Laikipia’s Community Conservancies: Il Ngwesi, Lekurruki and More

Entice Africa October 28, 2026Safari, Wildlife & Conservation

Laikipia community conservancies are areas of northern Laikipia where local communities own the land, set part of it aside for wildlife and share in the income from tourism. The best known is Il Ngwesi, a Maasai community conservancy of about 8,645 hectares in the Mukogodo area, owned by almost 7,000 Laikipiak Maasai, whose eco-lodge puts 40 percent of its net profit into community projects. Lekurruki, Naibunga and the Koija starbeds camp work on the same principle, and our guide to Laikipia conservancies shows how they sit alongside the private ones.

This article explains how the model works, what visitors do at Il Ngwesi and its neighbours, and how a community conservancy differs from a private ranch. Where sources disagree on a size or a date, we say so and name the source.

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Laikipia community conservancies at a glance

Community conservancies sit in northern Laikipia, so they suit a longer route through northern Kenya. The closest trip on our site is the 9 Days Untamed Safari to the Hidden Northern Kenya Circuit, from USD 7,840 per person. Prices depend on season, group size and lodge choice, and you can ask the planner whether a community conservancy stay can be added.

How a community conservancy works

After independence in 1963, reserves in the north-east of the county became group ranches, where a whole community holds one shared title (Yale Tropical Resources Institute). A community conservancy builds on that title. The community sets part of its land aside for wildlife and earns income from a lodge, a campsite or cultural visits. Lekurruki’s management plan, for example, describes a core wildlife area with a buffer zone around it.

Who supports them

Many northern conservancies belong to the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT). Its own site lists 47 member community conservancies on 6.37 million hectares, with 1,366 people permanently employed by NRT and the conservancies and over 1,001,000 community members benefiting. Il Ngwesi, Lekurruki, Naibunga Upper, Naibunga Lower and Ngare Ndare appear on its member list. NRT’s tourism arm, The Big North, lists lodges, campsites and cultural experiences around Nanyuki and Laikipia.

Il Ngwesi also had a neighbour’s help. People Not Poaching lists Lewa as organiser, donor and partner, and says Lewa’s management and the Kenya Wildlife Service encouraged its formation.

Il Ngwesi: a lodge the community owns

Il Ngwesi’s wildlife story is a recovery. Commercial hunting ended in the 1970s and rhinos had disappeared by the late 1980s. Elephant is now the flagship species, and Expert Africa lists a 300-hectare sanctuary there with two white rhinos. The land is not fenced, so wildlife moves in and out. For the wider rhino picture, see our piece on rhino conservation in Laikipia.

The Il Ngwesi Eco-Lodge was built in 1996 and is owned, managed and staffed by the community. Because the people who host you also own the land, it is a different kind of stay from a lodge run by an outside operator.

What visitors do

• Night game drives
• Guided walks with a Maasai guide and an armed ranger
• The Mukogodo Escarpment climb, which takes 4 to 6 hours
• Sleeping on a star bed, at two of the six cottages

Camels and cultural visits are offered at other lodges in the wider region. Ol Malo, which describes itself as in the heart of Samburuland, lists camels, horse riding, bush walks and Samburu warrior-led hikes up the Three Peaks. Segera lists community visits to a kindergarten, vegetable gardens and a women’s bead cooperative.

Lekurruki, Naibunga and Koija

Lekurruki is run by the Lekurruki Group Ranch. Some sources name the Mukogodo community and a newer fact sheet names the Yaaku. Its size depends on the source: Expert Africa gives 243 km2, the 2016 to 2020 management plan covers 15,872 hectares, and tourism sites cite about 60,000 acres, the size of the group ranch’s 1999 title deed. Tassia Lodge is a cliffside community eco-lodge there and part of The Big North. NRT lists it as Lekurruki Conservation Ltd.

Naibunga in Laikipia North is a community initiative run collectively by group ranches. Older NRT material describes nine group ranches and about 43,000 acres set aside, though those figures come from a secondary summary, so treat them as approximate.

Koija Starbeds is a community-owned treehouse camp on the Ewaso Nyiro river. It opened on 7 March 2002 with support from the African Wildlife Foundation and USAID, in an area the foundation calls the Samburu Heartland.

Community conservancy or private ranch?

The line is not always tidy. Loisaba describes itself as a wildlife conservancy and working ranch, yet since 2014 its ownership has sat with the Loisaba Community Trust. Here is how the typical differences look.

A community stay gives you a different relationship with your hosts. A large private conservancy usually offers more lodges and more rhinos. Neither is better; they answer different questions.

Visiting a community conservancy respectfully

• Ask before photographing people, and let your guide introduce you.
• Follow your ranger’s instructions on walks; wear sturdy shoes and carry water and a hat for the escarpment climb.
• Buy crafts directly from the people or cooperatives that make them.
• Ask your hosts how the lodge income is used. A good lodge answers plainly.
• Do not hand out sweets or money to children.

For background before you go, read our piece on Maasai culture and visiting respectfully and our wider article on how safaris support local communities.

Safety and current travel advice

Travel advice changes, so check your own government’s page before you book. At the time of writing, in late October 2026, the UK FCDO’s advice on Kenya does not put Laikipia, Samburu or Isiolo on its lists of areas to avoid, but it says security operations continue in parts of the north and north-east. Reuters reported that on 19 October 2026 the US State Department raised Kenya to Level 3, reconsider travel, citing health risks and limited rural medical services. Read the live pages for the latest.

Frequently asked questions

What is a community conservancy in Kenya?

A community conservancy in Kenya is land owned by a community, with part of it set aside for wildlife and tourism. The community earns a share of the income, for example from a lodge, and uses it for local needs.

Who owns Il Ngwesi?

Almost 7,000 Laikipiak Maasai pastoralists own and manage Il Ngwesi, according to People Not Poaching. The eco-lodge is owned, managed and staffed by the Il Ngwesi (Mukogodo) Maasai community.

How long should I stay at Il Ngwesi?

Expert Africa recommends 3 nights or more. That leaves time for a night drive, a guided walk and the 4 to 6-hour Mukogodo Escarpment climb without rushing.

Can I see rhinos at a community conservancy?

Il Ngwesi has a small sanctuary that Expert Africa lists with two white rhinos. If rhinos are your priority, a larger private conservancy such as Ol Jogi, where a March 2026 report cites more than 140, is the more reliable choice.

Do the communities really share the income?

At Il Ngwesi, 40 percent of the eco-lodge’s net profit goes to community development. Arrangements differ at each conservancy and depend on how much profit the lodge makes, so ask before you book.

Can I combine a community conservancy with the Masai Mara?

Yes, a Kenya itinerary can combine regions, usually with a domestic flight or a long road transfer. See our Masai Mara safari guide, then tell us your dates and we will price the options.

Photo: Ndera Community Conservancy rangers on Patrol by Athuman Komora Garisse, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons