Location: Kenya
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Lemarti’s Camp is an unforgettable safari hideaway in Kenya’s breathtaking northern Laikipia Plateau, one of the last frontiers of virgin wilderness and home to the majestic Samburu people. Voted top 5 of the world’s best tented camps by Travel and Leisure magazine USA as well as most authentic camp by Tatler, it has been called the ultimate canvas chic.
Lemarti’s Camp started out as a love story between Anna and Lemarti – a member of the Samburu tribe set in the backdrop of the rolling Laikipia planes. Having met during a 14-day walking safari, Anna and Lemarti discovered a magical place on the banks of a slow-flowing brown African river where a majestic centenary fig tree presided over a palm grove. They instantly fell in love with this enchanting piece of land and sought permission from the local community who owned the land to build a holiday camp there, thus Lemarti’s Camp was born.
The Camp is located on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiru River on the Koija Group Ranch (Community owned land), which is part of Laikipia – the second largest wildlife ecosystem in Kenya; after the Maasai Mara. Lemarti’s Camp is nestled in an oasis of palm groves and fig trees and is characterised by majestic landscapes and the nomadic Samburu tribe living in harmony with wildlife. It offers guests the incredible experience of walking amongst wildlife alongside Samburu warriors armed only with sharp spears and generations of knowledge. This life-changing experience connects guests on a spiritual level to indigenous people (their actual hosts) making them part of the heartbeat and rhythm of true Africa.
Lemartis camp has 5 very large luxury tents with open air bathrooms en suite. Two of these tents have a family annex each with its own bathroom and sleeps up to 4 children. Each tent is carefully placed on the banks of the river with spectacular views across to the Laikipia plateau. Every tent has its own attendant there to look after your every need and host you 24 hours a day. Guests are spoilt for choice as Lemarti’s Camp offers a host of activities ranging from excursions by helicopter to the cradle of mankind – a moving experience for any guest – to mountain biking, high altitude running, bush walks and bird watching to name a few.
The camp has been built to have a minimal impact on the environment. It offers great organic food and beautiful rooms. With no running water or electric lighting, it still manages to provide guests with all the comfort of a luxurious hotel and exposes them to nature in its purest form.
The wildlife population on Koija Ranch, where Lemarti’s Camp is built, is limited; as it is community owned land with numerous homesteads where cattle roam the land daily. The Camp, however, neighbours Mpala Ranch, a ranch with a significant game population, including endangered species such as the African Wild Dog and Grevy’s Zebra, held in trust for research, with which it works closely in the conservation of flora and fauna in the wider Laikipia region. Lemarti’s Camp visitors have exclusive use of Mpala ranch, 50 000 acres of pristine wilderness held in trust for research, Africa as Hemingway would have seen it, never developed for tourism. This itinerary is generating revenue for the Mpala Research Centre and allowing Lemarti’s Camp to actively participate in the conservation of the African Wild Dog which has its habitat across the river from the Camp.
With the Samburu tribe as its hosts, Lemarti’s Camp has adopted their beliefs in the sanctity of their surroundings. One such belief, strongly interlinked with Samburu culture, is that centred on the Centenary Fig trees, which they (the Samburu) believe to be sacred. In fact each tree is owned by individuals in the community passed down through generations. Lemarti’s Camp adopted this outlook when building the camp; the canvas tents were strategically placed around and in between all the fauna, without destroying any plant life. In addition Lemarti’s Camp has planted more indigenous plants around the camp and waters these plants during the dry seasons.
Surrounded by people of the Samburu tribe, Lemarti’s Camp recognises that it is at the cusp of a culture in transition mostly due to modern influences that are slowly changing the face of traditional life. It however continues to respect and promote local cultures and traditions in various ways. Its guests interact with local communities, which make up the staff at the Camp, who host and educate them on medicinal plants and traditional practices such as wild honey harvesting. It also offers guests the opportunity to eat traditional foods mostly roasted goat and those who are brave enough can participate in a traditional goat blood drinking ritual – the height of the Samburu experience.
In addition to this, every visitor to Lemartis Camp contributes a daily $80 fee which is put toward cultural conservation. Each one of its rooms is stocked with literature with in-depth information on the Maa culture, local terrain and wildlife. The Camp was built entirely using natural local materials with the help of the community. The materials used for the interiors reflect the character and ambiance of the local culture.
The Camp generates revenues from its tourism operations. It also generates income for its neighbours as it encourages its guests to purchase local arts and crafts. Work is also underway to construct a shop where cultural artefacts will be displayed and sold to guests.
It is also at the forefront of reviving age-old practices such as the sale of raw goat hides which could potentially provide a huge boost to the local economy. Tapping into traditional knowledge, it is providing training on the correct skinning techniques. It recognises that there is a ripe global market for these raw hides and hopes to see its neighbours reap benefits from this practice soon.
