Shompole Camp, an eco-lodge with elegance of an luxury eco-camp, lies on the edge of the Great Rift Valley, Kenya overlooking sun-baked plains and riverine forest, great creased volcanic mountains and lush green wetlands. It is a creation of imagination and the product of a partnership with the Masai people. Shompole Lodge constructed to emphasize the beauty of natural materials combined with flowing water and smooth white walls; the luxury camp is truly an unusual and exquisite place. The colorful Maasai that are Shompole's partners in this project remain traditional in much of their life-style and dress.
They are fully involved in the project, employed in the lodge and included in any decision-making involving the business. They welcome visitors to both the Shompole camp and their villages and are an important focal point of accommodation in Shompole Hotel. In addition, the area is also home to the Tanzania Masai whose white beads and very traditional way of life, distinguish them from the Masai of Kenya. Initiated by Anthony Russell, an experienced Kenya safari guide and conservationist, and with the support of a strong team both in the Nairobi office and in the Shompole hotel camp, the project has successfully combined the expertise of a quality Kenya safaris tour company and the eagerness and hard work of the Maasai people.
The Maasai comprise the majority of camp staff, tour guides and project coordinators on site, along with some experienced staff from the coast who contribute their skills to ensure a high standard of service. Guests are hosted by professional management, who will ensure that every detail of their accommodation is attended to. The 4-Cs: Community, Conservation, Commerce and Capacity-building, are the watchwords of this project and serve to reinforce what it is all about. Shompole's aim is to create a self-sustaining tourist operation as the figurehead of the venture, which will allow the Maasai the opportunity to both improve their standard of living and learn new skills.
This is only the first stage and already, with the assistance of EU funding to improve the infrastructure and assist in the management of the Conservancy, the project is gaining momentum in other areas. Private investment will contribute to the establishment of bee-keeping projects, schools, clinics and fisheries projects among others. In time, the Maasai will become the majority shareholders while Anthony Russell's team assists in maintaining a high standard. Beading projects with the Maasai women of the Group Ranch have attracted interest from international designers including Christina Kim from Dosa, as well as World of Interiors magazine. More importantly, it allows the women an income of their own and helps to elevate their standing in the community.
Shompole Lodge is located on the edge of the Nguruman Escarpment overlooking the Great Rift Valley, 120 kilometers south of Nairobi on a 35,000 acre Conservancy, surrounded by 140,000 acres of Shompole Group Ranch, which provides a dispersal area for wildlife and buffer zone. It is a short private charter flight (30 minutes) from Nairobi, the Mara or Amboseli. Solar energy provides approximately 70% of the electricity used here, a clean renewable energy source. The remaining 30% is supplemented from a generator, as a back up charge to the battery bank. In time, Shompole is looking to further invest in renewable energy so that all the energy comes from the sun or other renewable sources.
All of Shompole Hotel water comes from a natural spring near the lodge. The off-take is proportionate to the quantity sustainable produced from the spring. Shompole estimates to use 20% of its total output on 120,000 liters produced in a 24-hour period. Unused water is allowed to spill over into the water hole below camp and is carried back from the water hole to the tree-lined river below the lodge thus continuing the natural cycle. The drains from the washing areas have a grease trap, which separates the grease from the water before it is released back into the surrounding environment through a system of natural sumps. Shompole aims to capture and keep as much nutrient in the surrounding ecosystem and minimize the losses from it.
They compost all organic wastes from the kitchen, like all fruit/vegetable peelings and wastage. These all add a valuable source of nutrients into the soil of the garden, and through careful management it produces an exceptional array of fruit and vegetables back to Shompole's kitchen, without the use of inorganic inputs. In the kitchen Shompole has created a system of inorganic waste collection in the form of glass and plastics, which are collected, bagged and sent out of Shompole. The glass is recycled through a local glass making industry near Nairobi. For plastic, Shompole is linked with a fencing scheme, which recycles plastic into fence posts, used to reduce human wildlife conflict in areas of Kenya and to reduce the use of wood, a resource under increasing pressure in Kenya today.
The Shompole camp is located in an arid region. October and November tend to be the hottest months of the year, while April and May tend to be wet. Because it tends to be hot during the middle of the day, activities normally take place during the mornings and evenings, while the middle of the day is spent relaxing by the pool or in the shade of the rooms and mess. The Conservancy area is home to many species of animals and birdlife and includes one of the most ecologically diverse areas in Africa with environments ranging from rainforest, through acacia woodland, grass plains, riverine forest, salt plains and soda lakes.
There is an abundance of plains game and night animals frequently seen include aardwolf, civet, serval, leopard and striped hyena. Elephant, lion and cheetah are found in the swamp and grassy plains, while the birdlife is varied and plentiful. All funds collected from Conservancy fees contribute to the maintenance and patrolling of the area and to projects that benefit the community as a whole; such as the establishment of schools, clinics and other self-sustaining businesses. The variety of landscape available at Shompole allows for a great range of activities from early morning and evening walks, night drives, sundowner visits to Lake Natron to see the flamingos, picnics and nights spent out in romantic fly-camps.
Horse-riding, camel-riding clay pigeon shooting and river trips are among the many activities that are planned for the future. The pre-historic site of Olorgesaille offers an interesting day out. The experience and skills of Maasai guides and trackers play an important part in the experience Shompole offers. Activities are unscheduled and organized according to the preferences of the guests. Guests will also have ample time to relax and enjoy the facilities of the camp itself. The style of the lodge is unique, totally open & devoid of walls. As such, if you're averse to having bats flying in your room at night and roosting in it by day, this isn't for you. On the upside though, there is more natural experience. If you like bird watching, you can sip a cold drink in your room and see a dozen species land within twenty feet of you before you need a refill. The wildlife viewing will exceed your expectations, the wildebeest and gazelle are abundant which meant a healthy supply of lion and leopards.
The lodge is an absolutely wonderful retreat for a honeymoon or family holiday vacation experience, you couldn't have asked for anything more, it is a dream come true, from the moment you arrive you are like Royalty, everything is done for you, on your schedule. You tell them what time you want to have breakfast and dinner, when you want to go on your game drives and what time you want to be woken in the morning. Nothing is forced upon you and you don't have to follow the plans of anyone else, you do what you want, when you want. Your tour safari guide is a local Masai who had been to college to learn more about the guest services industry, he is the one who met you us at the airstrip and stays with you throughout your drives.
The personal touch of having the same safari guide each day is a wonderful idea as they get to understand your wants/needs for your stay and you get to personally interact with the same person each day and learn about their lives. The staff are wonderful, many from the local village, always helpful and friendly and really makes you feel welcome As Shompole is a private lodge built on a private conservancy area, the wildlife is not as you would expect in the Masai Mara. The only difference to the Masai Mara experience is that these aren't wandering past your lodge in front of your eyes, you have to go out looking for them, but that only intensifies the excitement of the drives. The other amazing thing about Shompole hotel is that the lodge only has 6 rooms, so you really are treated to an abundance of privacy, even down to the drives. Not once will you bump into another safari vehicle, let alone another human being whilst you are on your drives, it is literally just you and the outdoors as far as the eye could see.
The lodge itself was a wonder, everything is made from locally sourced materials and all is Eco-Friendly. Each of the 6 rooms faces out across the Great Rift Valley and has no walls to the front. So each morning you wake up to the view of the wilds and are the most amazing vista you'll ever experience. All of the rooms have their own private plunge pool - great for when the midday heat hits you - and there is also a communal swimming pool in the main lodge which has an infinity edge looking across the valley. The meals are served either in your room or in the communal dining room. You are free to mingle here with the other guests or you can carry on your privacy at a table just for two. The meals were brilliant considering you are in the middle of nowhere and the wines far too tasty.
After dinner drinks can be taken in the lodge surrounded by candlelight and lamps whilst looking at the stars all around. It really is a romantic place to spend your honeymoon. Overall African safaris and Adventures would definitely recommend this luxury lodge to anyone and everyone, whether you are looking for a honeymoon retreat or can afford to splash out on a romantic getaway for a few days, family safari. It is a place of great natural beauty, interesting cultural experiences, unique architecture and good service. The game is more than adequate with no crowds and night drives are a plus
Shompole Lodge Accommodation
Situated on the side of the Nguruman escarpment, overlooking the stunning expanse of the Great Rift Valley, the camp is positioned ideally to make the most of both: an incredible view and the cool breeze. Constructed using naturally occurring white quartz stone, pale thatch and other materials, and using water as a prime feature, each tented Shompole room provides a very spacious, shady oasis in this green desert environment. With privacy, comfort and relaxation in mind, each room consists of cool-pool and informal sitting areas, a bathroom with a view and a specially designed tent, which includes vast windows and a high-canopied roof.
There are 6-tented rooms: 4 doubles, 2 twins. All rooms en-suite with private cool-pool and lounge. Extra beds can also be added. In the rooms you will notice that there is hot water. Shompole have eco-heaters that can burn anything to heat the water, which in the initial stages after construction were all wood remnants and off cuts that the lodge still use today, as well as the cardboard boxes, waste paper, and cattle dung in proportion. The establishment of tree-based units is among the projects planned for the future. These will be ideal as a night-stop for walking and horseback safaris. Rustic and simple in design, they will offer the guest a taste of the unspoilt bush experience and a proximity to nature and wildlife that will appeal to all ages.
Little Shompole - consists of two private suites located within a few minute's walk from the main Shompole Lodge. Each suite has a lounge area, cool-pool and sun-deck. Both rooms share a private mess and horizon pool that overlooks the Lake Natron basin and the volcanic hills of Northern Tanzania.
Shompole House is the latest addition to the property, an ideal retreat for a family or a group of friends to share and enjoy. Built largely from local materials, the Shompole House straddles the ridge above Shompole Lodge. It comprises two bedrooms, en suite bathrooms, swimming pool, dinning area, waterfall shower, and outside bath. The master bedroom is a spacious and open plan offering spectacular views across lake Natron and the Loita hills stretching to Oldonyo Lengai. A cascading waterfall feeds the two swimming pools the larger of which has an infinity edge from where you can appreciate the surroundings.
Shompole Lodge Information
After 20 years work with wildlife and tourism in Kenya, Anthony Russell decided that the only way to achieve a fair and stable future for them was to arrange for local people to have a stake in and later control of tourist camps lodges in Kenya. Cash grants, schools and clinics are not enough because they do not acknowledge the locals' right to what happens on their land. They do not address the question of income from and ownership of the one money-spinner in a remote area, the lodge.
So he set up Art of Ventures to establish lodges jointly with local communities. He then spent three years earning the trust of the Maasai people of the Shompole ranch. They have joined him in his first venture, Maa O'Leng (Maasai for 'deeply of our people'), for which he raised $1.2million from investors. The lodge, with a sweeping view of the Rift Valley from a spur of the Nguruman Escarpment, opened in February. The Shompole Maasai own 30 per cent, in view of their contribution of land, a spring and materials. The plan is that, by reinvesting their earnings, they will raise this to 80 percent in 15 years.
Shompole, the brown land is on the Tanzanian border, three hours' drive southwest of Nairobi. It is one of several ranches set up by nomadic, cattle-herding Maasai in Southern Kenya. It supports an estimated 6,500 people, and covers a section of the Rift Valley between two flamingo-rich soda lakes, Magadi and Lake Natron. It is dry, blasted by the sun, but the Brown River (Ewaso Nyiro) flows through it into Lake Natron. It boasts grassland, acacia woodland, papyrus swamp, glistening white saltpans and - along the river - a fig forest. Antelopes, anteaters, baboons, monkeys, cheetahs, giraffe (under threat elsewhere in Kenya), leopards, lions, pythons, ostrich, zebra and over 300 kinds of bird live on the ranch, the Maasai having little interest in killing game for meat.
Anthony Russell's first step was to persuade the Shompole people to set aside a sixth of their ranch as a conservation area where they would not graze their cattle and goats except in extreme circumstances. The European Union has backed this with $190,000, which is being used to build a road through swampland, equip and pay 25 local people as game rangers and educate the community about conservation. The relative safety of the conservation area has already attracted a herd of 85 elephants.
Shompole people have earned $15,000 helping to build the tourist lodge, which artfully combines river rock, grass thatch and wood with smooth white walls. Guests sleep in high-canopied tents for two with muslin shade-cloth sides, under huge thatched roofs designed to mimic the silhouette of nearby mountains. Rooms have simple furniture, made by Maasai craftsmen, and each room has a cool pool. Spring water flows through the main mess, feeds the swimming pool and runs on to a watering hole for animals. Anthony Russell was keen that the lodge should be groundbreaking in design. Electricity is largely sun-generated. Maa O'Leng achieved 28 per cent occupancy in its first six months, much higher than expected. Guests - a maximum of 12 so they don't harm the surroundings - pay $330 a day, including drinks, activities and full board. They also pay a $20-a-day conservation fee, half of which goes to the Shompole community, for health, education or other community purposes.
Guests can go out for walks, night drives, river trips and bush dinners. They can visit Maasai homesteads, the lake flamingoes and Ologesaille, a pre-historic site. They can canoe, or float on rubber tires, down the river. One couple remarked: "You don't need to die. You are in paradise here." Forty-two Maasai have wage-earning jobs, as waiters, cooks, room stewards and guides, which they never had before. Art of Ventures brought in skilled roofers from the coast that have taught young locals their trade, enabling them to roof their own homes and earn money roofing other people's home's.
Elizabeth Warner, Anthony Russell's American partner, has started a beadwork business with a group of Maasai women, their work being sold both in the shop and abroad. Pools have been built for fish farming. Other income-earning possibilities for local people include beekeeping, furniture making and the sale of dried meat and tomatoes. Art of Ventures plans to set up more lodges similar to Shompole's and hopes that other enterprises will follow its lead. Anthony Russell told Vogue: "There are areas of Kenya that have more dramatic wildlife. What makes Shompole Lodge special are the people and the fact that this is a real wilderness experience."
African Safaris and Adventures say:
The thoughtful and imaginative blend of tourism and local community development marks this project out as a worthy winner. We particularly commend the commitment to local skill building, and the robust plans for graduated transfer of ownership to the community in the longer term. We found the model inspiring and, despite these being early days, it is already showing strong signs of delivering commercial and community benefits. Challenges lie ahead, but Art of Ventures' approach to up-market eco-tourism deserves to be emulated widely by all tour operators in Africa. The Shompole project shows how effective co-operative ownership is when applied in such an integrated fashion. A beautifully simple concept, well applied.
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