The Koyiaki Guiding School and Wilderness Camp

Masai Mara, Kenya

Basecamp Explorer Kenya recently took over the responsibility for operating the well-known Koyiaki Guiding School (KGS) and the Koyiaki Wilderness Camp (KWC) in the Masai Mara. The camp secures funding for the school through an annual lease fee generated through operation of the camp.

The tourism sector in Kenya has often failed to acknowledge the importance of including local people in the development of tourism activities, and of sharing the benefits generated from tourism. The Masai Mara Group Ranches were established to counteract this exclusiveness of the tourism sector and the marginalization of local communities by the central government in development issues. The Koyiaki Group Ranch recently established the Koyiaki Guiding School (KGS) - the only school of its kind in the Mara region, and indeed one of few successful initiatives of its kind in Kenya.

The KGS trains and certifies professional guides seeking local, regional and national employment in the tourism sector. The school is open for both men and women. Due to a general lack of women in this business, the KGS encourages women to apply.

The Koyiaki Wilderness Camp (KWC) was established to create a viable financial platform for the guiding school. The camp supports the school by providing services to paying guests, as well as functioning as a practical training site for the students.
Basecamp Explorer Kenya has also provided on-site training for KGS students since the school was established three years ago.

Basecamp has a nearly 10-year long track record in operating ecotourism facilities in both Kenya (Masai Mara and Lamu), in India, and in the Arctic (Svalbard, Norway). The lessons learnt through creating and running an award-winning and ‘Gold’-rated destination (by the Ecotourism Society of Kenya) in the Masai Mara are of great value to KWC and KGS, now that Basecamp has taken over operations. In particular, the emphasis Basecamp puts on training local Maasai in guiding and camp management is beneficial.

Basecamp has, over the years, developed a constructive relationship with the Maasai community in and around Talek village, as well as in the Koyiaki Group Ranch area. Both the Guiding School and the Wilderness Camp fit well with Basecamp’s dedication to local employment, community development and conservation.

Part of our plans for running the Guiding School is to develop a state-of-the-art ecotourism product that would include the certification of its operations by the Ecotourism Society of Kenya. We also intend to work towards developing a wider community-based conservation plan, that would include wildlife, boomas and Maasai culture, where Basecamp, Koyiaki Wilderness Camp and Koyiaki Guiding School are integral parts of the process.

Basecamp sees KGS and KWC as one integrated initiative that belongs to the community and, as such, it should provide an excellent platform for Maasai youth to become the guides, managers and tourism leaders of tomorrow.

Partners:
Koyiaki Group Ranches
Koyiaki Guiding School
Koyiaki Wilderness Camp
Ron Beaton
Basecamp Explorer Kenya

Funding:
Basecamp Foundation
Confex Norway AS (developer of courses, conferences and events)
Private donors