Ol Lentille: New Lodge in Kenya Raises the Bar

The Sanctuary at Ol Lentille, a glorious safari lodge, has just opened for business and signals a brighter future for the local Kijabe community.

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Ol Lentille is the result of a ground-breaking union between the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), the Laikipiak Maasai of the Kijabe Group Ranch, USAID, and a conservation-minded private investor. With support from AWF, USAID, and the European Union’s Tourism Trust Fund, the Maasai community secured ownership of Ol Lentille and established a long-term partnership with Regenesis, a conservation tourism company operated by John and Gill Elias. Regenesis will manage the tourism business and the 6,500-acre conservancy on which the lodge is situated.

Unlike many other public-private partnerships, the local community has both a voice and a stake in this venture, which allows for sustainable, economically appropriate enterprise, conservation and community development.

The Maasai owner-partners are fully engaged in Ol Lentille’s operations as conservation personnel and members of staff. Approximately 100 residents were employed in The Sanctuary’s construction. In addition, many women from the Maasai community have been working with Regenesis and AWF to develop and expand small craft businesses, obtain job training and build a Maasai cultural village.

In another landmark action, the Maasai community created The Kijabe Trust, a charitable entity designed to attract donor and investment funds to the community. The purpose of the Trust is to enable the Kijabe leadership, members and dependents to create and maintain a thriving, sustainable property in which people, livestock, tourism and other commercial enterprises and wildlife coexist harmoniously in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

In addition to serving as a trustee, AWF is providing the community with fiscal and administrative guidance on how to equitably manage and share the benefits accruing from the lodge. The Trust will provide financial resources to community projects, such as livestock husbandry, security and bursary programs for young people.

> Download more information about the Kijabe Community.

The land surrounding the lodge has been set aside as the Ol Lentille Conservancy. Carpeted in grassy hills and deep valleys and shrouded by woodlands, the conservancy hosts a wide array of wildlife, including the endangered African wild dog, greater kudu, leopard, both the spotted and striped hyena, and klipspringer. The landscape is studded with acacia, African olive and fig trees.

The lodge is perched on the flanks of a wooded kopje (hill) on the northern escarpment of Kenya’s Laikipia Plateau. It boasts four luxurious, fully staffed country houses, all with courtyards, decks, gardens and lawns. The houses have all the comforts of home, including stereo systems, high-pressure showers, study areas and wireless Internet access.

For those seeking additional pampering and comfort, there are swimming pools, a spa and massage facilities, common lounge and dining areas, and a game-viewing deck.

Immersed in East Africa’s exquisite beauty, The Sanctuary at Ol Lentille epitomizes responsible conservation tourism.

> Download more information about conservation at Ol Lentille.

> Visit the Ol Lentille website at www.ol-lentille.com

> Download the brochure