Meet Ann, Sarara’s first female guide

After working her way up from a casual worker post high school, Ann Naipiman became Sarara’s first female safari guide in October 2021.

This is her story.

What is your name and surname?
Ledakanya Ann Naipiman

Where were you born and where did you grow up?
I was born in Wamba in Samburu, near the base of Mathews Mountain

What is your current role at Sarara?
Safari Guide

When did you join Sarara?
December 2019

When did you decide that you wanted to be a guide?
Working as a casual worker I used to enjoy hearing all the stories about the game drive sightings they had on their game drives. Hearing them speaking brought an enthusiastic feeling in me. I then learned that there hasn’t been a a female guide in camp, and this further inspired me to follow this journey.

What led you to working at Sarara - where did you work before and how did you find out about Sarara?
When I was through with high school, I didn't have money to go to college so I came to Sarara to look for casual work. Sarara was my first working place. I was offered a place by Jeremy and Katie in their home with their kids Saba and Lokwe. My dad use to talk a lot about Sarara and conservation and I became very interested to be part of it. Now I’m a guide at Sarara!

What is your most memorable animal sighting?
Aardvark

Briefly describe what your typical day looks like.
Mornings are the quietest part of the day. I wake up to the looming clouds overlooking the Mathew ranges, a cold shower is inevitable from the water from the Mathew’s springs. I usually take morning hikes with guests to the beautiful elephant corridors and pathways in the mountain’s forests, and then we are back to camp at around 9h30 or 10h30.

Then I have a half-morning coffee, and usually have lunch at around 13h00 to 14h00. Afternoons are normally the hottest part of the day, so things slow down a bit. The guests take a swim or rest and then sometimes all I can do from 14h00 to 15h30 pm is take a nap! :)

From 15h30 I start to prepare my game drive vehicle and make sure cold drinks are packed and ready for an evening game drive which will run from 16h30 until 19h30, followed by dinner after which I retire to bed.

What’s the one thing you think that people don’t know about Sarara?
The success story behind conservation in the Sarara Valley. When the Sarara project started in 1997, Reticulated Giraffe numbers had plummeted and elephant had already endured 2 decades of unprecedented poaching. Guests would be lucky to catch a glimpse!

Through 20 years of pro-active community conservation, those few remaining animals became the building blocks for what is today, one of the biggest herds of Reticulated Giraffe and Elephants in Kenya. Roughly 350 Reticulated Giraffe use the Sarara valley today as their perennial home making for a fabulous wildlife spectacle and in being critical towards maintaining the delicate balance that Nature needs to thrive.

Any advice for people booking their first safari?
Yes. Not only have the expectations of wildlife and culture but also be enthusiastic about landscaping and conservation in the area.

Quick Fire with Ann

When you are not working, what do you enjoy doing?
Hiking

Do you have a favourite animal?
Elephant

How many languages do you speak?
Three: Samburu, Swahili, English

Do you have a family of your own?
Not yet. I’m in courtship preparing for marriage.

What’s the one thing you think that people don’t know about the Samburu Culture?
People sometimes think it’s backward and primitive culture, while it is actually totally the opposite of that.