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The Il Ngwesi Group Ranch is north of Mount Kenya and covers an area of 16,500 hectares. The ranch is far from any towns and on the edge of Kenya's Laikipia Plateau.

Here, land stretches endlessly to the horizon, you will not see a single light at night and the calls of the wild surround you.

Local Maasai communities

The ranch is not a ranch in the traditional sense of the word. Rather it is a huge tract of land owned by many Maasai villages. The villages have still kept their traditional ways, however, have scaled down their livestock, are actively protecting the game and have opened a small lodge. All profits brought in by tourists are divided among the local community and help to support nearly five hundred households and their schools, cattle dips, water supplies and other group ranch operations.

Wildlife of Il Ngwesi

The awareness of the financial value of wildlife has resulted in the corresponding increase in wildlife numbers in the conservancy. Herds of up to 400 elephant have been seen and the calls of lion and leopard are often heard at night. A black rhino, Omni, has recently been relocated from Lewa, making it the first black rhino in Il Ngwesi in over twenty years. In addition to this, guests may also see impala, Grant's gazelle, buffalo, eland, gerenuk and Grévy's and Burchell's zebra on morning and evening game drives.

All that said, a stay at Il Ngwesi is as much about learning about Maasai culture as it is enjoying the game and wilderness that this wonderful part of Kenya has to offer.