andBeyond expands into Laikipia

While the Masai Mara National Reserve and Amboseli National Park tend to hog the limelight when it comes to safari destinations in Kenya, award-winning conservation company andBeyond has its sights set on introducing global travellers to the wild charms of the country’s northern Laikipia plateau.

That’s thanks to the opening — in 2025, so be patient — of andBeyond Suyian, expanding the brand’s footprint of high-end camps and lodges into a new frontier for tourism-led conservation.

The new lodge came about after andBeyond signed a decades-long concession agreement for rights to develop safari tourism in the 18,000ha Suyian Conservancy. Part of the wider Laikipia-Ewaso ecosystem, the region is said to support the highest diversity of large mammal species of any ecosystem of its size, anywhere in the world.

“Our expansion into Laikipia is the culmination of a long-held desire to increase our impact and lodge operating footprint in Kenya. Laikipia is a prime wilderness area that is home to a greater population of wildlife than anywhere else in Kenya outside of the Masai Mara,” says Joss Kent, CEO of andBeyond. “A critical piece of the Kenyan circuit, [Suyian] not only offers a world-class game experience but also aligns with many of our ambitious impact objectives in terms of securing and protecting endangered wildlife and habitat ecosystems, as well as enabling conservation through empowered communities.”

The concession is a partnership with global conservation charity Space for Giants, founded by Max Graham in a bid to mitigate conflict between people and elephants in the region through a strategy of transforming private ranches into wildlife conservancies.

“Space for Giants has grown immensely in the last 10 years and now operates across 11 countries in Africa,” says Graham. “If Laikipia is the heart of the organisation, Suyian is its soul.”

Thanks to the new partnership, andBeyond will be the only luxury lodge and tented camp operator in the Suyian Conservancy. Over time the brand plans to develop a tented camp, sky beds and mobile camping experience in addition to the luxurious andBeyond Suyian lodge that is slated to open in July 2025.

The new 14-suite lodge — including family options — has been envisaged as a sculptural structure that will draw inspiration from the harsh rocky landscape of the conservancy. Blending this raw biophilic input with a sense of contemporary flair, expect spaces to take design cues from the traditions of the seminomadic Samburu tribes of the region, coupled with no shortage of modern luxuries. Blending texture and colour to create a deep sense of place, most of the furniture and finishes will be crafted by Kenyan artisans.

But luxury is only part of the story here, as guests head off the beaten track to discover a truly remarkable ecosystem. 

Suyian is part of a critical wildlife corridor in the region and plays host to a vast array of wildlife, including many endangered species. That includes rare species like the melanistic (black) leopard and African wild dog, as well as animals specific to northern Kenya: Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and desert warthog. There are also healthy populations of elephants and buffalo here, along with lions, leopards, cheetahs, and striped and spotted hyenas.  This remarkable diversity is partly thanks to a diversity of topography that ranges from grassland savannah and rocky outcrops to dense woodlands. The conservancy also includes more than 16km of riverfront along the Ewaso Narok River.

Beyond the wildlife and safari excursions, guests will be able to tap into experiences unique to this corner of northern Kenya. Walking, camel and horse-riding safaris will be possible on a neighbouring conservancy, while botany walks will introduce guests to the diversity of flora in the region. Suyian boasts a rich cultural history too, with evidence of Stone Age cave paintings and artefacts, while guests will also be able to interact with local pastoral tribes such as the Samburu and Pokot, as well as participate in conservation and research activities.

That includes discovering the innovative land management that guides Suyian. Once used exclusively for ranching, under andBeyond, the Suyian Conservancy will combine indigenous cattle ranching and community development with conservation, contributing towards both biodiversity and soil health as well as the economic development of surrounding communities.

It’s a perfect example of how community and conservation are at the very heart of 21st-century safari tourism, as companies use the lever of luxury travel to protect and conserve some of the earth’s most threatened wild spaces.

“Suyian offers the perfect potential for andBeyond to make a contribution to community and conservation efforts in Kenya while creating an exceptional experience for our guests,” says Kent. “Our intention is to make an impactful contribution towards the development of conservation and community projects in the fragile Laikipia ecosystem.”  

With 29 lodges across Africa, andBeyond currently plays a meaningful role in protecting more than 400,000ha of wilderness. With the Suyian Conservancy, another corner of Africa becomes a safe harbour for both wildlife and communities.