THE AKASHINGA LODGE
THE AKASHINGA LODGE
Akashinga Maasai is developing a luxury safari lodge - The Akashinga Lodge - within the Maasai Mara National Reserve. The company has the vision and the resources to create a safari experience that sets the highest possible bar for immersion, sustainability and service to conservation.
The eco-friendly luxury lodge will be a place that attracts responsible tourists from around the world, and where leaders convene, to chart the future of conservation for Kenya, Africa and beyond.
African co-owned, Akashinga is a purpose-driven hospitality company with a deep and long-term commitment to the communities of the Mara Region and to the development of the Kenyan tourism industry.
Akashinga leads by example. Conservation of the land and the support and uplifting of the community will be at the heart of this project. It will glean and incorporate best practice from those who have pushed the boundaries of tourism and conservation. It will then layer on its own innovations to create a custom model.
AFRICAN-LED DESIGN
Great design is a core part of Akashinga’s DNA. It has the ability to elevate experience, to minimise consumption and to provide a visceral and impactful example of quality execution. The lodge will be Africa and Kenya designed, built, co-owned and run. We will develop an authentically African aesthetic that offers an inspiring vision for the Reserve and for Kenya.
Certain design principles will be immutable: minimal physical and visual impact; local sourcing of materials; a supreme example of sustainable practices; a largely local workforce and the sensitive application of technology to improve delivery. Tactile, textured and nuanced, the lodge will showcase an amazing collection of African art and crafts. linking stories and cultures together and experiences that inspire, transform and enrich our guests.
FRANCIS KÉRÉ
Francis Kéré is one of the greatest architects alive today. Hailing from a rural part of Burkina Faso, Mr Kéré’s practice is devoted to using architecture in the service of humanity. We are honoured to be working with him.
For his work he has received the world’s highest honours for architecture including The Pritzker Prize, 2022 and the Praemium Imperiale, 2023
“I am hoping to change the paradigm, push people to dream. We are interlinked, and concerns in climate, democracy and scarcity are concerns for us all.”
THE LODGE SITE
Akashinga is currently in the process of securing a long lease on a c.25 acre site in a remote part of the Maasai Mara. The site is in an exceptional elevated position with perhaps the finest views in the Maasai Mara. One of the first points when the Great Migration crosses from Tanzania into Kenya is easily visible.
At the base of the hill, the beautiful Sand River winds through the landscape with multiple watering holes to facilitate game watching.
LEADERSHIP RETREAT
Akashinga will seek to strategically engage with the Kenya Wildlife Service and Maasai Mara Rangers, its leadership and the teams responsible for patrolling the land, and other concerned Conservation Organisations. The lodge will be a venue for Akashinga to host leadership retreats, to convene senior influencers in the tranquility and vitality of the Mara.
Collaboration is at the heart of Akashinga’s vision and it will provide the facilities, the leadership and the support necessary to ensure that collaboration is facilitated. We will provide a space where next generation of scalable solutions are ideated and actioned.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Akashinga will seek to maintain an active and useful position within the Maasai Community, that can best be measured by our positive impact on the social, cultural and economic growth of the Mara community and its wildlife resources.
Akashinga Lodge will collaborate with local government and community leadership, Maasai elders, the land management committee and school boards to offer community enhancement opportunities and programs, in coordination with Naserian Foundation.
Our community outreach programs are built around these core pillars:
- Health and Wellness
- Educational Advancement
- Socio-Economic Projects
- Job/Skills Training
- Food, Agriculture and Water Resources
- Wildlife Conservation Practices and Tourism
- Gender Equality and Empowerment
- Arts and Culture
