Luxury and Conservation in Africa's Cradle of Humanity

RIFT VALLEY, Kenya--Nov. 14, 2007 — -- The first thing you notice when visiting Southern Kenya's Shompole Lodge is that you are literally in the middle of nowhere. The only way to get there is by a four-seat chartered plane. Your airport is a large strip of dirt where brush has been cleared, alerting wild animals in the area to beware, this area is for humans.

Your taxi is a large, green, four-wheel drive truck and your driver's "uniform" is made up of colorful scarves tied around his body with long earrings in his ears. Only it's not his uniform, he's from the Maasai tribe, so it's his everyday attire. As you look around and take in the incredibly open blue sky, the lush mountains to your left and the dry flat land surrounding you for miles, you realize that you're not in the middle of nowhere, but perhaps in God's country.

Welcome to Kenya's Great Rift Valley, considered by many to be the cradle of humanity. This part of the valley, called Shompole, borders Tanzania and is home to lions, wildebeests, buffalo and other African wildlife. About 2,000 Maasai also live here. For many years, the Maasai and the wildlife didn't see eye to eye, says John Lengio, the local Maasai leader.

"Sometimes we used to have lions killing cows, eating them and by doing so people would become angry and they want to kill them," said Lengio. "Maasai were proud of killing wildlife, especially the strong like buffalo and lions."

The results were disastrous. Seven years ago, overgrazing, deforestation and destruction of the ecosystem left the community on the brink of poverty.

That's when Anthony Russell, a renowned Kenyan architect and luxury safari operator, stepped in. Russell approached Lengio with a unique business proposal. He would make the community business partners in a new Shompole luxury lodge, if it would be responsible for conserving the wildlife.

"When I came here and explained to the locals this is what we can do together, they said 'we have no money so how can we be partners in business with you?'" said Russell. "The idea was, no, you don't have money, but you have natural resources on your ranch."