LAIKIPIA PLATEAU, KENYA - Camels and giraffes munch on crunchy acacia leaves by a grass-fringed watering hole, oblivious to the stranger admiring them from a distance. From my balcony in the Ol Malo House, I gaze across a vast, rugged and wilderness-rich sanctuary. The house is built on a craggy cliff on the edge of the Great Rift Valley amid the foothills of Mount Kenya.

SOLITAIRE, NAMIBIA - We straddle Big Daddy’s spine and nimbly walk up the giant’s back to get a better view of the sun rising over the Namib Desert. When we reach the top of one of the world’s tallest sand dunes, we are rewarded with a breathtaking view of the world’s oldest desert spreading out in all directions before us.