THE CONSERVANCY | KIGIO WILDLIFE CAMP | MALEWA WILDLIFE LODGE

KIGIO WILDLIFE CONSERVANCY

Dedicated to Wildlife, Environment and Community
Kigio Wildlife Conservancy is a noteworthy 3,500-acre protected Conservancy near Gilgil, between Nakuru and Naivasha in Kenya, about 2 hours drive from Nairobi. It was originally a cattle ranch owned by a colonial settler family. It was sold by the family to the local community who after a few years decided to forgo cattle ranching in favour of wildlife conservation. The community now receives a regular income and the conservancy fee each guest pays helps towards the maintenance of the conservancy.

The beautiful conservancy, with stunning views of Mt Longonot, Naivasha and Aberdares, has wide ranging habitats, from riverine and euphorbia woodlands to short grass and Leleshwa shrub, and holds approx. 3,500 heads of wildlife including the endangered Rothschild Giraffe, a 200 strong herd of buffalo, zebra, waterbuck, impala, Grant's and Thomson's gazelle, eland, hyena, leopard, hippo and over 200 bird species. It is protected by an electric fence on three sides and the Malewa River on one. In addition, the conservancy is at the forefront of protecting nearly 100 species of indigenous plant species which are being destroyed rapidly outside the conservancy.

The Conservancy's rich bio-diversity has been recognized internationally by Tusk Trust, Born Free Trust, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and several private donors who have provided funds to improve the infrastructure in the conservancy and help wildlife conservation and surrounding communities.

Accommodation is available at 2 stunning ecolodges - Malewa Wildlife Lodge and Kigio Wildlife Camp, both built in a sympathetic way using traditional building methods and natural materials. Malewa Wildlife Lodge has 10 cottages (4 single traditional cottages, 1 x 2-storey traditional cottage, 4 river suites) while Kigio Wildlife Camp has 13 suites (11 single suites and 1 x 2 bedroom family suite).

The Conservancy is at the forefront of ecotourism in the Rift Valley lakes area. Guests are encouraged to participate in complimentary low impact activities - guided nature/bird walks, cycling, fishing - to ensure that the fragile environment is disturbed as little as possible. Day or night game drives are conducted in open-sided 4x4 vehicles and are available at extra cost. Night game drives are often rewarding as there is a chance to see hunting hyenas, leopard, caracal, aardvark, aardwolf, honey badger, spring hare and several other nocturnal species which thrive in this protected area.

The lodges work closely with the local community and support several enterprises, schools and an orphanage. For a small fee, guests can visit a group of widows that craft sisal baskets, a group that makes jewellery from recycled paper and a rug weaving factory. The lodges only sell what is made by the community and pay a fair price. A large percentage of the price is donated to the community fund.

Every year, hundreds of children from the local community and schools are invited to participate in ecotourism workshops in the hope that the future generations will be able to protect and improve their environment.

Kigio Wildllife Conservancy may be a small conservancy but it is as important as any other protected area in Kenya and, together with the two ecolodges, shows how responsible ecotourism can help sustain wildlife, environment and marginalised communities.

Your stay with us will be very rewarding and will provide a crucial lifeline to wildlife, plants and communities.

GAME REPORT – 4 JULY 2011 - LEOPARD DELIGHT

On the night of 4th July George and I took an American family of six on a night safari. They said they hoped they could see a leopard to fulfil their dream holiday. That evening our first hour was spent spotting bat eared fox, white tailed mongoose, cape hare, elands, zebras, waterbuck and our famous Rothschild giraffe. Then in a blink of an eye we spotted a male leopard emerging from the tall grass into an open area dotted with beautiful acacia trees. Read more.....

Community Projects
It is important to us that the lodge and the camp benefit the communities surrounding Kigio Wildlife Conservancy. We hire local people and buy local products whenever possible. We want the local communities to be proud of KWC. If local people benefit from conservation and tourism, then the Conservancy will be protected and illegal poaching and firewood harvesting will be minimized. To find meaningful ways to benefit local people, we have been involving local leaders and elders in the development of projects.

Community Tours
Scheduled community tours commenced in January 2008 and since then over 3000 guests have taken the tours. Guests visit three community groups whom we work closely with - Gilgil Spinners and Weavers, Tumaini Widows group (baskets) and Maua Women's' group (jewellery).

Each visit takes place at the home of one of the group members so that guests can also understand the way of life in rural Africa. They learn how to make baskets from Sisal, necklaces from old magazines and rugs from local hand-dyed wool using hand-made looms. These interactive visits have had guests in tears (including men!) and fits of laughter. Many have formed an emotional bond with the communities and commented on the visit being spiritually uplifting and their safari a lot more fulfilling. All the sales from this merchandise are shared between the women and some saved in the fund for future community projects.

Recycling at Kigio
We look for creative ways to manage our wastes. We compost our organic waste, recycle what we can, and look for innovative ways to reuse what is left. For example, we donate our magazines and milk cartons to a local group who makes them into jewelry. We donate our empty glass jars from the kitchen to a women’s group who fill them with honey to sell. We give some of our empty water bottles to a local man who fills them with dish soap, shampoo, and toilet cleaner for sale. We train our staff to be environmentally sensitive, to use water sparingly, to sort waste, to pick up litter whenever they see it, and to explain to guests what they are doing and why.

By encouraging guests to refill their water bottles in their room, we estimate we will use 1 ton of plastics less every year. The complimentary refill is from 20 liter recyclable water containers. Those who complain are charged for the new bottles!

Environmental Education
Kigio is a nursery for the future generations and has hosted several field trips for children from the local communities and schools in our endeavour to spread the word about environmental conservation. They are taught about utilization and conservation of natural resources, use of solar as a source of energy, water conservation and recycling. Hopefully, several seeds have been planted and many of the keen participants will grow into committed conservationists.

Wildlife Conservation
Rothschild’s Giraffes are one of the two most endangered of the 6 identified giraffe species in Africa. National Geographic has recently estimated their numbers at only a few hundred in the wild. We are proud to hold such a significant portion of the remaining members of this species. We have hosted students on their internships from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) training institute to improve conservation and research.

Wildlife species list

THE CONSERVANCY | KIGIO WILDLIFE CAMP | MALEWA WILDLIFE LODGE