| The Conservancy Concept
The buzz in the hospitality industry is " Eco Tourism ". Where does it stem from and what exactly do we mean by it? Does replacing the synthetic antibacterial soap with natural, handmade soap make you eco friendly? Or does separating your garbage into the correct pile and recycling it accordingly term you as eco conscious?
The answer to the above is yes and no. Using handmade soap and sorting your garbage for recycling are just some of the measures that are taken to improve the impact on the environment.
Having said this, I want to take you back to the origination of eco tourism – what it really is, and how it came to be. Journalist Peter Greste summarised the then arising wildlife issue into this short video clip that the BBC aired in 2009.
Our director, Jake Grieves-Cook, had recognised this problem many years ago, and established the first conservancy in Selenkay in 1997. Following its success, in 2005 the 17,500 acre Ol Kinyei Conservancy was set up in the Mara eco-system and in 2006 the 22,000 acre Olare Motorogi Conservancy was set up in another part of the Mara. These were followed by the establishment of two more conservancies in the Mara: the 11,000 acre Motorogi Conservancy and the 50,000 acre Naboisho Conservancy. We have now joined the Olare Orok Conservancy and the Motorogi Conservancy to form the Olare Motorogi Conservancy comprising of 33,000 acres of pristine wildlife habitat adjoining the Mara Reserve. Porini Camps are all set up in various conservancies across the country and follow the ground rules of the Conservancy Concept that were first laid out when the concept was pioneered.
The 3 key elements of the Conservancy Concept are:
1) ENVIRONMENT: Stopping the degradation of the wildlife eco-system, reversing the decline in wildlife, increasing bio-diversity, allowing recovery of wildlife habitat, conserving wildlife animals, birds and plants.
2) COMMUNITY: Giving the Maasai land owners genuine and meaningful benefits from allowing their lands to be used for wildlife conservation.
3) TOURISM: Creating new form of tourism that gives our tourist industry a real boost by providing a better experience for the visitors which avoids the high density minibus safari for which Kenya has often been criticised
A safari in a conservancy allows you to escape from the crowds and see the wildlife in its natural habitat without the presence of scores of other vehicles. Stay at the Porini Camps, all located in exclusive conservancies, and our experienced guides will show you the difference!
Porini Amboseli Camp is located in the Selenkay Conservancy – an important wildlife dispersal area for wildlife moving out of Amboseli National Park. Wilson, our friendly silver guide just spotted these 8 cubs from the Selenkay pride a few days ago in the Selenkay Conservancy.
Porini Mara Camp is located in the Ol Kinyei Conservancy – renowned for its unspoilt and breathtaking scenery with diverse terrain offering on one hand open savannah plains, and rolling hills on the other.
Porini Lion Camp located in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ecological importance. The conservancy borders the Mara Reserve and contains the lower valleys of the Olare Orok and Ntiakitiak rivers, riverine forest, Ntiakitiak Gorge and a 12km escarpment below which are large areas of acacia woodland.
Our commercial director, Dr Mohanjeet Brar, was in the Mara last weekend and captured the wildebeests in the Ol Kinyei Conservancy.
Porini Rhino Camp is located in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy – home to the largest Chimpanzee sanctuary in East Africa. Situated between the foothills of Mt Kenya and the Aberdares, Ol Pejeta has over 10,000 large mammals and it is the only park where the big 5 and chimpanzees can be seen. |
