This eco-friendly lodge lies on the slopes of Kenya's Chyulu Hills (Hemingway’s Green Hills of Africa), which look toward Tanzania's majestic Mount Kilimanjaro. Campi ya Kanzi is a pioneer of community eco-tourism and the most awarded eco-lodge in East Africa. Chosen as one of the 50 best eco-lodges in the world by National Geographic, it is built from local materials and uses solar technology to supply hot water and electricity to six luxury tented cottages and two tented suites. All water is cropped from the rains and grey water is filtered and fed into a waterhole for local wildlife. The lodge is a partnership with the local Maasai community of the 400-square mile Kuku Group Ranch. The reserve encompasses a wide variety of ecosystems, reflecting in a great array of wildlife. In addition to the famed Big Five (buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion, and rhino), many other uncommon animals are present - wild dog, cheetah, and lesser kudu, among others. Combined with classic game drives, a game walk with your professional guide and Maasai tracker will be the highlight of your safari experience. Campi ya Kanzi is proud to be pioneering a new conservation model through the complete involvement of the local Maasai chiefs. Guests assist by contributing a daily conservation fee of $100, which goes directly toward the welfare of both the local Maasai and wildlife. Responsible eco-tourism preserves the wildlife heritage of this important East African wilderness and allows the Maasai to continue their traditional way of life - more than a millennium old. We are truly a leader in ecotourism – Gold-rated by Ecotourism Kenya, the first to be so rated in Kenya. At the recent United Nations Rio+20 summit the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, which we support won the Equator Prize and our Maasai head guide and manager was named Champion of the Earth. In the words of Edward Norton, President of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Fund, “the contribution that Campi ya Kanzi makes to Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust is a shining example of the way that the romance and adventure of tourism in the last, best wild places can actually help preserve those places for the future.”
