According to Robyn Boyd, owner of African Latitude, “This community lodge is the first of an entirely new tourism circuit which will bring benefit and employment to the local communities,” Given Kenya’s current political state and the high rate of tourists and expatriates leaving or avoiding the country, Kenya needs some form of hope. Programs such as these can help assert Kenya’s role as a leader in East Africa. “This circuit will link different communities bordering conservation areas and national parks in East Africa and encourage the communities to create their own conservation projects with the ultimate objective of helping them reap economic benefit from wildlife protection.”

African Latitude has been in the safari business for well over twenty years and has recently been ranked as one of National Geographic Adventure’s top ten safari outfitters in the world. The key to their success lies within their close ties to the community and directly involving the Masai in their operations and benefits of those operations. In addition, African Latitudes creates a safari experience off of the beaten paths to fully immerse their clients in culture and wildlife.

Ties to the Masai have already met with great success. After years of working with the Masai, African Latitudes proudly presents the first female Masai guide in all of Kenya. This is a breakthrough in that it is rare for a Masai woman to not follow the traditional path expected of females. It is the first step in many, proving that following a model of sustainability is possible – that rare mythical beast.