Welcome to one of the most exciting things to happen in the Tsavo area for years. The 12,000-acre Mbulia Conservancy, which borders the extreme southeastern corner of Tsavo West National Park, close to the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway, inhabits what was, until recently, a major hideout for poachers. While poaching continues in adjacent areas, Mbulia Conservancy uses a clever mix of carrot and stick - careful community engagement and an armed private ranger force - to ensure the poachers don't return.
Although the project is still in its infancy, wildlife has already begun to return, with elephants, African wild dogs and all three big cats passing through. By the time you read this, two further developments are likely to have cemented these gains. The first is the provision of permanent water points for wildlife throughout the conservancy. Secondly, the fencing of Tsavo West's southern border will actually go around Mbulia, effectively bringing the conservancy within the protected boundaries of the park itself. If plans to extend the Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary's boundaries down to this southern border come to fruition, Mbulia's strategic importance will be further enhanced. down to Tsavo.
In the meantime, the rocky terrain which was once a perfect poachers' hideout is now a wonderful place to explore and the views out over the plains towards the Taita and Ngulia Hills are some of the most splendid in southeastern Kenya. By night, you can have that rare experience of gazing out across the plains without a single light or sign of the human presence interrupting the silence and pristine darkness of the African night.
