“Thank you for the most delightful stay and such magical moments. Witnessing three elephant families walking gracefully towards the forest in the golden dusk, a morning walking safari with such an abundance of wildlife and birdsong, and having the place all to ourselves. The seclusion and privacy of the sanctuary is incredibly special.”

Kimana Sanctuary is special. It is the central part of a crucial corridor that links Amboseli National Park with the Chyulu Hills and Tsavo protected areas, providing animals with a route through the narrowest part of the space between two settled areas. It hosts majestic bull elephants and family herds as they undertake their seasonal journeys and is a permanent home to a remarkable diversity of woodland and savannah species.

For visitors, it is a wonderful place to observe peaceful and relaxed animals in a beautiful environment. With Kilimanjaro to the south and the Chyulu Hills distantly to the north, the views are spectacular. Driving along the river you will be shaded by magnificent yellow fever trees, with grey-headed kingfishers darting along the banks and vervet monkeys keeping a watchful eye from the lower branches.

“Kimana Sanctuary and Kimana House are absolute gems of the Amboseli ecosystem. We were beyond thrilled to see large groups of elephant, ostrich, giraffe, eland, gazelle, reedbuck, zebra and more. We loved the resident warthog on the lawn of the house! Thank you to the whole team for an incredible stay and experience and to Big Life Foundation for protecting this very special place.”

Out on the open plains among the umbrella acacia trees you will find a profusion of plains game – including giraffe, zebra, gazelles, antelope, eland and a thriving population of warthogs – together with the occasional lion and cheetah.

The sanctuary is communally owned by the local Maasai people, who in 1996 had the vision to set aside this land as Kenya’s very first community conservancy. Tourism provides much needed revenue for local communities and is a critical incentive for preserving this important area of land.

The conservancy employs a team of 22 rangers who provide wildlife security throughout the sanctuary and work tirelessly to mitigate any conflict between wild animals and the neighbouring landowners, ensuring the safety of both people and wildlife.

“What a magical spot! Joshua, Jimmy and their team could not have done more for us. They made our stay perfect! The beauty and tranquility of the garden would have been enough – but the sanctuary was also just so beautiful and green and with so much healthy-looking game. The bird life was in abundance too. It was a very special four days. Thank you.”