Africa Operator Unveils Obama Heritage Tour

One tour operator lost no time capitalizing on the African origins of president-elect Barack Obama. Less than 24 hours after Obama’s victory speech, New York City-based 2Afrika announced its 11-day Presidential Heritage Safari to Kenya, which traces Obama’s ancestral roots during a portion of the tour.

2Afrika President Kenneth Hieber said he had the itinerary “pretty well figured out in my mind” before election results were in.

The air-inclusive tour visits Mount Kenya Forest, Lake Nakuru National Park and the Masai Mara Game Reserve for an all-inclusive game safari before heading 200 miles northwest to Kisumu, Kenya’s third-largest city and a stone’s throw from the birthplace of Obama’s late father, Barack Hussein Obama Sr.

Travelers visit Kogelo, the final resting place of Obama’s father and the home of the president-elect’s extended family; tour the Kisumu Museum; and visit a Luo ethnic group to learn about the tribal culture of Obama’s heritage.

The tour, priced from $2,999 per person, departs daily from U.S. gateways for Nairobi. Hieber isn’t predicting the number of bookings he’ll have.