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Reteti Elephant Sanctuary is the very first entirely indigenous-owned and operated African Elephant sanctuary in the world. In their 10 years of operation, they have saved over 170 elephants, injured or orphaned, from certain death. You can visit this incredible sanctuary to support the ongoing efforts of the Samburu community to protect the elephant and also improve the lives of the Samburu people living in the remote reaches of Kenya.
Through various rescue programs, their “milk mamas” initiative, and extensive tracking of released elephants, Reteti has been able to save the lives of so many different animals and improve relations between people in North Kenya and wildlife. Formerly a hotbed for poaching, these regions now get to see the benefit of preserving wildlife and making sure elephants have their own wild spaces. If you want to donate to the cause, you can do so here.
Elephants are the surprising culprit behind the vast majority of wildlife-human conflict in Kenya and African nations in general. They move around quite a lot, need massive amounts of food (often from farmland), and are extraordinarily dangerous. Elephants still today kill dozens of locals every year in Kenya. I’m not trying to blame the elephants here. Humans have multiplied and encroached on THEIR space. Our towns and villages are stretching deeper and deeper into their territories. But it’s important to understand the situation that elephants are in and why they often have a hard time garnering sympathy from local residents.
Now let’s get into the details of visiting Reteti Elephant Sanctuary.
What is Reteti Elephant Sanctuary?
Reteti is a fence-less expanse of protected land owned by the Samburu community. The 850,000-acre Namunyak Community Conservancy, to be precise. Everyone from the expert elephant keepers, specialized veterinarians, and local security teams is Samburu. When a call is made to KWS or, now often, directly to their team that an elephant needs rescuing, they mobilize a helicopter and set out for rescue. Some of the common kinds of rescues are when a baby elephant gets stuck in a local well (they are quite large) or if a baby is separated from the herd for a long period of time.
Reteti veterinarians then bring the elephant back to the sanctuary, nurse the animals back to health, and continue to care for and bottle feed them for around 7-9 years. At around that age, they can be re-released into the wild where they were originally found. Not alone, but back into their old herd. While tourists can visit here to support the sanctuary’s efforts, it’s not set up to maximize tourist exposure and involvement, rather to allow you to witness the wildlife in action.
Who Runs Reteti Elephant Sanctuary and Where Does the Money Go?
Just in milk alone, it costs upwards of $5,000 per day to feed the entire current herd of rescued elephants. Add to that expensive rescue operations, tracking of released elephants, medications for injuries, and paying the staff who do all the feedings and care, and it becomes pretty clear where the funds go.
Saving a species is expensive.
But what I think is more interesting is how the money supports the Samburu people. Because THAT is what truly sets this particular sanctuary apart in Kenya. While Sheldrick in Nairobi National Park is run by a British family and works closely with KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service) and international organizations, Reteti is run by an indigenous tribe. The Samburu have long been marginalized in Kenya for their semi-nomadic way of life and deeply rooted ancestral traditions. They have not had the same welcome into society as the Maasai have (despite being “sister” tribes). They are pushed into sparsely populated, harsh landscapes with few prospects for jobs, education, or making any kind of income.
Reteti has changed that. Not only does the massive sanctuary offer jobs to many Samburu in the area, but they buy ALL their milk at a fair market price directly from Samburu women. This is the “Milk Mamas” program, and it’s totally changed the lives of Samburu women in Northern Kenya. You can learn more about the program here.
Reteti has also given the Samburu people a reason to really value the wildlife that they so often struggle to live alongside. Now, rather than revenge killing an elephant who kills someone in their village, they will contact Reteti and organize a rescue of the elephant to relocate it instead. The sanctuary has totally changed the mentality of locals living near the conservancy.
Visiting Reteti is a great way to not only support the wildlife conservation efforts in Kenya but to advocate for the Samburu themselves.
My Personal Opinions (Unsponsored) About Visiting Reteti
After hopping from park to park in Kenya and seeing countless elephants in the wild (as well as loads of other animals), I was lukewarm about visiting Reteti at best. Sure, it’s always great to see animals up close, and I wanted to support the Samburu-led organization but also….how good could the visit really be when you’ve seen them wild?
I was totally blown away.
First, I underestimated how pretty the drive out to Reteti would be from Archer’s Post. One of the most scenic in Kenya, in my opinion. Then, I wasn’t aware that the other species Reteti rescues would be just roaming about 5 feet from me. We got to hand-feed baby giraffes, kudu, and gerenuk during our visit. All totally a surprise. Then, the elephants. There were dozens of them, and seeing elephants who had been previously injured (like long’uro) was so impactful. Also watching the feeding time was hilarious as they all ran in from the bush.
After feeding, we got to learn about the operation and explore the grounds. I was really impressed with all the work they had done and the excellent care the animals were in. It was totally worth the money and the drive in my experience, and I would absolutely love to visit again one day.
Is It An Ethical Wildlife Experience?
1000%.
This is always my biggest concern when visiting animal sanctuaries or attractions anywhere in the world. But Reteti checks all the boxes. Not only are the animals all left to their own devices with no fences forcing them to do anything (other than the ones to protect guests and keepers), they will ALL be released into the wild. This is a temporary home for them.
Do You Have to Stay at Sarara?
This is one of the myths surrounding Reteti in the Kenya tourism industry. Sarara is a stunning luxury resort situated just up the road from Reteti on the same conservancy. They work in conjunction with the sanctuary and help with a lot of the funding. But ecolodge treehouse rooms or canvas tents tucked into the cliffside at this hotel go for around $800-$2,000 per person per night, depending on the room and the time of year. Obviously, not for the budget traveler.
But if you have the funds, definitely go for it. This is seriously one of the most bucketlist-worthy stays in Africa, and you get extra perks and private visits to Reteti. You can browse rooms here.
But you do not have to stay at Sarara to visit Reteti. They offer midday visit slots to non-guests.
How to Reach Reteti as an Independent Traveler or Self-Driver
The adventure is reaching Reteti Elephant Sanctuary.
But there are actually two options.
1. Flying to Reteti Elephant Sanctuary
Most tourists on an African safari package fly into the private airstrip on the Namunyak Community Conservancy, which happens to be about 10 min from Reteti and Sarara. This is obviously the more expensive option (albeit easier) and not really feasible for most independent travelers. But if you’re planning on taking a tour and want to make sure it includes Reteti, these local operators include Reteti on the itinerary.
2. Driving to Reteti Elephant Sanctuary
This is the route that, for some reason, most travelers overlook. I’m a huge proponent of self-driving in East Africa, partially because it is cheaper, but mostly because the experience is just better.
I wrote a full blog post detailing the perfect road trip route through Kenya. Reteti is obviously included on this route.
You can 100% drive to Reteti. It takes about 8-9 hours from Nairobi, however, so I would not recommend a straight shot. From Archer’s Post, it’s a much more manageable drive. Here’s a screenshot of the route.
Essentially, you’ll follow the beautiful paved tarmac road from Archer’s Post to Sereolipi. Cross OVER the bridge/river in town and drive past the secondary school on your right. There will be a sign pointing you down a steep road just after the bridge that says Reteti. IGNORE IT. This is the old road. Instead, take the left after the secondary school at the second Reteti sign. Then you can follow an offline map like Maps.me to Reteti along the dirt road through Samburu villages onto the conservancy.
It will take about 2.5 hours to reach the sanctuary from Archer’s Post.
Were the Roads to Reach Reteti Challenging?
The paved road portion is one of the nicest roads in all of Kenya. The dirt road, on the other hand, was a little technical in parts. Nothing crazy; it was mostly hard-packed dirt, but I could see if you visited at the wrong time of year, this could be a challenge.
Do I Need a 4×4 Vehicle?
You definitely need a 4×4 vehicle for this journey. We engaged 4-wheel drive for the dirt portion of this trip. It was needed. We rented a car and camping gear from Road Trip Africa (who gave us the all clear to drive up here, as this is further than most car rental companies allow). We’ve had nothing but amazing trips renting cars from them.
You can browse their Kenya rentals here. Again, not an affiliate link, just really love their company and am passing on the recommendation.
When To Visit If You’re Self-Driving?
You are going to want to visit during the dry months. This is because while the landscapes get lush and pretty and green in the rainy months, it can also make the dirt road with lots of washouts very challenging to traverse.
I would avoid March to May and Nov/Dec for this reason. Unless you like a little risk and challenge. It’s a straight road, just might become a bit of a mudpit after the rain. The choice is yours.
Answering All Your Reteti Questions Before You Book Your Visit
Let’s do a rapid-fire section on common questions travelers ask when they are considering coming to Reteti Elephant Sanctuary.
How Much Does a Visit to Reteti Cost?
While officially, the sanctuary is donation-based, it’s $75 per person to visit if you are not a Kenyan Resident or Citizen.
How Do I Arrange My Visit or Can I Just Show Up?
You can arrange your visit directly from the website. You must schedule your visit at least 24 hours in advance. Ideally, more. As you can see from the site, the midday feed is the one reserved for non-Sarara guests. Fortunately, because the reserve is so off-the-beaten-path, there will likely not be any other guests during your visit.
Do I Get to Feed the Elephants?
No. You get to watch the elephants being fed. This is so the elephants don’t become habituated to human contact and become more of a nuisance when they are inevitably released back into the wild. They are also 100% wild African Elephants and very dangerous despite how cute they look.
What DO I Get To Do When I Visit?
You get to watch the feed from up close, feed some of the other resident animals they have by bottle (giraffes and kudu can be habituated more to humans before release as they aren’t a danger in the same way elephants are), and learn about the place.
I promise you won’t leave disappointed.
Is There Somewhere to Stay Nearby?
As I mentioned before, the only place to stay nearby is Sarara. If that is out of your budget, then you’ll have to do what we did and make it a round-trip from Archer’s Post. We left at 8 AM and returned after spending several hours at Reteti around 4:30 to Archer’s Post. It’s a full-day adventure.
Archer’s Post is your base for exploring Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves.
Can I Visit Year-Round?
Technically, yes. But as I mentioned, it will be much easier to self-drive if you do it during the dry season months.
Am I Allowed to Self-Drive?
Again, yes. I just wanted to tack this on here one last time for clarity. It seems to be something that tour operators discourage, and Reteti said they have a lot of guests who arrive under the impression there was no other way to visit than to fly. You can definitely self-drive to reach Reteti.
In the end, Reteti Elephant Sanctuary was one of my very favorite afternoons in all of Kenya. I mean, how many destinations can you pet a baby gerenuk? I highly recommend adding this ethical sanctuary to your self drive itinerary, especially if you’re already planning to be in the Samburu area.
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