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abia Bausch was adamant about her concept for
Chem Chem Safari in Tanzania: "It's not a
summer camp or a boarding school." The Swiss
investment banker's first experience with
safari in Africa had left her unimpressed: rigid
schedules, forced socializing at meals, breakneck
pace during the day, and intense pressure to
engage with information at every moment.
"It was not what I considered going on a journey
of discovery in nature," she recalls. So Bausch
resolved to fix what she considered the broken
model, proudly focusing on what she dubbed
slow safari. "People put so much negativity on
the word slow. It doesn't mean boring; it's
about being flexible, and doing things at your own
pace." Chem Chem—Swahili for spring—would
allow its guests to approach the African bush at a
quieter pace and so, she hoped, enjoy a higher
caliber experience.
The first Chem Chem camp opened 13 years
ago, when the slow approach was more novel.
These days, though, focusing on quality rather
than quantity regarding experiences has become
a major force in travel. Slow Travel, of course, is a
coinage inspired by the Slow Food movement,
which originated in Italy in the 1980s and aimed to
recapture the joy of savoring food and its
surroundings. Slow Food was a backlash to the
push for convenience at all costs that was then
Maasai guides
lead Chem Chem
Safari guests
on bush walks,
meditations,
and runs near
the lodge.
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BALHAR B O U RSH O P S .CO M
