Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy, North Kenya
We leave Hippo Point by helicopter flying north on a scenic flight to arrive at sunset in the Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy in north Kenya where for three nights we will be the only guests in the only camp in 850,000 acres of wilderness owned by the Samburu community.
Namunyak means ‘the place of peace’ and our lovely thatched camp is nestled into the hillside of one of the last great wilderness areas of Kenya with stunning views of the Mathews Range and the great northern frontier district.
Here we will experience the blissful stillness and remoteness of northern Kenya, and spend time with the gentle Samburu people whose territory spans 8,000 square miles and whose lives have not changed for thousands of years. The simplicity of their lives challenges the way we live ours and we will learn from each other, experience village life, visit community projects and their ‘singling wells’ and join their extraordinary dances under the starry skies of Africa.
This is one of the ‘hot spots’ for quality leopard viewing. Elephant, buffalo, giraffe, gerenuk, impala, warthogs and African wild dogs are regularly seen on game drives and bush walks. Unusual sightings include striped hyena, aardwolf, civet cat, African wild cat, greater kudu, grevy zebra, cheetah and the shy lesser kudu antelope.
The Namunyak Wildlife Conservation Trust was set up to help provide a solution to the poaching epidemic of the 1970s and 1980s, which decimated the rhino, elephant and Grevy zebra populations. More than 30,000 animals were poached in just 8 years.
Because the camp is owned by the Samburu who retain 60% of the profits for their community, it is proof that conservation works and can provide a real benefit to deeply-rooted pastoral communities totally reliant on cattle herding.
In addition to the profits generated by our stay, Life Unlimited will contribute to local security, education and healthcare programmes because we believe this model of community-owned camp can help preserve wilderness areas all over the world.
“Many Samburu of the younger generations realise they must adapt to new ways if the tribe is to progress, but few want to see their rich cultural heritage disappear overnight, only to be replaced by another with what they consider to be inferior values. It is unfortunate that people who cling to age-old customs and resist change are so often misunderstood. Sometimes this resistance to new ideas is written off as sheer backwardness but the truth is they have been taught by experience over many centuries that the way of life they have evolved is one of the best suited to their harsh environment.” Samburu by Nigel Pavitt.
