Conservation Experiences

Witness Conservation in Real Time

For those wanting to learn more about how their stay is making a difference in supporting conservation, we invite you to spend time with Angama Amboseli’s partner, Big Life Foundation, who manages and protects the Sanctuary on behalf of its owners — the 844 Maasai family members. During your stay, you can interact with various members of Big Life’s team and witness the work they do to protect wildlife, secure habitat, prevent human-wildlife conflict and support communities.

What to Know

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Big Life protects over 1,6 million acres of wilderness in the Amboseli-Tsavo-Kilimanjaro ecosystem

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Partners with local communities to protect and conserve nature for the benefit of all

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Since its inception, Big Life has trained and provided jobs for over 340 rangers

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In the last five years, no elephants or rhinos have been poached in their area of operation

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First organisation with coordinated anti-poaching teams on both sides of the Kenya-Tanzania border

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Big Life has confiscated over 5,000kgs of ivory from poachers since 2015

How to Do It

From the protection and monitoring of elephants — including the Super Tuskers — to anti-poaching canine units and assisting in human-wildlife conflicts, Big Life Foundation has made a big impact since its inception in 2010. Guests can get a glimpse into the work that goes into protecting this ecosystem by joining the rangers as they patrol Kimana Sanctuary, visiting Big Life Headquarters, or sitting down with senior members of the team to learn more about the challenges they face and triumphs they make possible. (Bookable only in camp, subject to availability, and a donation fee is required.)

Patrol With a Ranger

Each day, Big Life ranger units set off on foot to patrol every inch of Kimana Sanctuary. Guests can join these walking patrols and learn about life as a ranger from the men and women themselves — many of whom grew up in and around the area. Not only is this a fantastic way to understand the daily boots-on-the-ground conservation efforts, but it is also a wonderful way to see Kimana Sanctuary and stretch your legs. The rangers typically do 21km a day, but guests can decide the length and duration of their time on duty.

A Visit to Big Life HQ

A short 45-minute drive away from Kimana Sanctuary will take you to the heart of Big Life Foundation where the team will share details of their daily operation as well as the history of the organisation. Guests will have the opportunity to spend a few minutes in the Control Room where rangers track the Tuskers of Amboseli in real-time and respond to reports of animals or people in crisis.

A Conversation With Big Life

For those most interested in the business of conservation and gaining a deeper understanding of their work, guests can invite a senior member of the Big Life team — CEO Benson Liyan, COO Craig Millar or Co-Founder Richard Bonham — to join them at the lodge for a conversation over afternoon tea or a sundowner at The Mnara. In addition, guests may be offered the opportunity to accompany Big Life to the ‘pinch point’ corridor — an area critical to their operation — or perhaps a ‘flip’ in their biplane, to see their work from above.