This privately owned ranch preserves a variety of habitats that are now home to over 70 mammal species, and 350 bird species. Ndarakwai, named long ago by the Maasai after native cedar trees, was farmed and ranched when Tanganyika was a German Colony. The ranch saw significant action during WW1 and trenches can still be found on the farm. In fact, some of the current Ranch boundary markers are Ger
man. After WW1 the area was ranched by the British through to Independence, in 1961, and into the 70’s. Ndarakwai was one of a number of “West Kili” farms that was nationalized in the mid ‘70’s. Between then and 1994, unregulated grazing, tree cutting and rampant poaching decimated the ranch’s grasslands and drove out the elephant and other wildlife populations. In 1995, Peter Jones (owner of Tanganyika Film & Safari Outfitters) committed himself to restoring the Ranch’s health to support wildlife populations – at the time a bold experiment in self-sustaining conservation and unique in Tanzania. The impacts of his consistent efforts have been profound. With trees and vegetation protected, there is now less run-off after the rains, the water table has risen and grass resources improved. Removing the large herds of cattle allowed the grass lands to flourish, and there has been an increase in the variety of grass species now found on the Ranch. Due to this change, wildlife has slowly moved back onto Ndarakwai. Today, elephant, zebra, eland, giraffe, wildebeest, buffalo, lesser kudu, mountain reedbuck and bush buck are just a few of the animals that call Ndarakwai home. It is also an important part of the Amboseli / Ngasurai Eco-system and helps preserve seasonal elephant routes.
