Mara Conservancies

This exclusive wildlife conservancy is one of the most beautiful wilderness areas in the Serengeti-Mara eco-system. This is pristine wilderness with open savannah plains, riverine forest, springs, streams and rivers, rolling hills and spectacular views across the Mara.

The expansive Olare Orok Conservancy (OOC) borders the Maasai Mara National Reserve and is home to an abundance of animals including all the big cats for which the Mara is famous. It forms part of a vital buffer zone between the Mara Reserve and the wildlife dispersal areas surrounding it.

Olderikesi is located in one of the remoter regions of the Mara, there has been little tourism in the area and little awareness of wildlife’s` true economic potential, and hence there has been more investment by the Maasai in other land uses such as maize and cattle; land uses that are not compatible with wildlife.

The conservancy at Siana is a new development that is still very much in its infancy. The proposed conservation area is located on Siana Group Ranch an area that has many existing tourism developments. This conservancy is a fully formed wildlife conservancy but with little revenue as all the tourism from the lodges diverts straight into the Mara Reserve; there is little management and no agreement as to how the ranch leadership can share revenue fairly with all the members of Siana Group Ranch.

MAASAI MARA, KENYA (January 1, 2010) – A new conservancy in the Maasai Mara, formerly known as the Koyaiki Lemek Conservation Area, has been formed. The Mara North Conservancy (MNC) is a not-for- profit company established in January 2009. The conservancy is a partnership between eleven member camps and over 800 Maasai landowners to professionally manage and protect the north-western border of the Maasai Mara ecosystem, which represents the heart of the most important wildlife habitat in the world. MNC consists of approximately 30,000 hectares, effectively increasing the size of the Maasai Mara National Reserve by 21%. This area is the key dispersal zone for the annual “Great Migration” and supports an extensive variety of additional species, the most recognizable include lion, cheetah, leopard, buffalo, hyena, elephant, crocodile, wild dog, giraffe, hippopotamus, and over 450 bird species.

Motorogi Conservancy is an area of 12,000 acres and adjoins the 21,000 acre Olare Orok Conservancy and the two are managed as one unit of 33,000 acres with 5 safari companies operating exclusively in the 2 conservancies.

The Kenya Wildlife Trust (KWT) works with some of the best safari operators in Kenya, raising funds through tourism which are then applied directly to conservation projects.

Naboisho Conservancy is located immediately north of Maasai Mara National Reserve. Naboisho is Maa language for coming together. The name was chosen by community elders as the true description of the partnership context desired.