Luxury experiential and conservation company &Beyond has extended its lodge circuit in Kenya with the announcement of an Exclusive Tourism Concession over the 44 000 acre (approximately 18 000 hectares) Suyian Conservancy in Kenya in partnership with global conservation charity Space for Giants.
The multi-decade long-term lease and partnership gives &Beyond exclusive access to over 44 000 acres of prime wilderness land on Suyian Conservancy in north-western Laikipia. As the sole luxury lodge and tented camp operator on the conservancy, the lease enables &Beyond to use its extensive lodge operating experience to build and develop, over time, the finest lodge, tented camp, sky beds and mobile camping experience in Kenya on this pristine and private wildlife conservancy.
&Beyond CEO and Executive Chairman, Joss Kent, said “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. This includes a large number of globally threatened mammals that make it particularly important from a conservation perspective. Representing a critical piece of the Kenyan circuit, it 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.”
“In Suyian Conservancy and Space for Giants we have found the perfect partnership through which to bring our dream to reality. We are totally aligned in our goals to create one of the finest conservancy and lodge operations in Kenya and, indeed, Africa.”
Space for Giants was founded by Dr Max Graham ten years ago, off the back of research into the conflict between people and elephants in Laikipia, home to the second largest population of elephants in Kenya and one of the largest free-roaming populations on the continent. A key lesson from this research, the importance of removing the cost of wildlife to local people and replacing it with benefits, has driven a strategy of transforming private ranches into wildlife conservancies owned by not-for-profit trusts, attracting investment into enterprises that can ensure the region is valued, not just because it protects critically important biodiversity, but also because it generates employment and builds the local and national economy.
The partnership between &Beyond and Suyian Conservancy represents an important milestone in the property becoming a leading financially self-sufficient model for Protected Area Management in Africa.
The &Beyond ethos of Care of the Land, Wildlife and People is directly aligned with the existing aims of Suyian Conservancy, which include land stewardship, wildlife protection and security, as well as community support for schools, health programmes and education.
Being contiguous with other nature conservancies such as Loisaba and Sosian provides the opportunity to work on shared conservation projects, as well as the possibility of creating a larger ‘super conservancy’ at some time in the future. Suyian also shares borders with the research conservancy of Mpala, which is run by Princeton University and offers the option for &Beyond guests to learn about and become involved in a multitude of conservation topics.
“Suyian offers the perfect potential for &Beyond to make a contribution to community and conservation efforts in Kenya while creating an exceptional experience for our guests,” concludes Kent. “Its untouched nature and wild spaces, combined with our strict conservation ethics, will make this the ideal exclusive wildlife viewing destination, far from the large tourist numbers that can often be found in other parts of East Africa.”
&Beyond Suyian Lodge is expected to open 01 July 2025.
