The Origins
A History Of Naboisho Conservancy
Established in 2010, the Mara Naboisho Conservancy is a pioneering 60,000 acre community-led conservancy in the Greater mara eco-system. It was created through a partnership between over 500 Maasai landowners and tourism operators to combat overgrazing and land fragmentation, providing a "coming together" (Naboisho) for sustainable wildlife protection and direct community income.
Naboisho's History at a glance
Before
The area forms part of the former Koiyaki-Lemek Group Ranch and comes under growing pressure from subdivision and land degradation.
March
About 500 landowners sign the lease agreement with responsible tourism partners that establishes Mara Naboisho Conservancy.
The first tourism operations begin under the new low-impact conservancy model.
Naboisho becomes the first wildlife conservancy in the GSTC Early Adopter Program.
Today
Naboisho stands as one of the pioneering community conservancies in the Greater Mara, within a network that has grown to 24 conservancies.
History
Photo Credit: By Mette Løvschal, NATURE.COM
Before Naboisho
Before the conservancy was formed, this area was part of the former Koiyaki-Lemek Group Ranch. As land subdivision accelerated across the wider Mara, pressure on the landscape grew. Grazing intensified, tracks multiplied, and the ecological health of the area began to decline.
Naboisho emerged as a response to that pressure: a way to keep the land open, productive, and ecologically intact rather than allowing it to become increasingly fragmented.
At the same time, the land outside the reserve remained critical for wildlife movement, habitat continuity, and the long-term resilience of the wider ecosystem.
The founding of the conservancy
The lease agreement that created Mara Naboisho Conservancy was finalised in March 2010. The conservancy was established through a partnership between Maasai landowners and early tourism partners, with Basecamp Foundation Kenya helping facilitate the model in its formative stage.
From the start, the idea was both practical and ambitious: to protect habitat, generate dependable lease income for landowners, and build a low-impact tourism model capable of supporting both conservation and community value over the long term.
Photo Credit: Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association
Photo Credit: Hemingways collection
Building a new model
Naboisho was not conceived as a lodge project with conservation added on top. It was built as a landscape model in which wildlife and ecosystem protection, community empowerment, and responsible tourism would strengthen one another.
Landowners retained ownership while leasing land into a shared conservation framework. Just as importantly, this did not mean livestock was simply pushed out. Grazing rights remained, but under a more structured system designed to reduce pressure on the land and allow the ecosystem to recover. Over time, grazing was organised through designated zones and rotational use, replacing the uncontrolled intensity that had previously degraded the area.
Tourism was kept intentionally low impact, and governance structures were developed to give landowners a meaningful role in how the conservancy evolved. The model asked a different question from the start: not how much value could be extracted from the land quickly, but how the land could remain healthy, connected, and valuable over time.
The early years
The Naboisho visitors know today did not appear overnight. In its first years, the land was still recovering from heavy use and wildlife was less settled. Grazing patterns had to be reorganised, human activity reduced, and tourism carefully structured so that the landscape had space to recover.
That recovery took time. It also took discipline. Naboisho’s early history is not only a story of vision, but of patience and follow-through.
Photo Credit: HEMINGWAYS COLLECTION
A conservancy that helped shape a wider movement
Naboisho was one of the early community conservancies in what has since become a much broader shift across the Greater Mara. Over the past 15 years, the number of conservancies in the wider Mara landscape has grown from 8 to 24, showing how strongly this approach has taken hold.
That growth matters because it reflects more than the success of a single place. It reflects growing confidence in a model that can help hold landscapes together, protect wildlife habitat beyond reserve boundaries, and generate value through conservation rather than fragmentation.
Wildlife recovery and recognition
Over time, Naboisho became known for the quality of its wildlife habitat and the strength of its sightings, especially for predators. It is now widely recognised for its high concentration of wildlife, particularly lions, and for showing how strong biodiversity outcomes can develop alongside a community-led conservation model.
In 2013, Mara Naboisho became the first wildlife conservancy to join the Global Sustainable Tourism Council Early Adopter Program, a sign that its approach was attracting attention far beyond the Mara.
Photo Credit: SARUNI BASECAMP
Why this history matters
Naboisho’s history is not only about a founding date. It is about a turning point in how land, wildlife, and tourism could work together. The conservancy was created on the belief that protecting a landscape could also create long-term value for the people connected to it. That idea remains at the heart of Naboisho today. For guests, that means a visit is not only an encounter with wildlife. It is also a chance to step into a living conservation story, one that began with people coming together around a shared landscape and a shared future.
Join Us
Naboisho thrives because of those who choose to stand with it.
Whether you partner with us, contribute through a donation, or visit the conservancy yourself, each step helps sustain this living model where wildlife and communities flourish side by side
We welcome research partners to help deepen our understanding of biodiversity and strengthen conservation outcomes across the landscape.
Every guest plays a part in making the model work. Your stay nurtures both the land and the lives it supports. Explore our camps and booking options here.
Your contribution fuels the growth of a self-sustaining model, enabling Naboisho to expand conservation impact and deepen community resilience.
Join Us
Naboisho thrives because of you who choose to stand with us.
Whether you partner with us, contribute through a donation, or visit the conservancy yourself, each step helps sustain our conservation model where wildlife and communities flourish side by side.
Visit Us
Every guest plays a part in making the model work. Your stay nurtures both the land and the lives it supports. Explore our camps and booking options here.
Donate
Your support drives real impact. Every donation equips our team with the tools to protect wildlife and manage the land efficiently. See how your contribution makes a difference here.
