Kenya safaris, Masai Mara

Planet

We are 1 of only 3 gold eco-rated camps in the whole of Kenya and as such we conform to a very high eco standard. We run on solar power with a backup generator for those times of no sunlight, & a booster system for water heating fuelled by eco briquettes made from waste, we use energy saving bulbs, recycle our waste, organic on site in a series of composting pits, plastic & tins are sent back to Nairobi for recycling, we have eco composting toilets whereby the liquid waste & all waste water is collected then used in our tree plantation.

Our travellers are in the vehicles under the guidance of our driver guides who keep them a safe distance from the wildlife, when walking they are thoroughly briefed on all aspects of the activity, behaviour to adopt & safety.

We grow some of our own vegetables & herbs and source some at the local market but items like meat come from Nairobi due to the health standards required. All plastic is collected and transported for off-site recycling. Bio-degradable waste is converted to compost for our vegetable garden.

Over 95% of camp staff are from the local Maasai community therefore your holiday empowers and enriches the community within which we operate our camps. Guests are able to choose to sponsor students & our foundation supports the guiding school through bursaries.

People

Over 95% of camp staff are from the local Maasai community, therefore, your holiday empowers and enriches the community within which we operate our camps. The local community receives income from tourism activities in the Mara Talek and Mara Naboisho Conservancies.

Fair-trade: our promotes women groups from the local community in developing and retailing exquisite beaded and leather merchandise. Purchase a product from our gift shops and receive a personalized message from the woman who designed the merchandise. We promote empowerment and awareness through scholarships in local schools and the Koiyaki Guiding School (the only guiding school in Mara).

Our long history of close co-operation with the Maasai community distinguishes us from other tourism operators in Masai Mara. Our mutual bond climaxed in 2010 when we successfully established the community owned nature conservancy (Naboisho Conservancy), named after the Maa expression of ‘coming together’, chosen by the Maasai to epitomize how the Maasai community came together to face the alarming issue of decreasing land. By establishing a community-owned nature conservancy, we provided the Maasai with an alternative to selling their land to outsiders and helped protect vital wildlife territory.

We are establishing the Enjolaata Centre in the midst of Basecamp Explorer’s birthplace – Basecamp Masai Mara in Talek. The Enjoolata Center is an education and entertainment centre which aims to inspire the Maasai community to come together to make a difference through awareness creation.