With the publication of its 2025 Untold Stories report, Lemala Camps & Lodges lifts the veil on a quietly radical transformation happening across East Africa’s luxury safari landscape. In an era where “eco-conscious” has become an industry standard, Lemala is reshaping the very foundations of safari travel—elevating sustainability from a sideline feature to the core philosophy of luxury in the wild.
Through pioneering design, circular economies, and deep-rooted community investment, the Untold Stories report reveals how Lemala has created a new paradigm for what luxury in the wild can, and should, look like.
“We’re not here to do less harm. We’re here to do measurable good,” says Leanne Haigh, CEO of Lemala Camps & Lodges. “We call it regenerative existence–a complete rethinking of hospitality that doesn’t just preserve, but actively restores and enriches the ecosystems and communities around us.”
2025 Untold Stories and initiatives:
Building with Purpose Lemala’s architectural philosophy is a masterclass in regenerative design. The upcoming Lodge Lemala Osonjoi Lodge, opening in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro crater in July 2025, is engineered to ‘float’ on the landscape, minimizing environmental disruption with rooftops that double as solar harvesters. Structures are built from recycled steel and composite decking, redefining how luxury can blend with the land without burdening it. At this high-altitude site, a bespoke high-voltage solar system, calibrated for the region’s climate, reflects Lemala’s commitment to solving environmental challenges with innovation and not by compromise. Across the portfolio, solar has replaced diesel entirely, delivering modern comforts with zero emissions. Each property now prevents approximately 150 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere annually. What’s more, by the end of 2025, every Lemala mobile camp will run fully on solar power, eliminating legacy energy systems across even the most remote locations.
Hydrological Mastery
Luxury at Lemala means making the unseen exceptional. Across all properties, state-of-the-art reverse osmosis plants now deliver ultrapure drinking water without plastic. UV treatment, wireless-communicating pumps, and continuous circulation systems quietly ensure East Africa’s scarcest resource is delivered with precision and sustainability. In 2024 alone, Lemala’s system purified approximately 100,000 litres of drinking water, silently redefining what off-grid excellence looks like.
Circular Economy in Action
Where most see waste, Lemala sees material for change. Collaborating with Dunia Design, the company has transformed over 100 tonnes of plastic from Tanzania’s national parks into 195 school desks, lodge furniture, and even entire floorings. At Lemala Ngorongoro, a 7.6-ton deck has been built from recycled bottles– proof that circular systems can underpin five-star design.
At Lemala Nanyukie Lodge, damaged loungers have been replaced by eco-benches from East Africa Recycling–each crafted from 78 kilograms of recycled plastic, equivalent to 4,105 water bottles. While, 30% of the steel used in all lodge construction is sourced from scrap metal, a choice that blends sustainability with resilience.
Communities at the Core
Lemala’s impact isn’t just ecological, it’s social. Since 2017, Lemala-supported Serengeti De-snaring Teams have removed over 100,000 wire snares, rescuing more than 600 animals and safeguarding future generations of wildlife.
Meanwhile, 100% of guest fees flow directly into local development initiatives. Curio shops across the properties feature over 90% East African artisan products, supporting women-led and disabled-artist cooperatives.
The Boma Solar Installation Project, in partnership with Dancing Zebra Safari Co., delivers clean energy to Maasai households at a cost of $1,530 per unit, dramatically improving safety, education and evening study conditions for children.
Lemala’s cross-border ethos took shape in 2024, when it facilitated first-time mains electricity to Uganda’s Kasambya village, extending its regenerative footprint well beyond Tanzania.
Through partnerships with local leaders like Chief Lebolo, who controversially mandated school attendance for all Maasai girls, Lemala supports indigenous progress through practical infrastructure like security lighting, enabling a new generation of girls to study after completing daily chores.
The next generation is also being trained within Lemala’s own ranks. Its collaboration with the African Amini Secondary School continues to place young graduates in industry internships–seven students in 2023 and 2024 alone–laying the groundwork for a future of African-led conservation hospitality.
Women in Safari Leadership
In a male-dominated industry, Lemala is rewriting the narrative. The brand’s guide training program has produced breakthrough leaders like Mary Milanzi, its first female guide (2021), and Namsika Elihazina, who became Tanzania’s first female walking safari specialist in 2024.
Lemala’s Reusable Sanitary Pad Project, is equally transformative: 1,890 sanitary kits have been distributed in rural Tanzania, with 200 more in production for Uganda. Funded entirely through $10 guest purchases in Lemala’s curio shops, the kits are made by logical women’s groups and are breaking the cycle of school absenteeism for over 400 girls, sparking vital conversations around sexual health and female empowerment.
A Culture of Care
Lemala’s internal culture mirrors its external commitments. In 2024, the company celebrated 15 years of continuous service by multiple staff. Eight Tanzanian staff were rewarded with an all-expenses-paid trip to Uganda, while seven Ugandan colleagues crossed the border to experience their first safari, hot air balloon ride, and flight–a symbolic closing of the circle in cultural exchange.
From management trainee rotation to frontline empowerment, Lemala is not only redefining luxury, it’s redefining what it means to work, lead and thrive in the wild.
The future of safari travel isn’t just about seeing the wild–it’s about protecting it in ways that go beyond superficial green efforts. Lemala Camps & Lodges is showing the world what evolution looks like when luxury is reimagined as a force for measurable, lasting change.
