Our Commitment

From its opening in 2013, Mahali Mzuri has been deeply rooted in conservation, with the goal to preserve the under-threat route of the Great Wildebeest Migration. With sustainability and community now firmly ingrained in our DNA, we have formed close bonds with the local Maasai landowners and today, over 80% of our team come from the local community, many of whom have been with us from the very beginning.

Working with generous, individual guest donors, over the last ten years we have worked hard to enhance the standard of living in the local communities, centred on the key pillars of Education, Water and Sanitation and Health.

With a core focus also on creating even greener prospects, the imminent completion of a solar farm will provide 100% of the camp’s energy, with a larger garden to supply the kitchen with vegetables and herbs and a rainwater harvesting system also on the near horizon.

Highlighting a decade of Mahali Mzuri's extraordinary achievements, our newly launched ‘Creating a Better Future’ five-part video series offers a true insight into our camp's widespread work to support the local communities and conserve the future for generations to come. Discover our team's personal stories and unprecedented accomplishments which are paving the way for the younger generations of the Maasai people.

Creating A Better Future
Inua Jamii
Sustainability
Pack for a Purpose

Creating A Better Future

Celebrating 10 Years

Uplifting the Community

Conservation

Female Empowerment

Personal Growth

Celebrating 10 Years

10 years on from opening its doors to guests, our General Manager, Wilson Odhiambo reflects on the origins and extraordinary achievements of our luxury twelve-tented Kenyan camp as he looks ahead to a sustainable future.

Uplifting the Community

One of Mahali Mzuri's biggest success stories is the decade-long development and ongoing support of the local school for 300 students, aged three to 15 years old, complete now with dining hall, computer lab, accommodation and toilet facilities, as well as a school meal programme and rainwater harvesting system aimed at combatting malnutrition.

Guests to Mahali Mzuri can contribute towards the expansion of the school and running of these initiatives by visiting the local villages and, in turn, learning about the Maasai culture and long-standing traditions.

Conservation

From offering their input on how to control grazing within the conservancy, to visiting the Mahali-funded school and helping to nurture the next generation of conservationists, the guides at Mahali Mzuri are passionate about protecting the future of Olare Motorogi.

Join Mahali Mzuri guide, John, as he talks about teaching not only our guests, but both the older landowning generation and the youngest members of his community about conservation.

Female Empowerment

One of only a few female guides in the Maasai Mara, Betty, describes her immense pride at being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated job and her hopes of inspiring her own children to follow in her footsteps, as well as the young girls in her tribe, who are often married very young.

Alongside government initiatives, Mahali Mzuri works hard to tackle period poverty in the rural local area, a major roadblock to keeping girls in education.

Personal Growth

From physically laying the foundations for the camp to be built on, to ultimately becoming the Head Waiter, Bob, reflects on the stratospheric rise of his career at Mahali Mzuri over its 10 years of operation and the opportunities he has taken to grow through taking on varying roles within the camp.

Video premieres on 5th December

Inua Jamii

Launched in 2023 and committed to sustaining support for the community long into the future, Mahali Mazuri's funding support for ongoing and future initiatives will be channeled under the umbrella of a dedicated charitable association – Inua Jamii, meaning “uplifting the community” in Swahili, with 100% of donations still going directly towards specific projects and the Maasai communities.

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Sustainability

The most important contribution to sustainability is how we work together with the local community in the formation of conservancies and the protection of the wider Maasai Mara Ecosystem.

The land surrounding the northern boundary of the Maasai Mara reserve was once considered Koiyaki Group Ranch territory and was managed by a community committee. It has now been sub divided into individual free hold titles. These small units were not considered economically viable and conflicting land use was a major concern among interests such as tourism, agriculture, development, conservation and charcoal production. Forming conservancies made up of contiguous parcels of land has become the most viable way of preventing the fragmentation of such an important environmental resource. The basic concept of these conservancies is to guarantee a fair income to every landowning member regardless of tourism numbers. This ensures:

Every community member is receiving a stable income and is able to make better planning decisions for the future of their homes and families.
Tourism operators can promote high value, low density tourism which creates less pressure on the environment.
Both the community and commercial operators can appreciate the real value of effective conservation on conservancy land.

This private conservancy is shared between five key Safari Camps and we are the only Safari Operators permitted to conduct game drives in this area. Together we have a code of conduct and conservancy agreement to protect the land from ‘over tourism and development’ which only adds to our guest experience. In total the number of guests allowed to stay in this area is 94.

There are no fences between the Mara and Olare Motorogi conservancies, so there is fantastic game viewing to be enjoyed.

Pack for a Purpose

We are proud members of Pack for a Purpose, an initiative that allows travellers like you to make a lasting impact in the community at your travel destination. If you save just a few kilos of space in your suitcase and bring supplies for area schools or medical clinics in need, you'll make a priceless impact in the lives of our local children and families.

Here at Mahali Mzuri, we are currently supporting the Enkenju - Enkoirien Primary School, located about 4kms from the Mahali Mzuri camp in NAROK county, AITONG town. The school currently houses 120 students, aged between four to 14 years. Donations from local businesses have helped to fund essential items such as solar lights, computers and printers, while local communities and guests have provided stationery including; books, pens and pencils, beads for bead-making, maps and dictionaries.

All contributions are a big help towards encouraging young children to go to school for a formal education.