Typically, in our travel columns, we highlight bucket-list training camps and destination race locations – the places we see our favourite pros training on Instagram, and occasionally run into in real life.

But this story is about an entirely different kind of triathlon-adjacent travel experience.

Here, the invitation is not simply to train or race in a beautiful location, but to join 10-time world champion Daniela Ryf and her partner Jennifer Estes on a multi-day bike safari through Kenya. Yes, it offers the once-in-a-lifetime experience of an African safari, and the rare opportunity to share it alongside one of the greatest athletes our sport has ever seen. But participants often discover that the most meaningful part of the trip is something entirely unexpected: the chance to witness first-hand the initiatives supported through the Daniela Ryf Foundation, and to connect with the local communities those efforts impact.

“People come because they’re fans of Daniela, or because they want to experience a safari,” Estes said. “But they leave with their hearts full from those things, and something else as well. The human connection. The way it opens and touches people’s hearts.”

“They often form unexpected bonds with the children, and with each other,” she continued. “We still have group texts going long afterward because it becomes such a uniting and powerful experience.”

The Safari Itself

Before diving into the community initiatives that shape the deeper purpose of this experience, it’s worth understanding the safari itself – what participants are actually signing up for, and what the days on the ground look like.

The journey begins in the communities where the Daniela Ryf Foundation’s work is centered, before moving north into the vast expanse of Laikipia County, the heart of the adventure and a region that feels worlds away from anything resembling a typical cycling route.

Beginning on day two, the bike safari unfolds over four days of guided riding, with daily distances ranging from 45 to 50 kilometres. The format is fully supported, with experienced local guides and crew setting the route, transporting equipment, and preparing camps in advance, allowing riders to focus entirely on being present for the experience.

Each day is spent moving through open savannah on quiet dirt roads, fully immersed in the landscape. You are struck by Africa at her wildest: riding alongside herds of zebras, spotting elephants in the distance, and watching the day fade until the only lights are those from camp, where stories are shared over a hot meal cooked over a fire.

Very few places on earth offer this kind of backdrop, and you experience it all from the saddle of a bike. Whether riding assisted on an e-mountain bike or fully unassisted, you are completely connected to the environment around you: to the land, to the people, to the animals, perhaps even to yourself.

The week closes in relaxed comfort at Tumaren Camp, a beautiful retreat in harmony with its surroundings. Set above a salt lick on the edge of wildlife-rich grassland within a 13,000-acre private conservancy, the camp directly supports wildlife protection and traditional livelihoods. Finishing the journey here feels fitting: a rare opportunity to experience a remarkable part of the world in a way that gives back meaningfully to both the people and the landscape that make it so special.

At the Heart of It All

If this excursion is an opportunity to take on a remarkable – and for many, life-changing – adventure with the 10-time world champion, then beyond the safari, it’s worth understanding why this trip and this cause move her so deeply.

It all began in 2018, when Ryf’s father required costly hospital care, which she covered herself. When insurance eventually came through with reimbursement, she realized it was money she hadn’t expected, and she wanted to do something meaningful with it. By that point, she had already won multiple world championship titles and felt a growing pull to contribute to something larger than herself.

Ryf turned to her Kenyan stepmother for guidance on where the donation could truly make an impact, looking to give back to the community that had become like home to her father, where he had met his wife and worked as a mountain guide.

What began as a personal donation set the stage for what would later become the Daniela Ryf Foundation: an ongoing commitment to these communities, both as a way to honour her father, and because she and Estes had, over time, developed close relationships on the ground and a deep investment in supporting long-term change.

“What stands out most about the children in these communities is their joy,” Estes shared. “They face significant challenges, and our [safari] guests often arrive seeing themselves as the ones coming to give and help – which is very true, and something we deeply appreciate.”

“Yet what often surprises them is how the impact can flow both ways,” she continued. “The children are so open to connection, so happy to spend time together, and move through life with a perspective that feels very different from what many of us are used to.”

She recalls one moment in particular, when two guests who were basketball players started a game on a newly built court. What began casually quickly drew a crowd of children, all eager to join in.

“It was time for us to move on to the next activity,” Estes said. “But I asked them, ‘Do you want to stay, and we’ll come back for you later?’ We didn’t want to interrupt what was unfolding – it was too special.”

“I love seeing guests connect authentically to the communities that mean so much to me,” Ryf added. “I would say this is my favourite part. My life has always been about so much more than triathlon. This is where my heart is.”

What Stays With You: A Safari That’s So Much More

The safari itself is remarkable, and it is also undeniably shaped by the experience in the communities that comes before it.

Immediately, walls between people are broken down, and connection happens quickly in ways that feel both natural and unexpected.

When guests head out into the vast, open savannahs of Laikipia, riding quiet dirt roads through sweeping plains and past roaming wildlife, that sense of connection that began with the children is something they carry forward – with each other, with Ryf and Estes, and with the experience as a whole.

Around camp, over fire-cooked meals, under expansive starlit skies, and falling asleep to the sounds of the surrounding wildlife, guests receive not only a bucket-list experience, but also a feeling of presence, kinship, and collective meaning that transcends traditional travel.

This is not a training camp nor a destination race. But for those curious about what moves the heart of a 10-time world champion, and open to an experience that offers something more, this is a journey that stays with you long after it ends.

If you’re interested in joining the 2027 Bike Safari, scan the QR code below.