Ritz-Carlton's new luxury safari camp in Kenya's Masai Mara National Game Reserve is facing backlash from locals and conservationists, who say the $3,500-a-night resort threatens one of Africa's most important wildlife corridors. The camp, which opened in August, offers 20 high-end tented suites along the Sand River, promising guests a prime view of the Great Migration, when millions of animals move between the Masai Mara and Tanzania's Serengeti, per the New York Times. But critics, including Masai community leaders and wildlife experts, argue the site sits directly in the path of migrating wildebeest, zebra, and other animals, and could disrupt a delicate ecosystem already under strain from booming tourism.
A lawsuit filed by Masai elder and conservationist Meitamei Olol Dapash accuses Ritz-Carlton, its parent company Marriott International, and their Kenyan partner of ignoring local opposition and bypassing environmental rules to build the camp. Kenyan officials granted the project a special exemption despite a moratorium on new lodges, citing the need to attract investment. Marriott says it followed all legal requirements and conducted an environmental impact assessment, but some locals say their consent was fabricated.
"Tourism is the lifeblood of the region," Masai elder Tilal Ole Sairowa tells the Times, "but we want it managed better." There were 175 camps in Masai Mara in 2024, up from 95 in 2012. During the Great Migration from July to September, "scores of safari vehicles can crowd every crossing point and every lion kill," the Wall Street Journal reports. "As a traveler, you may well be contributing to the destruction of the very place you want to visit," Dabash tells the outlet, citing instances of wildebeest turning back to avoid the Ritz-Carlton camp and an elephant struggling to migrate with his usual path blocked. He's seeking a court order to demolish the camp and plant native trees in its place.
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