Sarara and the Butterfly People: The Elephant Guardians

Under the gaze of Mount Ololokwe, you’ll find stories of the Samburu, a semi-nomadic people whose culture and spirit infuse every part Sarara’s DNA, and whose passion protects the gentle giants of Africa.

So often, I still get blank looks when I mention sustainability and luxury travel in the same sentence… “Isn’t that an oxymoron?” people ask.

It’s places like Sarara, in the Mathews Range of Northern Kenya, that prove it’s absolutely not.

A healthcare system. A Montessori education network. A women’s empowerment model that redefines what economic inclusion looks like in remote communities. Micro-creative enterprises born from traditional crafts. A community-run elephant sanctuary. 850,000 acres of protected wilderness. All of it thriving because of the Namunyak Community Conservancy, predominantly funded by tourism revenue generated through the three exquisite lodges (and one remote bush camp) that make up Sarara.

It sounds cliché to say that this is a place where time stands still, but that’s truly how it feels to be there. The four short days I spent with the Samburu stretched into what felt like weeks, not just because of the full, early mornings (getting up at 5am is infinitely easier when there are baby elephants to meet), but because of the sheer vibrancy of life in the valley and the total disconnection from the relentless pace of the Western world.

At Sarara, sustainability isn’t an add-on or a branding exercise. It’s the invisible thread that holds everything together; from the careful way the lodges are built (using local materials and solar energy) to the respect with which every drop of water, every tree, every person is treated.

And luxury here isn’t about excess. It’s about experience and humanity; waking to hot coffee delivered to your door before dawn, walking silently through the wild, observing unusual wildlife, sharing stories of love and life with the local ladies, and learning to read the stars with the Warriors.

Your hosts - The Butterfly People

The Samburu call themselves Loikop, “the people of the land,” but to many they are affectionately known as The Butterfly People. The name comes from their extraordinary decoration; layers upon layers of brightly coloured beads, feathers, and shukas that seem to flutter as they move across the landscape. Each colour tells a story: red for bravery, white for purity, blue for the sky that shelters them.

It’s more than decoration; it’s identity, history, pride and harmony. The Samburu believe that beauty and nature are intertwined; to dress in colour is to mirror the vitality of the earth and sky. They also hold the belief that to capture their image, or that of their livestock, is to capture part of their soul. When you arrive at Sarara, you’re asked, respectfully, not to take photos of the local people (unless they work at a lodge) or their herds in the valley.

At first, it feels strange to leave your camera (or phone) behind. We are so conditioned to document everything, to view the world through our lenses rather than our eyes. But the result of leaving your devices behind is a deep and remarkable presence. Every colour, sound, scent becomes more vivid.

Every element of Sarara’s operation, from the lodges to the elephant sanctuary, is community-owned and community-run. The Samburu people are the guides, the managers, the storytellers, the decision-makers (and the mischief-makers). Their intimate knowledge of the land and its rhythms shapes every guest experience.

Revenue from every stay flows directly back into the community, funding education, healthcare, and conservation initiatives, while ensuring that cultural heritage and traditional ways of life are honoured and sustained. This model isn’t charity, nor is it tokenism - it’s true partnership, where tourism offers a tool for preservation and sustainable development.

The little giants of Sarara

At the epicentre of Sarara lies Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, the first community-owned and run elephant orphanage in Africa, and a driving force of the Namunyak Conservancy. Founded in 2016, Reteti was born from compassion and necessity; local herders were encountering orphaned or abandoned calves, victims of drought, human-wildlife conflict, or to the Singing Wells (crucial water sources for the local people, but hazards to the four-legged). The existing support for these elephants was located over 100 miles away, so rescue intervention meant they were being removed from their homeland. The Samburu people felt passionately that they were the guardians of these animals, and so became Reteti, meaning ‘refuge’ or ‘place of safety’.

Reteti’s tourism model is inspirationally observation-only. Visitors are invited to witness, quietly, the feeding and care of the young elephants by expert keepers from an elevated platform - a respectful distance that honours their recovery and natural behaviour, and helps prevent the spread of disease. With many of them suffering from pneumonia and other illnesses, this is hugely important for their health. There are no close-up selfies, no petting sessions, no staged performances for the camera. Just the sound of Samburu song, the rumble of happy bellies, and the profound joy of watching baby elephants play with one another.

The Milk-to-Market Programme

Sarara is home to many impressive social and economic initiatives, but perhaps the most inspiring is the Milk-to-Market programme. The initiative began as a practical solution during the pandemic and grew into a transformative social enterprise. When Covid-19 disrupted supply chains, the team at Reteti realised that relying on imported powdered milk to feed the babies was unsustainable. The elephants, they thankfully discovered, thrived on a more natural, local alternative: goat and camel milk.

So, the Sarara team helped establish an entirely new infrastructure - milk collection points across the valley, quality control, accounting systems, collection 4x4s and motorbikes. And with it, an entirely new local economy, predominantly driven by women.

Today, over 800 women from surrounding villages participate in the programme, selling milk from their herds to Reteti. The income they earn not only sustains their families but also strengthens their autonomy within the community; giving women financial independence and a voice in decision-making.

During your stay at any of the Sarara properties, you can wake at dawn to visit one of the milk collection-points and meet the people both running and benefitting from the initiative. These stations also now double-up as the news-posts, with the energy of local gossip palpable and so much fun to be privy to!

What else can you expect?

Days at Sarara unfold with purpose and pure joy. You might hike out from Sarara Treehouses, following forest trails through the Mathews Mountains, or ride on horseback from Sarara Lodge, alongside giraffe and gerenuk. Or if you’d rather take it slower, the wildlife gathers naturally around the waterholes below each property; elephants, Reticulated giraffe, zebra, and even the occasional leopard slipping through.

The following morning, rise before dawn and spend breakfast with the baby elephants, before visiting the Singing Wells (during the dry season) and their vibrant contingent of livestock and lyrical herdsmen. After lunch, join the Mamas of the valley to learn traditional beading techniques whilst sharing more gossip and laughing at shared secrets. Or meet the local blacksmiths and learn their craft alongside them.

Evenings are when Sarara truly slows. Dinner might be set in a dry riverbed at Sarara Wilderness, the night sky stretching wide and clear above you. Later, you’ll fall asleep to the sounds of the bush; the rustle of wind, distant hyenas laughing and lions roaring, the low rumble of more elephants moving through.

I’ve been lucky to travel to some incredible corners of the world, but there’s something that can only be described as ‘magic’ about this particular pocket of Africa.