Farming, community and conservation work at Mugie House

When you stay at Mugie House, you’ll get to learn about life on a real Kenyan ranch and get involved with our community and conservation work. We’re located on the 50,000-acre Mugie Conservancy, which was set up to protect ecosystems for native wildlife like big cats and elephants. We’re also home to endangered and rare species, from Jackson’s hartebeest to the reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra and oryx – all of which you might spot during a game drive in the area.

The conservancy also preserves natural wildlife corridors that many of these animals use to roam between the Laikipia plateau, the Matthews Range and Samburu. Just by staying at Mugie House you’re helping to fund the protection of this area, but some of our other conservation projects you can get involved with include re-planting indigenous trees and taking part in big cat tracking. Go out with a safari guide to track lions that have been collared for research purposes and to prevent conflict between the animals and local herdsmen and their cattle.

Mugie House is a traditional Kenyan cattle ranch and we love to show guests how we work. For instance, every Saturday, our animals get taken to the spray race to get rid of ticks and you can go down there to watch the process, it’s a colourful, noisy experience. In the evening, you can also watch the animals being herded back into their predator-proof enclosures and help count them in. It’s a great insight into everyday life on a working Kenyan ranch. As part of the farm tour, you’ll usually visit our vegetable gardens and meet Tala, an orphaned giraffe who lives near the office and loves interacting with guests.

Mugie lies on the very edge of the Pokot community’s land. These indigenous people are nomadic pastoralists permitted to graze on Mugie, similar to the Maasai and Samburu, but lesser-known. Their culture is very distinct from these groups, they don’t wear such bright colours and make unique glass beadwork. There aren’t many places where you can encounter the Pokot in Kenya, so interacting with them is a unique, authentic experience for guests. Governors’ helps to support the Pokot with funding for schools and health clinics that you can visit while you stay with us.