SFS Study Abroad: Endangered Species in Kenya
SFS Study Abroad: Endangered Species in Kenya
- Kenya
- Rwanda
- Kigali
About Program
Track elephants across golden savannas. Watch a crowned crane rise over the wetlands. At the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Kenya program immerses you in one of Africa’s most iconic conservation landscapes. Here, endangered species roam, and wildlife corridors intersect with Maasai community pastures.
Semester students also journey into Rwanda’s tropical highlands to study endangered mountain gorillas. Moving beneath the rainforest canopy, you’ll witness conservation at its most visceral: locking eyes with a silverback or watching a young gorilla forage in shafts of sunlight.
Fieldwork spans the dynamic edges of livestock, biodiversity, and climate stress. You’ll map elephant movement through Amboseli’s wetlands, interview Maasai leaders on pastoral futures, and analyze land use amid rising conservation pressures.
Program Highlights
- Embark on a two-week excursion to Rwanda, where you’ll visit Akagara National Park, Volcanoes National Park, and the Dian Fossey Foundation. (Semester only))
- Track endangered mountain gorillas through the Rwandan rainforest with guest lecturers from the Dian Fossey Foundation.
- Learn how to speak some Swahili, a language used across much of eastern Africa. Learn about the Maasai culture, history, daily life, and relationship with nature.
- Conduct a 4-credit research project during the semester program. Topics may include wildlife management, climate change resilience, primate behavior, water conservation, national parks management, community conservation.
- Earn academic credit: 18 credits for semester programs and 4-8 credits for summer programs.
Video and Photos
Popular Programs
Beneath Mount Kilimanjaro, students track elephants moving through Amboseli’s wetlands, where papyrus rings open pools and giraffes drift along the acacia edges. At nightfall, lions skirt Maasai bomas, underscoring the tension of shared space. That theme of coexistence continues northward, as students journey to Rwanda’s volcanic highlands. Here, in the cloud forests, they kneel to observe mountain gorilla families feeding, playing, and resting.
The African elephant is a keystone species with a profound influence on the landscape and dynamic in which it coexists with other African wildlife. As the largest (and one of the most charismatic) animal walking our planet, its conservation continues to attract concern within and beyond Africa. Join SFS Faculty and leading elephant scientists to learn about these animals in the elephant conservation strongholds in and around Amboseli National Park.
Elephant conservation continues to attract concern within and beyond Africa. Join SFS Faculty and leading elephant scientists to learn about these animals in the elephant conservation strongholds in and around Amboseli National Park. Hear the perspectives of local communities living at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro, including their day-to-day interactions with the African elephant.
1 class | 4 credits | One life-changing study abroad experience.
