by Kimberley O'Sullivan, 3 December 2010

The romance of a Kenya Safari has long pervaded the international mindset as a gallivanting escapade into the past - complete with mosquito nets, teak writing desks and rustling canvas walls. Don't forget the sterling silver coffee pots, gilt-edged mirrors and smartly dressed Kenyans waiting with a smile.

But while many experience this type of authentic African travel, it's often the indigenous people who get left out in the cold - their land disappearing into protected reserves and their poverty shooting skywards.

The Maasai are one such group of Kenyans who have felt the affects of historical displacement: their traditional territories were lost years ago to the British colonialists, and they were sadly relocated to less fertile parts of both Kenya and Tanzania.

Coming Home: The Maasai Title Deeds

In the past 20 or so years, communities have fought with government officials and rich landowners in courtrooms and at hearings, pleading for the return of their rightful land, so they can return to grazing their cattle alongside the wildlife. Like the San communities in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia, the Maasai have faced a tough battle and are only now seeing the fruits of their labours as they are slowly being given title deeds to their own land.

This, together with the advance of positive eco-tourism, is what characterises the relationship between the Porini Camps and the local Maasai communities.

In 1997, Porini signed an agreement with a local group of Maasai to establish the Selenkay Conservancy, followed by the Ol Kinyei Conservancy in 2005 and the Olare Orok Conservancy in 2006 - the latter two bordering the Masai Mara National Reserve.

These new conservancies were chosen by the Maasai landowners, and then set aside for wildlife so they could be used to benefit both the local community and the animals. But how does this sit with the image of luxury Kenya safari holidays?

Conservation & Community: A Perfect Fit

The natural community aspect of the Maasai culture combined with the foresight of Porini to establish these wildlife conservancies which are managed and staffed by the local community, ensures maximum return to the Maasai, which includes education, awareness of conservation and financial aid that is evenly spread between families. This then offers peace of mind to any traveller, knowing his or her well-spent holiday money is going straight back into the community.

Futhermore, what the Porini Camps are helping to do from an historical-legal perspective is regaining land ownership to these Maasai men and women - who for so long have been shunted from their traditional land for 'conservation's sake'.

While the lands offices in Nairobi are often hard to get to and the complexities of the legal world harder for the Maasai to understand, the Porini Camps offer support and guidance in obtaining individual title deeds - so that each person is recognised as his or her own person with the right to owning historical land.

The concept is thus good for the people, and good for the wildlife.

The Rejuvenation of the Land

Areas once devastated by overgrazing have flourished again - the conservancies in many instances have better vegetation density and growth than the national parks and reserves - and this is all due to the vital cooperation of the Maasai communities.

Therefore the wildlife gets a chance to recover and see growth in their numbers while the Maasai benefit from tourism to the area.

But what does this all mean for you coming to Africa, wanting to experience an authentic African safari, where pith helmets adorn the bookshelves, G&T's are enjoyed every afternoon and game drives take place in rugged 4x4s?

Well, by supporting conservancies or private reserves that take a distinct interest in supporting the local community, you get to give back while taking a small slice of Africa home with you in your camera...

It's responsible tourism at its best: you're supporting the local people by staying at a locally-run and managed lodge and supporting the propagation of the park, and in turn, its wildlife, birdlife and plant life.

Why Visit the Porini Conservancies

The huge advantage of the conservancies is that they are located just outside the Masai Mara National Reserve, which means they enjoy a number of luxuries afforded to private areas:

There is minimal vehicle traffic for one. The Mara is well-known as little more than a truck stop in high season, with dozens of safari minivans crowding around one single sighting. The conservancies however, allow only 2 vehicles at a sighting at any one time, and on many game drives you won't even SEE another car.

You can also enjoy night drives and guided safari walks which you can't in the Masai Mara National Reserve - both amazing experiences, particularly the walks. The local Maasai lead these excursions and, because of their ingrained knowledge and experience, know the land and its wildlife extremely well.

Although you'll likely have to travel into the National Reserve to view the full extent of the annual wildebeest migration, throughout the year the game-viewing is just as good in the conservancy.

Leaving a Good Feeling

All in all, the positive contribution of Porini makes them the safari 'good guys': benefiting local communities with resources, education, legal assistance and work opportunities; caring for the environment with sustainable camp practices; and of course ensuring the game-viewing is a superb experience for each individual visitor.

Empowering local African people to live sustainably and responsibly with a keen interest in their historical rights, heritage and conservation has become the backbone to how the Porini Camps are able to continue to offer exceptional safari experiences.

Readers' Comments:

Have you visited the Porini Camps before? Or have you seen other great examples of sustainable tourism in Africa? Let us know.

Article © Copyright 2010 Go2Africa.

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