Amboseli is full of antelope and zebra but has virtually no big cats. The result, after years of planning and politics with the group ranch committee, the equivalent of the local council, is Eselenkei conservation area. It is a wildlife park on their land, but this time it's on their terms. Roads have been painfully cleared by hand, using just farm tools. Waterholes have been dug to make sure the wildlife stays there once the rainy season ends.
Water is a magnet.
The accommodation tents have been put up in a clearing in the middle of the conservation area. Indeed, they're not even the usual luxury safari tents. They have hot showers, copper basins, wooden wardrobes, comfortable beds and solar-powered electric lights. There's a mess tent and the food is cooked for you but, perhaps fortunately, it is not traditional Masai fare. I didn't need to decline politely the traditional Masai appetiser of cows' milk with fresh blood.