ANDBEYOND SUYIAN LODGE SUYIAN CONSERVANCY, LAIKIPIA, KENYA

May 1st, 2024

ANDBEYOND EXPANDS LODGE AND IMPACT FOOTPRINT IN KENYA’S LAIKIPIA REGION WITH EXCLUSIVE TOURISM CONCESSION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GLOBAL CONSERVATION CHARITY SPACE FOR GIANTS

Luxury experiential and conservation company andBeyond has extended its lodge circuit in Kenya with the announcement of an Exclusive Tourism Concession over the 44,000-acre Suyian Conservancy in Kenya in partnership with global conservation charity Space for Giants. The multi-decade long-term lease and partnership gives andBeyond exclusive access to over 44,000 acres of prime wilderness land on Suyian Conservancy in north-western Laikipia. As the sole luxury lodge and tented camp operator on the conservancy, the lease enables andBeyond to use its extensive lodge operating experience to build and develop, over time, the finest lodge, tented camp, sky beds and mobile camping experience in Kenya on this pristine and private wildlife conservancy.

“Our expansion into Laikipia is the culmination of a long-held desire to increase our impact and lodge operating footprint in Kenya. Laikipia is a prime wilderness area that is home to a greater population of wildlife than anywhere else in Kenya outside of the Masai Mara. This includes a large number of globally threatened mammals that make it particularly important from a conservation perspective. Representing a critical piece of the Kenyan circuit, it not only offers a world-class game experience but also aligns with many of our ambitious impact objectives in terms of securing and protecting endangered wildlife and habitat ecosystems, as well as enabling conservation through empowered communities,” explains Joss Kent, andBeyond CEO and Executive Chairman.

“In Suyian Conservancy and Space for Giants we have found the perfect partnership through which to bring our dream to reality. We are totally aligned in our goals to create one of the finest conservancy and lodge operations in Kenya and, indeed, Africa.”

Space for Giants was founded by Dr Max Graham ten years ago, off the back of research into the conflict between people and elephants in Laikipia, home to the second largest population of elephants in Kenya and one of the largest free-roaming populations on the continent. A key lesson from this research, the importance of removing the cost of wildlife to local people and replacing it with benefits, has driven a strategy of transforming private ranches into wildlife conservancies owned by not-for-profit trusts, attracting investment into enterprises that can ensure the region is valued, not just because it protects critically important biodiversity, but also because it generates employment and builds the local and national economy.

“Space for Giants has grown immensely in the last ten years and now operates across eleven countries in Africa,” explains Dr Graham. “If Laikipia is the heart of the organization, Suyian is its soul. Last year, through the generosity of the former owners of Suyian and a transformational gift by American philanthropist Louis Bacon, we were able to support the transition of ownership of the 44,000 acres to the Suyian Conservancy Trust, a Kenyan not-for-profit. This will ensure Suyian and its wildlife are protected in perpetuity for the benefit of Kenyans and, indeed, the world.”

The partnership between andBeyond and Suyian Conservancy represents an important milestone in the property becoming a leading financially self-sufficient model for Protected Area Management in Africa.

“In andBeyond we have a company that shares our values and has the capacity to ensure this magical natural ecosystem is not only protected but thrives,” concludes Dr Graham. “We could not have dreamed of a better partnership as a start to Suyian’s exciting journey.”

Forming part of a vital wildlife movement corridor and home to a huge diversity of wildlife, including a significant number of endangered species, Suyian boasts a variety of compelling landscapes that include grassland, savanna, rocky outcrops or kopjes, dense vechellia woodland and more than 10 miles of river frontage alongside the Ewaso Narok River. A thriving wildlife population includes rarities such as the melanistic, or black, leopard and African wild dog, as well as northern Kenyan species like Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, desert warthog and more. Elephant and buffalo are present in healthy numbers, as are lion, leopard and cheetah, in addition to both striped and spotted hyena. General game includes dik dik, giraffe, Laikipia hartebeest, Beisa oryx and lesser kudu.

With its remarkable wildlife and varying landscapes, Suyian is the ideal destination not only for an exclusive safari experience but also less commonly found activities such as walking safaris, camel safaris and horse-riding safaris on a neighboring conservancy. The diversity of flora lends itself to engaging botany walks and the rich cultural history includes evidence of cave paintings and artefacts from as far back as the Stone Age. Guests will also be able to interact with local pastoral tribes such as the Samburu and Pokot, as well as participate in conservation and research activities.

Easily accessed by air or road from Nairobi, Suyian is also a gateway to more remote adventures, such as helicopter safaris and visits to the Northern Frontier region of Kenya, including Samburu, the Matthews Range and the Endoto Range, Lake Turkana and the fabled Suguta Valley. The conservancy not only offers magnificent views of Mount Kenya but can also be used as a base for scenic flights or even fishing trips to this majestic and beautiful mountain.

Transformed from pure cattle ranching to land managed for conservation with a limited number of cattle, Suyian combines rapidly evolving conservation practices with the opportunity for community development. The conservancy utilizes a unique model of limited cattle ranching that uses rotational grazing to improve soil health and biodiversity. In combination with wildlife conservation and tourism, this not only contributes towards the economic development of neighboring communities but also ensures a more diversified income stream.

“As a partner of Suyian Conservancy, our intention is to make an impactful contribution towards the development of conservation and community projects in the fragile Laikipia ecosystem,” says Kent. “Over the past thirty years, we have learned a lot of impact lessons across our 29 lodges and 1 million acres of primary conservation land under management in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is our hope that we can share some of these learnings to support and assist in the various projects at Suyian.”

The andBeyond ethos of Care of the Land, Wildlife and People is directly aligned with the existing aims of Suyian Conservancy, which include land stewardship, wildlife protection and security, as well as community support for schools, health programs and education. Being contiguous with other nature conservancies such as Loisaba and Sosian provides the opportunity to work on shared conservation projects, as well as the possibility of creating a larger ‘super conservancy’ at some time in the future. Suyian also shares borders with the research conservancy of Mpala, which is run by Princeton University and offers the option for andBeyond guests to learn about and become involved in a multitude of conservation topics.

“Suyian offers the perfect potential for andBeyond to make a contribution to community and conservation efforts in Kenya while creating an exceptional experience for our guests,” concludes Kent. “It’s untouched nature and wild spaces, combined with our strict conservation ethics, will make this the ideal exclusive wildlife viewing destination, far from the large tourist numbers that can often be found in other parts of East Africa.”

andBeyond Suyian Lodge is expected to open July 1st,  2025. Log on to andBeyond.com or follow andBeyond on social media for further updates.

ABOUT SUYIAN CONSERVANCY

Suyian Conservancy is a spectacular and critical unfenced wildlife habitat that is part of the wider Laikipia-Ewaso ecosystem, which holds the highest diversity of large mammal species of any ecosystem of its size in the world. Suyian has been managed for decades as a working cattle ranch and as a sanctuary for wildlife, as well as providing critical support for local communities. It is home to 55 mammal species, including elephants, wild dogs, reticulate giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, gerenuk, lion, leopard, cheetah and over 260 bird species. The conservancy forms part of a critical wildlife movement corridor between Laikipia and the northern conservancies, allowing elephants and other species to move with the rains. Suyian forms part of over 200 000 acres of privately managed land with conservation as the primary aim. www.suyian.org

ABOUT andBEYOND

Established in 1991, andBeyond strives to leave our world a better place through the delivery of extraordinary travel experiences and our care of the land, wildlife and people. We are a bespoke tour operator for sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, South America and Antarctica. We also own and manage 29 lodges and camps across 3 continents, as well as a luxury expedition yacht. Together with our long-standing community and conservation development partner, Africa Foundation, we positively impact 75 communities and directly conserve our footprint of 1 million acres. Our 2030 vision is to scale our impact through partnerships to support the conservation of an associated 40 million acres of key biospheres and to double our 2020 impact investment, while offering discerning travelers a rare and authentic experience of the world as it should be. www.andbeyond.com

ABOUT SPACE FOR GIANTS

Space for Giants is an international conservation organization based in Africa and founded in 2011. Our mission is to protect the natural ecosystems on which Africa’s large wild animals depend, ensuring they are valued by local people.

We currently work in 11 countries across Central, East and Southern Africa, focusing on some of the most pressing challenges facing the conservation of megafauna today. We are headquartered in Kenya and are registered as a charity in the UK and a non-profit, 501c3 in the US. Learn more at www.spaceforgiants.org

 

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