Oria Douglas-Hamilton wanted to support her husband, Iain's research and charity, Save the Elephants which is based in the Samburu National Reserve and so she built Elephant Watch Safaris which is a first in Africa and it offers a unique and intimate experience by venturing into the secret world of elephants. The camp is eco-friendly and everything about the camp is a feast for the senses and guests are looked after in great style.

Here at Elephant Watch Camp, our goal is to make a difference, not only by helping the elephants, but also the environment, the people, and other wildlife. There are several projects currently underway:

* Women's Workshop
* Elephant Conservation Project - Suckling
* Big Cat Convservation Project
* Tree Conservation
* Scholarship Programme


Women's Workshop:
Oria is dedicated to the women of Kenya. At her farm on Lake Naivasha, Olerai House, she is proactive in educating women on birth control and abuse. At EWS, she has organized a Women's Handicraft Workshop. The women belonging to this workshop create magnificient beaded accessories and are helped to market their work. A portion of all guest fees is earmarked to benefit the Women's Workshop.

Big Cat Conservation:
The main goal of the Big Cat Conservation project is to identify the big cats (lions, cheetah, leopards) and track where they go in Samburu, Buffalo Springs, Shaba, and the surrounding areas. Cats in this region are very vulnerable as they live in areas inhabited by nomadic people and are constantly coming into conflict with them. To date, 41 individual lions have been identified. At left is "Mama 1," a female in the Koitogor Pride, who had 2 cubs in July 2003, and also adopted the cubs of another lioness, Sempei, and now goes around with 4 cubs. Mama 1 is the main female in the Koitogor Pride. The photo clearly shows the right side whisker spot pattern, which is how lions are identified.

To follow