Olerai Farm is home to Ian and Oria Douglas-Hamilton, known primarily for their research on the lives of elephants. Today, they enjoy a more relaxed pace of live in their beautiful home by Lake Naivasha, where they also raise the delicious duck that you’ll find in our store.
Organic Gardens
Oria has established two large organic gardens that are now expertly managed by a staff of five. Alongside ducks, the farm also rears pigs and red hens, and an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. No chemicals are used – just a lot of good old-fashioned compost that harnesses the organic power of copious amounts of hippo dung, chicken droppings, fallen leaves and green manure.
Turning back to Nature
Olerai House was the home of Kenya’s renowned elephant researchers and conservationists Iain and Oria Douglas-Hamilton, and is located on the farm where Oria grew up. The family still owns the property and Oria helps to oversee its daily management. For much of its history, it was a working ranch raising cattle and other livestock, but was also farmed for lucerne, cabbages and other crops. In 1993, the decision was made to turn it back to nature and to open a small lodge to invite guests to experience the sanctuary as it reverted back to its original environment, to the joy of the animals.
Preserving Wilderness Spaces
This decision was made in part because the family is passionate about preserving Kenya’s wilderness. In the face of the increasing pressures of modernization and a growing human population, there is less and less space for wildlife. But it was also because protecting the environment and maintaining its biodiversity is critical for our future, and there are many ways that good environmental stewardship can help improve the livelihoods of the local people. At Olerai, as in other parts of the Elephant Watch Portfolio, the family are passionate about putting their ideas into practice
