County Reviving Community Based Tourism
Updated on: Oct 08, 2020
County government of Laikipia has made deliberate efforts to revive the tourism sector in the region. Tourism is one a leading sectors in the economy of Laikipia County as well as the whole country. The tourism sector in laikipia in the last three years has been venturing in supporting cultural based tourism (CBTOs) run by organized communities dominated by women and youth especially in pastoral com-munities where the potential is immense.
The revival efforts by government include construction of resource centres to act as conference facilities and rehabilitation and construction of Bandas, creating campsites, and construction of curios or Shanga facilities. The county also through the Department of Tourism has been offering trainings that teach the CBTOs customer relations, communication skills, book keeping and financial management, diversified beadwork products.
Marketing has also been a major focus for these facilities. The County Government has constructed a cottage at Twala tenebo cultural manyatta. Twala/tenebo is a cultural village in Ilpolei Group Ranch in Mkogodo West ward that was created in 1998 to reduce poverty and improve livelihoods through eco/cultural tourism and bio-enterprises by a group of Maasai women. Some of the services Twala Tenebo village offers include; Com-munity meeting resource centre rental for 100 visitors, ecomanyatta cottages that accommodate up to 22 guests, camping grounds, bee-keeping enterprise, Aloe production for cosmetics, beadwork enterprise, and curio shop. On top of that, three guided eco-walks, that is, walking with baboons, walking with livestock and touring and landscape, also are provided. Also authentic experiences for visitors which foster respect for the environment and local culture exist.
Some of the benefits members of this cultural village get are getting dividends bi-annually, 10% of in-come for supporting education for Maasai girls, and 10% of income to support elderly community members.
The department has also constructed a Resource Centre at Ngambolo Cultural Centre which contains a 100 capacity conference facility and an extra room serving as a curio shop for the bead products in Kijabe group ranch, Mkogodo West ward. Cultural entertainment, practices and beadwork products are the key practices in the Centre. Construction of a Resource at Naatum Cultural Manyatta has been complete courtesy of Laikipia Government. This has facilitated a conferencing and catering services with a capacity of 80 individuals. The Manyatta is located in Murupusi Group Ranch in Mkogodo West and helps the women undertake beadworks, organic farming, beekeeping, aloe products and safari camping. Rehabilitation of Two Bandas by county government at Ilngwesi Community Eco-lodge in the idyllic Mukogodo Hills is complete. Ilngwesi Group Ranch in Mkogodo East is a community run tourism model.
There are six individual bandas or cottages, with adjoining outdoor showers. Two ban-das include a platform in which the bed can roll out so guests can spend a night under the stars in comfort. Facilities also include a large sitting area and a swimming pool that looks out over the wilderness. Guests can often view game from the comfort of the lodge that overlooks a watering hole, thus a perfect getaway for a honeymoon or a romantic holiday. It is run and managed by the Maasai community, and 60% of the income of the lodge goes direct back to the community, unique location, very quiet and vast area to see wildlife, good cuisine, expert guides. Rehabilitation of two Bandas at Ol Gaboli Eco-lodge is also complete. This is a Community Lodge in Il Motiok Group Ranch and is the only tourism facility owned by an all-womens pastoralist group in Sub-Saharan Africa. The lodge is an excellent base for rafting, canoeing, mountain biking, walking, trekking and rock climbing.
With over 2 million acres of wonderful African wilderness visitors can enjoy the vast expanses of Laikipia exclusively. It has 5 rooms (bandas) all built from local stone with traditional thatched roofs. Each banda can ac-commodate between 2-8 people, depending on sleep arrangements. Other ongoing cultural based tourism works to better tourism in the county include construction of a Resource Centre at Tool in Mkogodo West and construction of a Resource Centre at Arjiju Cultural Manyatta.
The revival efforts by government include construction of resource centres to act as conference facilities and rehabilitation and construction of Bandas, creating campsites, and construction of curios or Shanga facilities. The county also through the Department of Tourism has been offering trainings that teach the CBTOs customer relations, communication skills, book keeping and financial management, diversified beadwork products.
Marketing has also been a major focus for these facilities. The County Government has constructed a cottage at Twala tenebo cultural manyatta. Twala/tenebo is a cultural village in Ilpolei Group Ranch in Mkogodo West ward that was created in 1998 to reduce poverty and improve livelihoods through eco/cultural tourism and bio-enterprises by a group of Maasai women. Some of the services Twala Tenebo village offers include; Com-munity meeting resource centre rental for 100 visitors, ecomanyatta cottages that accommodate up to 22 guests, camping grounds, bee-keeping enterprise, Aloe production for cosmetics, beadwork enterprise, and curio shop. On top of that, three guided eco-walks, that is, walking with baboons, walking with livestock and touring and landscape, also are provided. Also authentic experiences for visitors which foster respect for the environment and local culture exist.
Some of the benefits members of this cultural village get are getting dividends bi-annually, 10% of in-come for supporting education for Maasai girls, and 10% of income to support elderly community members.
The department has also constructed a Resource Centre at Ngambolo Cultural Centre which contains a 100 capacity conference facility and an extra room serving as a curio shop for the bead products in Kijabe group ranch, Mkogodo West ward. Cultural entertainment, practices and beadwork products are the key practices in the Centre. Construction of a Resource at Naatum Cultural Manyatta has been complete courtesy of Laikipia Government. This has facilitated a conferencing and catering services with a capacity of 80 individuals. The Manyatta is located in Murupusi Group Ranch in Mkogodo West and helps the women undertake beadworks, organic farming, beekeeping, aloe products and safari camping. Rehabilitation of Two Bandas by county government at Ilngwesi Community Eco-lodge in the idyllic Mukogodo Hills is complete. Ilngwesi Group Ranch in Mkogodo East is a community run tourism model.
There are six individual bandas or cottages, with adjoining outdoor showers. Two ban-das include a platform in which the bed can roll out so guests can spend a night under the stars in comfort. Facilities also include a large sitting area and a swimming pool that looks out over the wilderness. Guests can often view game from the comfort of the lodge that overlooks a watering hole, thus a perfect getaway for a honeymoon or a romantic holiday. It is run and managed by the Maasai community, and 60% of the income of the lodge goes direct back to the community, unique location, very quiet and vast area to see wildlife, good cuisine, expert guides. Rehabilitation of two Bandas at Ol Gaboli Eco-lodge is also complete. This is a Community Lodge in Il Motiok Group Ranch and is the only tourism facility owned by an all-womens pastoralist group in Sub-Saharan Africa. The lodge is an excellent base for rafting, canoeing, mountain biking, walking, trekking and rock climbing.
With over 2 million acres of wonderful African wilderness visitors can enjoy the vast expanses of Laikipia exclusively. It has 5 rooms (bandas) all built from local stone with traditional thatched roofs. Each banda can ac-commodate between 2-8 people, depending on sleep arrangements. Other ongoing cultural based tourism works to better tourism in the county include construction of a Resource Centre at Tool in Mkogodo West and construction of a Resource Centre at Arjiju Cultural Manyatta.
