Namunyak Community Conservancy
Namunyak Community Conservancy – a place of peace.
It’s here, at the foot of the Mathews Mountains, where one of the world’s most successful community conservation movements has come to life.
Our Location
Namunyak Community Conservancy is situated in the heart
of Kenya’s northern frontier. Surrounding the magnificent Mathews Mountain Range, it is home to the indigenous Samburu people. As semi-nomadic pastoralists, they have for centuries reared their livestock while coexisting in harmony with the region’s incredible wildlife.
Namunyak is recognised as one of Kenya’s most pristine wilderness areas, and the preservation of its land, people and wildlife is central throughout all the initiatives and programs across this breathtaking conservancy.
Brief History
When elephants and black rhino roamed the area in abundance, Namunyak used to be a predominantly open grassland – a little like the Maasai Mara (which interestingly enough used to be mainly forest!) is today.
In the 80s, around the start of the Somali civil war, many Somali migrants and bandits inhabited the area, and along with the Samburu, who, by their own admission had at the time not yet realised the need for conservation and to protect their precious wildlife, sadly killed off the population of black rhino and many elephants in the area, who were seen as a nuisance and fair game for bush meat.
Formation of Namunyak
Following two decades of poaching, Namunyak Community Conservancy was established in 1995 to promote wildlife conservation and allow the Samburu community to benefit from tourism, while protecting this wilderness and the many wildlife species living on their land.
A Trust was formed and is represented by a democratically elected Board of Trustees, representing the different units
(areas) of the 850,000-acre conservancy.
Opening of Sarara
Two years later, in 1997 Sarara Camp opened. The first guest’s at Sarara would be lucky to catch a glimpse of any wildlife!
The following 25 years would see one of the most profound and effective community conservation movements in the world come to life.
With their immense wisdom and intelligence, elephants began to trust again and recognise that they were now protected. Other wildlife followed suit.
A place of peace
Today, Namunyak Community Conservancy is a treasure trove of rare and often uncatalogued species.
It is home to the rare and beautiful De Brazza colobus monkey and the IUCN red-listed sub species of the Cycad, Encephalartos tegulaneus.
Namunyak serves as a critical wildlife refuge for many species and holds important northern populations of reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, leopard, African wild dog, impala lion, greater kudu and many bird species.
The conservancy is particularly important for elephant as they move seasonally between the Mathews Range and the Mt. Kenya and Ngare Ndare Forest, a route they have been using for decades.
Namunyak is the Samburu word for
‘Place of Peace’
Stories about Namunyak Community Conservancy
