MAASAI MARA, KENYA

The Maasai Mara is well known for its spectacular natural landscapes, world-renowned wildlife and vast biodiversity. But not all tourism has been beneficial for the people who have looked after this beautiful landscape for centuries.

In the 1960s, Geoffrey Kent pioneered the first modern luxury safari. Kent’s groundbreaking concept was that travellers would come to view the Big Five rather than hunt them, following his motto “Shoot with a camera, not with a gun." The success of A&K safaris launched a new kind of tourism in the Maasai Mara.

Geoffrey Kent was also an early advocate of ensuring that revenue from tourism benefited local communities, and for as long as travellers have been visiting this remarkable region with Abercrombie & Kent, we have been collaborating strategically with local communities to enhance self-determination and economic autonomy.

Our work in Kenya began in 1982 with the aim of creating enduring partnerships with local Maasai communities, particularly in education and business. Projects that have launched since then take a holistic approach to education, conservation and employment — we ensure that any jobs created are sustainable and work with local institutions to develop long-lasting solutions to challenges posed by tourism and the climate crisis.

For example, as well as school lunch programs and literacy projects, one project takes local children on rhino-watching excursions to expose them to their wider environment and foster positive thinking about the role they could play within the Mara region. AKP helped fund and equip one of the first health clinics in the Mara and provided capital to launch several jewelry-making businesses. All these programs are created in partnership with and run by locals to ensure a meaningful legacy of empowerment and conservation.

“When you empower a woman, you empower the whole nation.” – Evelyne Ochieng, AKP Coordinator, Kenya