LEMEK CONSERVANCY
Small But Active With Wildlife
Lions? Leopards? And Chimps
How curious that a small conservancy of only 19,000 acres can still host a resident pride of lions, plentiful cheetahs, elephants, and a good number of elusive leopards. The promise of Lemek Conservancy is of an uncrowded, unhurried safari experience on a scenic tract of land featuring plenty of wildlife, but with modest accommodations, for a value-based experience.
Lemek is an outlier that shows you don’t have to spend a lot to enjoy one of the Mara’s most thriving conservancies. During the season of the Great Migration (June – October) you’ll be immersed in the largest movement of animals on the planet as wildebeests, zebras, and gazelles storm into the Mara from the neighboring Serengeti plains.
Lemek’s Secret
Many enterprises improve their scope and reach by steady growth and expansion. Lemek has gone the opposite route by downsizing. Specifically, it has merged with an adjoining conservancy, Mara North to create a more manageable enterprise. This has helped balance the needs of the local communities of Maasai people while helping to protect the environment and wildlife.
This natural tension between man and the environment has played out throughout Kenya’s wildlands with conservancies like Lemek as the most viable solution for the animals, the native inhabitants, and a curious tourist population.
A Value Proposition
In keeping with a strong desire to protect the land, Lemek Conservancy limits the number of beds available and hence the amount of tourist traffic in this protected area. The conservancy offers only two accommodations and both are budget-based.
As a visitor, you can enjoy all the benefits of a conservancy safari – off-roading, nature walks, night safaris, and relatively few tourists – while enjoying considerable savings compared to other venues.
The Maasai
Sharing this land flocked with distinctive acacia trees are the Maasai people, nomadic herders from whom the park takes its name. They construct traditional villages surrounding the reserve and live as they have for eons, herding their cattle and pushing back at an ever-encroaching modern world.
Known for their brightly colored shukas and deft beadwork, the Maasai are a living link to a past that stretches back beyond colonial Africa, to an era when the entire continent was wild and untouched.
Grasslands
Open bush
Dense bush
Riverine Forest
Swamps
Don’t Miss…
Going Off-Road – In the neighboring national reserve, guides must stick to the park’s roads. Here in the conservancy, your Jeep can make its own tracks, on the lookout for lions, leopards, cheetah, and elephants.
Nighttime Game Drives – An exclusive of the conservancies, extend your safari adventure when the sun begins to set. You’ll follow the land’s transition to the nighttime when a whole new cast of wildlife emerges. Experience the sounds and glowing eyes of nocturnal predators all about.
Nature Walks – Ditch the Jeep and get close to the land, the flora, and even the smaller wildlife. Your guide will take you on an intimate adventure through the bush and over the savannah, while you experience the sights, sounds, and smells surrounding you.
Community Tours – The local Maasai communities here are not heavily touristed making for a more authentic visit. Visit a homestead and get to see the Maasai culture up close. View their bomas and learn about their ancient herding lifestyle.
Community Projects
These reserve-based projects help the livelihoods of the nearby rural communities.
- Education for local students, including computer skills training
- Healthcare – providing medical supplies to the local health centers and mobile clinic
- Energy – providing hundreds of local families with energy-efficient stoves – reducing the need for firewood.
Ol Pejeta Eco-Facts
- Sanctuaries to protect endangered chimpanzees, oryx, hartebeest, Grevy’s zebra, and bat-eared fox
- Home to the world’s last remaining northern white rhinos
- The largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa – the rhino population has increased by over 100 in the last 25 years.
Our Two Lodging Partners
Everything about Lemek Conservancy speaks to a strong conservation ethos. The number of visitors is limited by the number of rooms/beds available at the two accommodations here. The ratio is just 1 room per 200 acres of the conservancy.
Mara River Lodge – located on the Mara River by the border of the game reserve, the lodge has views of pools filled with crocodiles and hippos. Guests are welcomed by Maasai warriors and the feel here is of a traditional Maasai setting. Prices are modest providing excellent value for a conservancy stay.
Enkerende Tented Camp – This is a smaller, more intimate camp with just seven spacious tents. Also set on the banks of the Mara River, you’ll get prized views of the wildlife while enjoying an imaginative international cuisine.
Getting there: You can Book a tour with Africa Kenya Safaris. And you’ll go in style – a specially outfitted 4 x 4 safari Jeep.
This is Lemek Conservancy
This smaller conservancy offers uncrowded opportunities to view the great swath of wildlife that has made the Mara a world-famous name. Close to the national reserve and easily accessible, the value accommodations here make Lemek an affordable alternative in the conservancy experience.
Join us at Lemek
Africa Kenya Safaris offers safaris to Lemek and other nearby conservancies and parks. Just contact us to get your safari started.
Let’s Get Started
