Indigenous Based Tourism
A New Model for Tourism in Maasailand
Indigenous Based Tourism
Dopoi is different from a more typical tourist accommodation. We offer excellent lodging, food and other amenities, and provide you with comfort, a warm and welcoming atmosphere, and beauty on your stay. But while you enjoy comfort and beauty, you can also be sure that your visit supports the local Maasai community in every conceivable way. Dopoi Center is a Community Based Organization, which means that we are accountable to the local community, which ensures that we hire locally and fairly, share water and other resources equitably, negotiate even grazing land with our neighbors during droughts. You will likely see Maasai people gathering at Dopoi for meetings and you are welcome to say hello and connect with our community about current issues and initiatives.
The Dopoi Center sponsors the Mara Guides Association (MGA), the first Maasai workers union, and we train and certify local people to expand employment in the tourism industry. MGA guides offer visitors a unique opportunity to learn about the wildlife from the people who know it best.
Immerse Into Maasailand
Experience
Maasai maintain a pastoral economy, traditional governance and culturally grounded spirituality through changing realities. You can schedule opportunities to learn from Maasai teachers about the community’s education system, built on nine qualities of character, the rhythm of ceremonies through which Maasai people progress as age groups, and the culture’s restorative justice court system.
Dopoi organizes classes with local Maasai elders to teach these elements of culture.
Meet
Maasai people live with the wildlife that the world comes to the Mara to see. They especially know the lions that comprise the Mara’s 19 prides, their histories and lineages, and the dynamic movement of wildlife through the landscape.
All visitors at Dopoi are guided in the reserve by members of the local union of Maasai workers in tourism, the Mara Guides Association (MGA). MGA guides are trained and certified through Prescott College.
Learn
Maasai language contains an understanding that human beings are embedded in the natural world, not separate from it. By learning just a little bit of the language, you can experience new levels of awareness of the land, the wildlife and the culture that protects them, and can share some conversation with the majority of Maasai people who do not speak English.
