They know the best routes across a landscape, and their repeated journeys carve well-worn paths through any terrain. These ‘elephant highways’ are used by all animals, humans included, and it is said that many of the original roads constructed in Africa followed these ancient paths.

Thanks to the USAID-funded ‘Sustainable Management of Amboseli and Tsavo Landscapes Project’, a new road will soon allow visitors to follow in the footsteps of elephants, through the ALOCA community conservancies that protect the Kimana Corridor.

The road connects to Kimana Sanctuary and will provide a much more direct (and scenic) route to Amboseli National Park for guests staying at Angama Amboseli, one of Big Life’s tourism partners located there.

Conservancy access fees paid by users of the route will support conservation projects in ALOCA and provide income for landowners. This also incentivizes people to keep land natural and open for wildlife. There are almost too many wins to count.

It’s an exciting time as Big Life and others support the development of community conservancies in Amboseli, including through construction of roads and other foundational infrastructure. This is being done in a controlled way, to avoid the ‘over-tourism’ plaguing some of Kenya’s other famous destinations, to ensure that tourism continues to provide the maximum benefit for wildlife conservation AND local communities.

It’s just one way we can make sure that hundreds of years from now, there will still be elephants to follow through the bush.

Images: Jeremy Goss & Joshua Clay