Ol Kinyei Conservancy is one of the 4 big conservancies of the great Masai Mara ecosystem alongside Mara North, Naboisho and Olare Motorogi. The conservancy covers an area of 65 square kilometres and is characterised of rolling hills, riverine forests, open savannah grasslands and an abundance of water in the form of river and springs.
Ol Kinyei Conservancy was founded in 2005 when members of the Maasai Community set aside some of the farming land to protect the wildlife and natural habitats from being encroached by human activities. In return the conservancy has supported the community with a sustainable income source and helped locals protect their sacred lands.
Ol Kinyei Conservancy is the oldest Maasai Mara conservancy and it hosts several species of wildlife and bird life, some of the animals in the conservancy include several species of antelopes, laughing hyenas, prides of lions (recorded to be 20 lions in the conservancy), Grant’s zebra, wildebeests, cape buffalo, cheetah, leopards,
Birdlife in Ol Kinyei Conservancy are recorded to be over 300 species and they include Abdim’s Stork, African finfoot, African wood owl, Ayres’s hawk eagle, Cinnamon-breasted bunting, Denham’s bustard, Giant kingfisher, Grey-crested helmet-shrike, Grey penduline tit, Hildebrandt’s starling, Jackson’s widowbird, Lazy cisticola, Ostrich, Purple grenadier, Red-throated tit, Ross’s turaco, Rosy-throated longclaw, Rufous-bellied heron, Rufous-throated wryneck, Saddle-billed stork, Schalow’s turaco, Secretary bird, Silverbird, Southern ground hornbill, Swahili sparrow, Tabora cisticola, Temminck’s courser, Trilling cisticola, Usambiro barbet, White-bellied go-away bird, Woolly-necked stork, Yellow-mantled widowbird and Yellow-throated sand grouse among others
HISTORY OF OL KINYEI CONSERVANCY
Ol Kinyei Conservancy was the first conservancy to be established within the Great Masai Mara Ecosystem , the conservancy is a brain child of partnership between 171 Masai Landowners and a safari operator. Wildlife species found in the conservancy freely roam without having to circumnavigate fences or other man made barriers between the various Masai properties.
The Great Migration happening between June and October treks through the conservancy which is an en-route to the Naboisho Conservancy and the Olare Motorogi Conservancy.
All Masai cattle are not allowed within the conservancy which has given land a chance to regenerate and recuperate from years of overgrazing, the conservancy’s conservation efforts have resulted into a thriving population of wild animals. Currently, Ol Kinyei Conservancy is a home to abundance of wildlife species from gazelles to buffaloes and from leopards to lions and the rare wild dog.
THINGS TO DO IN OL KINYEI CONSERVANCY
Game drives
Ol Kinyei Conservancy has a wonderfully diverse topography and plenty of wildlife making it a perfect destination to do game drives, these game drives are done in categorizes that is early morning game drive between 6:30 am and 7 am , afternoon game drives and evening game drives starting at 6 pm to catch a glimpse of nocturnal animals such as lions, leopards, cheetah, African wild dogs among others.
Bush Breakfasts, Picnic and Sundowners
Dining is an experience of its own to experience in Ol Kinyei Conservancy through Bush Breakfast, picnic and sundowners, bush breakfast is set up in a site overlooking the plains. During the game drives you can take a break and enjoy a picnic under the shade of an acacia tree.
Freshly prepared food and drinks served on this experience are kept cold in the cool box in your vehicle, as well as chairs and a table ready for you when you get hungry.
A day in Ol Kinyei conservancy is ended with a sundowners experience where you will watch the sun sinking behind the hills from a scenic rocky escarpment with an ice-cold drink in hand.
Guided walks
Guided walks offer travellers an opportunity to stretch your legs with expert Maasai guides who know the conservancy very well, this experience is a great way to learn more about the different species of wildlife and the ecology in the conservancy.
WHERE TO STAY IN OL KINYEI CONSERVANCY
In Ol Kinyei Conservancy there are beautiful accommodation establishments dedicated to offering a safe and comfortable home away from home to tourists on a Kenya safari visit, these accommodations include Porini Cheetah Camp and Ol Kinyei Gamewatchers Adventure Camp. These camps are very exclusive and small scale, offering accommodation to a maximum of twelve guests per night, also the camps follow sustainable eco-principles and have been awarded a gold eco-rating by Eco tourism Kenya.
WHEN TO VISIT OL KINYEI CONSERVANCY
Ol Kinyei Conservancy can be visited all year around, however the best time to visit is between July and October during the Great Migration offering you an opportunity to witness the world’s largest wildlife migration.
Another season to visit the conservancy is from January and February which is the driest season, this period offers excellent wildlife sightings and great conditions for safari.
GETTING TO OL KINYEI CONSERVANCY
Ol Kinyei Conservancy is situated about 240 kilometres away from Nairobi the capital of Kenya, by road it is a journey of about 4.5 hours by car on quite bumpy roads. The conservancy can also be accessed by frying from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport to Olare Motorogi airstrip or to the Ol Seki Airstrip in the Naboisho Conservancy.
