Steve Backshall pays for Thanet students' Kenya safari
- Published
For Louis and Kobi, the trip was their first time abroad
A group of secondary school students from Thanet have described their visit to the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya as a "dream come true".
The week-long trip was funded by presenter and wildlife expert Steve Backshall.
The six students went on safari, visited a rhino and elephant conservation centre and met local Maasai villagers.
Thanet is in the top ten most deprived areas of the country.
Steve Backshall is best known for presenting BBC's Deadly 60. He said going on safari in Africa for the first time changed his life.
"I wanted to give that opportunity to a bunch of kids who otherwise just would not get the chance," he said.
Steve Backshall, pictured with Reuben, one of the pupils who went on the trip
The group are pupils at King Ethelbert School in Birchington-on-Sea and Hartsdown Academy in Margate.
Saffi said seeing lions in the wild was "my dream come true" as they are her favourite animal.
"I was really excited to see them and it was nothing I'd ever dreamt of before," she added.
Other wild animals the students managed to see included zebras, giraffes, cheetahs, crocodiles, hippos, gazelles and wildebeest.
The students exchanged gifts with Maasai Mara villagers on day five of the trip
Kienna described meeting women and children from the Maasai village as "eye-opening".
"You don't get to experience what they do, and it's completely different for them and they're so grateful for what they have," she added.
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