About
Cultural Heritage
The Olkiramatian Maasai are hugely proud of their cultural heritage which includes the wildlife with which they share their land. Sitting round the campfire under the glittering Milky Way, their cattle lowing in the shadows, the community elders murmur in response to the haunting roar of one of their lions, proud that the sounds of their youth remain alive and well.
The Loss of Lions and Renewal of Land
At the turn of the century the Olkiramatian lands were devoid of lion and other major carnivores; the sounds of the night but a memory. Realising that a part of their heritage could be lost forever the Maasai elders determined to divide their land to ensure that their community development would not be at the cost of their wildlife.
A Community Conservation Project
A community conservation project was born. For centuries the Maasai had lived a nomadic lifestyle moving with the rains to find fresh pasture for their cattle in tune with the movement of the wildlife. Knowing that such movement had worked for centuries the Olkiramatian Maasai re-initiated their traditional nomadic lifestyle migrating from one side of the Ewaso Nyiro River (which forms the boundary of the conservation area) to the other in tune with the bi-annual rains.
Buffer Zone and Coexistence
A buffer zone was set up along the core conservation area providing a break between the community and the core conservancy. The community movement keeps the grasslands along the Ewaso Nyiro River open and provides the game (and the now numerous predators) with sufficient room to migrate in tune with the community, reducing the usual human wildlife conflict associated with community conservation areas.
Recognition and Conservation Success
The model has proved to be one of the few truly successful community conservation initiatives in Kenya leading to a lion density second only to the Maasai Mara. Renowned Kenyan cinematographer Anna Campbell has produced a short film on the success of the model Shall We Dance and the National Geographic has featured the Olkirimatian Conservancy in its documentary The Plains as an example of conservation success.
Sharing the Story
Lentorre encourages guests to visit the community, the community owned Lale’ Enok Research Centre and Rebuilding the Pride to learn more about how the local people and wildlife are thriving in their co-existence.
Lentorre has partnered with SORALO, Lale’enok Research Centre and Rebuilding the Pride, all of which are local organisations, with the aim of improving the environment and use of resources for the benefit of both the local communities and wildlife.
SORALO
The South Rift Land Owners Association (SORALO) is a community based and community driven initiative. Their primary role is to bring the South Rift’s land owners together for effective management of resources in order to directly improve the livelihoods of the communities. They aim create links and assist in resource mobilisation for the development of the South Rift Valley region, all while taking into consideration the key threats and challenges in the area.
SORALO has an ambitious plan to setup a series of conservation areas linking Amboseli National Park with the Maasai Mara Reserve to allow for the free migration of wildlife. Lentorre and the conservation area are key to this greater plan; studies by the Africa Centre for Conservation have shown that elephants continue to migrate between Amboseli and the Mara – their traditional migration route up the Nguruman escarpment and into the Maasai Mara running directly adjacent to Lentorre.
Lale’enok Research Centre
Lale’enok Research Centre is owned by the women of Olkiramatian. The Centre provides a natural resource and research centre for information collection, storage and dissemination. The Centre provides the Olkiramatian community with a forum to engage with partners (scientists and practitioners) on knowledge creation, dissemination and application.
Rebuilding the Pride
Rebuilding the Pride operates out of the Lale Enok Research Centre and is seeking to understand the dynamics between the predator population and the Maasai community so as to ensure the predators long term survival and minimise potential human wildlife conflict.
At Lentorre, our team is paramount. As cliché as it may sound – it really boils down to the people. Our crew is not something that is meant to blur into the background, they are part of the experience at Lentorre, we are all your hosts. Stephen and his calm Maasai elder demeanor, Leonard’s sense of humor, Ken’s incredible ability to keep kids entertained for hours on end, Kush’s art work in camp, Kuyos never ceasing smile…. they are all a part of what Lentorre is about.
Keeping Lentorre running is a team of 21 at the lodge, and three in our Nairobi office. Led by our onsite managers Kush and Leonard, this team includes guides, spotters, barmen, chefs, laundry staff, security guards, rangers, grounds men, electricians, mechanics, carpenters, ‘the pool guy’, room stewards, drivers, the reservation team, logistics and of course an accountant! With all these titles and job descriptions, we are adamant that every member of the team be able to fill in somewhere else in the lodge, and we all pitch into every department and lean on each other.
As part of our ongoing commitment to the Olkiramatian community, we first hire and train from the community itself, therefore creating skill sets and empowering the community long term. We are proud to say that over 95% of our team are from the area and we continue to train those not permanently employed, through casual placements.
Our teams only goal is to ensure that a guest visiting Lentorre is taken care of from the start of their experience which is when they get in touch with us, to the end of their first experience which is when we know they have arrived home or at their next destination. In time we will be adding details of all the incredible individuals you see below, until then we encourage you to visit us and get to know them!
Create Your Perfect Safari
Our experienced team will craft a personalized itinerary that matches your interests and ensures every moment exceeds your expectations.