Created in 2010, the Mara Naboisho Conservancy is a private 50,000 acre community pastoralist and wildlife conservation area located in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya. The Conservancy falls within the Greater Mara Region and was carved out of the Koiyaki-Lemek Group Ranch. It borders the world famous Maasai Mara National Reserve to the southwest, the Olare Motorogi Conservancy to the west, and the Ol Kinyei Conservancy to the east.

The Mara Naboisho Conservancy limits the number of beds per acre and also the number of tourists who may enter the area, thereby reducing the crowds of vehicles. Guests often find themselves the only vehicle around, giving spectacular, unspoiled views of exciting wildlife. The Conservancy has one of the highest densities of lions in Africa. And because the Mara Naboisho Conservancy is not governed by the same rules that apply to national parks, there is the flexibility to experience something truly profound and to see and do things not possible in the Maasai Mara National Reserve. The passion and expertise of the guides at the conservancy facilitate this experience.

The conservancy provides the opportunity to conserve the land and wildlife, whilst simultaneously creating wealth for the Maasai landowners. By visiting the Mara Naboisho Conservancy, you will be playing a part in protecting the cultural heritage of the local Maasai community and improving their access to vital services.

Naboisho, which means “coming together” in the Maasai’s Maa language, is a community response to the challenges of the privatization of group ranches in the Greater Mara Region. Strain was put on the soil, endemic vegetation, and the wildlife as a result of intensive herding and various tourism activities such as camping and off-road vehicle activity.

Inspired by their neighbours in the Olare Orok Conservancy, the approximately 500 landowners asked the Basecamp Foundation Kenya to facilitate the formation of the conservancy as a community wildlife area. In 2008, a forum – which brought together community leaders, upcoming community champions, dedicated resource managers, seasoned conservationists, experienced socio-ecologists and tourism investors – was convened to chart out a broader framework for the development of Naboisho.

It was agreed that the conservancy model should combine conservation of nature and cultural heritage, tourism, and the enhancement of livelihoods for the local communities. On the 28th of March 2010, the landowners formerly signed a 15-year lease to create the Mara Naboisho Conservancy.

The Mara Naboisho Conservancy is now the second largest conservancy in the region. Once the conservancy was established, a plan was put in place to ensure that the environment was given a chance to recover, that wildlife was protected, and that the landowners benefitted, both financially and from a social development perspective.