Kenya luxury family safari and beach vacation

Planet

El Karama private conservancy has been stewarding their habitat since 1964. The owner-manager family have always had a passion for protecting wildlife and supporting biodiversity through holistic management and sustainability. Known for it's commitment to sustainability, this lodge has pioneered the use of renewable green technologies in Laikipia including their state of the art solar system and a gorgeous chemical- free swimming pool in the heart of the Lodge - the first of its kind in Kenya. Guests can visit the organic garden orchard and working farm to see where their food comes from. Interactive conservation projects for guests to be involved in include El Karama Lodge's unique Leopard Mirrors, Lion behaviour research and monitoring through Lion Landscapes, and a lodge-funded Reforestation and Seed Bank for the Acacia Nilotica tree species. Families on safari can enjoy Laikipia's first Bush School for Kids, which means parents can relax in the knowledge that between 1030am and 1230 each day children are busy and happy in the bush with local community educators.

House in the Wild was once an intensive farm, and is now the first project of its kind where the land on the edge of the Mara has changed from farming back to nature. This “rewilding” project has seen the rangelands around the House in the Wild return to their natural state, with wildlife returning to the area after over a decade of intensive farming. Using grazing animals as the drivers of habitat creation, and with the restoration of dynamic, natural water courses, the project has seen extraordinary increases in wildlife. The transformation of the area has been inspiring, with common sightings now of wild dog, leopard and a resident pride of lion in the Enonkishu Conservancy.

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People

The owners at El Karama Lodge have followed a strict local procurement strategy: their tourism model supports a multitude of artisans and entrepreneurs in the region. The organic garden, kitchens and homestead were created by part owner Sophie Grant and ensure that all the food is organic, homegrown and farm to table. The Lodge operations are not currently supported by any donor funding: they believe in the power of small business and thanks to continuous innovation on the ground this safari business ensures that if they rise, the community rise together.

Owners of House in the Wild, the Wood family have a longstanding connection with the Maasai community, the wildlife and the land, encouraging renewable practices that serve as a model for living in harmony with nature. Lippa and Tarquin Wood are the founders of the Enonkishu Conservancy, where they work with 50 Maasai families to protect the surrounding wildlife grazing areas so the community can earn revenue from guests as well as from their cattle, in a holistic grazing plan, where wildlife and cattle can thrive together. With the creation of the Enonkishu Conservancy, the Mara Training Centre and Collection in the Wild they raise money through conservation fees and other community-based enterprises, to support sustainable rangeland management that allows space and resources for the people, cattle, and wildlife. Enonkishu is the selected conservation partner with WWF and UNESCO-IHE as the pilot project in their regenerative rangelands project.