

About two weeks before the trip, the group will meet virtually.

You’ll meet the people traveling with you, hear more about what lies ahead, and receive a small set of questions to take with you.

They may include:

What do I want this next season of my life to be about?
What do I still want to experience?
What matters to me now that didn’t matter ten or twenty years ago?
What have I been postponing?
What do I want to do with the time, resources, experience, and opportunities I’ve been given?
What kind of contribution feels meaningful to me now?

You can spend time with them on the flight, return to them later, or simply notice which ones begin to answer themselves through what you experience.

After Kakuma

Wendy will guide a conversation around what stayed with you, what challenged your assumptions, and one of the questions that has surfaced again and again in LMTD’s work:

What do I want to do with what I’ve been given?

By the lake

On the last evening before Nairobi, at Lake Naivasha, the group will gather to talk about what the days since Kakuma have brought into focus.

The closing night

At THE Gathering, the group will return to what matters now, what you still want to experience, and what you want your next chapter to hold.

You may leave with an answer. You may leave with a better question. Either way, you will have given yourself the time and perspective to actually listen.

Start Your Application

Ways to hold onto what the experience brings up

Your Reflection Journal

A printed journal with a dated prompt for each day of the trip, waiting where you’re already writing. No signal required, no phone.

A Note From Wendy

Tucked in the back of your journal, sealed, is a personal note Wendy writes to you before departure. You’ll open it on a day she chooses.

Group Conversations

Three or four evenings across the trip, chosen for their timing: after Kakuma, by the lake at Naivasha, and the closing night. The rest of the nights are yours.

A Letter to Your Future Self

Near the end of the trip, you’ll write something to yourself that LMTD will return to you approximately 90 days later.

After You’re Home

The group stays in touch. Wendy hosts a follow-up conversation once everyone is back, and the letters go out at the 90-day mark.

What Your Experience Includes

Your 13-day Kenya experience includes:

Wendy Huffman as your host and facilitator
Travel planning and logistical support from Alex Yates of Travel Edge, including a personal planning call after you reserve your place
Private pre-trip virtual gathering
Pre-trip reflection guide
Printed reflection journal and a personal note from Wendy
Guided conversations throughout the experience
A traveler preparation guide and checklist
Accommodations throughout the itinerary: Nairobi, a tented camp near Kakuma, Amboseli, the Masai Mara, and Lake Naivasha
Flights within Kenya: Nairobi to Lodwar and return, and Amboseli to the Masai Mara
Ground transportation throughout the itinerary
Exclusive-use safari vehicle with pop-up roof
English-speaking driver and guide
Game drives in Nairobi National Park, Amboseli, and the Masai Mara
Visits to the Sheldrick elephant orphanage and the Giraffe Centre
All park and entrance fees
Meals specified throughout the itinerary
Bottled water each day while on safari
Emergency medical evacuation coverage through AMREF Flying Doctors
All airport transfers
Two days in Kakuma
THE Gathering closing night with LMTD’s full team
Applicable government taxes and levies

Your Investment

Choose the accommodation style that works best for you.

Shared Occupancy

$12,500

per person

Shared accommodations throughout the trip

Deposit upon acceptance: $5,000
Remaining balance: $7,500

Single Occupancy

$13,500

per person

Private accommodations throughout the trip

Deposit upon acceptance: $5,000
Remaining balance: $8,500

International airfare is arranged and purchased separately by each traveler.
Deposits are accepted through October 27, 2026. Final balance due November 6, 2026.
Guests who join after October 27 reserve their place with payment in full.

Apply + Book Your Conversation

Optional Experiences

Hot Air Balloon Safari Over the Masai Mara

Guests can add a sunrise hot air balloon safari over the Masai Mara.

$530 per person

You’ll lift off at first light, drift over the plains as the animals begin to move, and land to a champagne bush breakfast. It comes highly recommended by Alex Yates of Travel Edge, the travel consultant supporting The Next Chapter: Kenya.

You can decide whether to add this experience on your planning call with Alex.

Lake Naivasha Boat Cruise and Crescent Island

A guided boat cruise on Lake Naivasha and a walking visit to Crescent Island.

$30 per person

Maasai Village Visit

An evening visit to a Maasai village near the Mara for a glimpse into the lives of the people who have shared this land with the wildlife for generations.

$30 per person

Additional Africa Extensions

Additional Africa extensions may be available upon request.

Current possibilities include gorilla trekking in Rwanda, a beach extension in Mombasa, Zanzibar, and Victoria Falls. Alex will walk you through options and timing on your planning call.

How to Join the Group

Complete your application and choose a time to talk

You’ll answer a few questions about yourself, what interests you about the trip, your accommodation preference, and any relevant travel considerations.

You’ll also choose a time for a personal conversation with Ashley Dyer, LMTD’s Director of Experience & Engagement, who leads traveler selection for The Next Chapter: Kenya.

Ashley Dyer
Director of Experience & Engagement

Have the conversation

This call is a chance to walk through the experience, ask your questions, and talk about what’s drawing you to the trip, so the group that travels with Wendy is the right one.

Reserve your place

Accepted guests receive the traveler agreement and a link to reserve their place.

A $5,000 deposit reserves your place through October 27, with the remaining balance due November 6. After October 27, your place is reserved with payment in full.

Plan your travel with Alex

Once your place is confirmed, you’ll book a planning call with Alex Yates of Travel Edge. Alex will help you choose your flights, add early-arrival nights if you’d like them, talk through the balloon safari and any extensions, and walk you through insurance, entry authorization, and health requirements with dates for each.

Begin preparing for Kenya

You’ll receive your traveler preparation guide, checklist, reflection materials, and invitation to the pre-trip gathering.

Wendy is intentionally keeping this first group small.

If Kenya has been on your list for years, the application takes a few minutes and the conversation with Ashley is where it begins.

Apply to Join Wendy in Kenya

Travel Planning & Logistics Support

The Next Chapter: Kenya is hosted by Wendy Huffman and Let’s Make THE Difference, with traveler selection led by LMTD’s Director of Experience & Engagement and travel planning and logistical support from experienced travel professionals.

If you have questions about the itinerary, flights, accommodations, or the practical details of traveling to Kenya, you can connect directly with our travel consultant:

Alex Yates

Travel Consultant, Travel Edge

+1 250 217 7452

[email protected]

www.traveledge.com

Frequently Asked Questions

I’m interested, but I wouldn’t know anyone else going. Is this a good trip to take on my own?

Absolutely.

In some ways, coming on your own fits the spirit of The Next Chapter beautifully.

You are already choosing to leave the familiar behind, experience a new place, and open yourself to perspectives and people outside your normal world.

The group is intentionally small, and everyone will meet during the private virtual gathering before departure. Wendy will host the group throughout the trip, so you will have plenty of opportunities to connect naturally.

You can also choose single occupancy if you prefer your own room.

Can I bring my spouse or partner?

Yes, and many guests will.

Shared occupancy is designed for exactly this. You’ll travel together, share a room throughout the trip, and take part in every piece of the experience side by side, including Kakuma and THE Gathering.

The questions this trip raises are often the kind couples are already asking each other. Having someone to keep asking them with once you’re home is part of what makes the experience last.

I’ve never really thought about going to Africa. Why should I consider it?

You may be surprised by how many people feel that way.

For some travelers, Africa has always been a dream. For others, what they know has mostly come from news stories about conflict, poverty, or instability, so it has never felt like an obvious place to visit.

The Next Chapter gives you the chance to experience Kenya for yourself.

You’ll see some of the landscapes and wildlife people travel across the world to experience, while also spending time with people whose lives, leadership, ideas, and communities you would never encounter on an ordinary safari itinerary.

You do not need to arrive already fascinated by Africa.

Curiosity is enough.

Part of the experience is allowing a place you may have understood from a distance to become much more real, nuanced, and personal once you are actually there.

I’ve heard concerning things about violence or instability in Africa. Is this trip safe?

It’s understandable to have questions about safety, especially if most of what you’ve heard about parts of Africa has come through news coverage.

Like any international destination, Kenya is not without risk, and we would never tell you that any trip is completely risk-free.

The itinerary for The Next Chapter is being coordinated with Alex Yates of Travel Edge, along with experienced local travel operators who understand the destinations, transportation, accommodations, and conditions on the ground.

The group travels together through a planned itinerary with a dedicated driver guide, uses transfers arranged by the operator, and does not travel by road after dark outside Nairobi. LMTD and its travel partners will continue monitoring relevant travel and safety guidance as the trip approaches.

You’ll also receive preparation information before departure so you understand what to expect and how to travel responsibly.

If conditions ever require changes to the itinerary, the safety and well-being of the group will come first.

If you have specific questions about the itinerary or travel logistics, you’ll also have access to Alex so you can get clear answers directly from the travel professional helping coordinate the experience.

Who will I be talking with when I apply?

Ashley Dyer, Director of Experience & Engagement at Let’s Make THE Difference, who leads traveler selection for The Next Chapter: Kenya and works alongside Wendy from application through departure.

Wendy hosts the trip itself and will be with the group for all thirteen days. The call before then is to make sure you have what you need to decide, and that the group traveling together is a good fit.

How much of the trip is focused on reflection and personal growth?

Wendy will guide a handful of conversations at meaningful points throughout the trip.

Most of your time is spent experiencing Kenya itself: safari, travel, meals, conversations, wildlife, Kakuma, and time with the group.

The reflection pieces help you process what you are already experiencing and notice what it brings into focus for you.

I don’t currently support LMTD. Can I still join the trip?

Yes.

The experience is open to people discovering Wendy and LMTD for the first time as well as longtime supporters.

Your time in Kakuma will give you firsthand context for LMTD’s work and introduce you to some of the people and relationships behind it.

Will I be expected to give money to LMTD while I’m in Kakuma?

No.

Your time in Kakuma is centered on meeting people, listening, understanding the work, and experiencing LMTD’s relationships firsthand.

There is no expectation that guests make additional gifts during the trip.

What should I know before the Kakuma days?

Two things, and you’ll be briefed on both before you arrive.

Photographs of residents require their consent, every time, and in some cases written permission through the camp authority. Your guides will help you know when and how to ask.

Dress is conservative in Turkana. Shoulders and knees covered, for everyone in the group.

What does the investment include?

Your investment covers the 13-day hosted experience, accommodations throughout the itinerary, the flights within Kenya, a dedicated safari vehicle and driver guide, game drives, park and entrance fees, specified meals, Wendy’s hosting and facilitation, pre-trip preparation, reflection materials, the LMTD experiences in Kakuma, and THE Gathering closing night.

International airfare and the traveler-arranged expenses listed above are separate.

Is international airfare included?

International airfare is purchased separately by each traveler, which lets you choose the departure city and routing that work best for you.

Flights are booked through Alex Yates of Travel Edge so the whole group’s arrivals and airport transfers stay coordinated. Alex will walk you through your options on your planning call.

What can I bring?

The two flights within Kenya are on light aircraft with a limit of 15 kilograms (33 pounds) per person, including hand baggage, in soft-sided bags.

Your traveler preparation guide will include a packing list built around that limit, and Alex will talk it through with you on your planning call.

What happens if my plans change after I book?

Trip payments are nonrefundable because travel arrangements and supplier costs are committed in advance.

Eligible amounts may be applied toward a future LMTD Africa experience, subject to availability, future pricing, and any nonrecoverable costs already incurred on your behalf.

Complete terms will be included in your traveler agreement.

Is travel insurance required?

Yes.

Travelers are required to obtain travel insurance, including cancellation coverage, at the time flights are booked. Alex will point you to options on your planning call.

Are there health and entry requirements?

Kenya requires an electronic travel authorization (eTA), which you’ll apply for online once your flights are booked. Alex will tell you when. Your passport needs to be valid for at least six months beyond your arrival date.

Current health guidance for the Kenya itinerary includes malaria medication, which some travelers begin up to two weeks before departure.

Because the trip stays within Kenya, a single entry authorization covers the whole itinerary. Additional requirements, including yellow fever vaccination, apply only to travelers who add extensions outside Kenya.

Your traveler preparation guide will include a complete checklist with dates.

How physically demanding is the trip?

The itinerary includes two flights on light aircraft, about an hour of road travel each way between your camp and Kakuma, a half-day drive from Nairobi to Amboseli, a longer drive from the Mara through the Rift Valley to Lake Naivasha, getting in and out of safari vehicles, a guided walk on Crescent Island, and daily game drives.

The days in Kakuma are the fullest of the trip. The safari days and the lake day are designed to balance them.

If you have mobility or accessibility considerations, include them in your application so they can be talked through on your call before you reserve your place.

When is the trip?

November 29 to December 11, 2026.

The experience runs for 13 days, beginning and ending in Nairobi. Most guests will depart the United States on November 28.

Some questions can wait for years if you let them.

It is easy to keep moving.

Another busy month passes. Another year fills itself. The trip you meant to take stays on the list. The question you keep returning to gets pushed behind whatever needs your attention today.

At some point, giving yourself the time to zoom out becomes a choice.

Thirteen days away from everything familiar may give you the perspective to finally hear what has been trying to get your attention.

If this is a season when you are ready to see more of the world and more clearly consider what you want from the years ahead, The Next Chapter was created for that.

November 29 to December 11, 2026 | A small, intimate hosted group

Apply to Join The Next Chapter

Love the experience, but these dates don’t work for you?

The Next Chapter is designed to continue with future LMTD travel experiences. Join the future-trip list and we’ll let you know when upcoming Kenya dates are announced.

Join the Future Trip List