The Age of the Agriturismo
The word agriturismo combines two Italian nouns, agricoltura and turismo. Born out of necessity, the concept helped keep small Italian farms viable by welcoming guests into their homes and around their tables. On Kenya’s Laikipia plateau, the idea takes on another dimension, where cattle ranching, wildlife conservation and hospitality coexist on the same land.
At the table in Laikipia
A family ranch, an organic shamba and a bush kitchen at El Karama.
Most of us can conjure an image of Italian hospitality: a warm greeting, a good glass of wine and an abundance of nourishing, seasonal food that keeps on coming.
It is this same spirit we found during our recent stay at El Karama Lodge in Laikipia, northern Kenya. Only here, elephants gather at a salt lick as the sun begins to set, and the hours between meals might be spent exploring the surrounding wilderness by Land Cruiser, on foot or on horseback.
El Karama began as a cattle ranch established after Kenya's independence by Guy Grant. Today, his son Murray and daughter-in-law Sophie continue as the second generation of stewards of the land, raising their family on the property while balancing cattle ranching, wildlife conservation and hospitality.
The family opened the lodge in 2005, creating an additional source of income to support conservation on the property.
Yet it is perhaps around the dining table that El Karama's agricultural roots become most apparent.
During our visit, we spent time in the family's organic shamba, Swahili for garden, where herbs and vegetables grow beneath protective netting. The garden supplies much of the fresh produce used in the kitchen, with the seasons influencing what appears on the menu.
Much of what arrives on the table has been picked from the garden just metres away. It's simple, generous cooking, and all the better for knowing where it comes from.
The property also has its own dairy, which is also run by the Grant family and supplies El Karama and neighbouring properties, while all of the meat comes from regenerative farmers in Laikipia, just a few kilometres away.
Every night was more sumptuous than the last, from slow-cooked lamb to Mexican pulled pork, followed by an array of beautiful desserts we are still dreaming about.
The lodge's airy, barn-style bush kitchen is central to this approach. Guests are welcome to visit, meet the chefs and see how the day's produce is prepared. Sophie's enthusiasm for growing and cooking inspired The Bush Kitchen: Notes and Recipes from the Wild, published in 2022, sharing recipes and observations from life at El Karama.
What makes the experience interesting is that the garden, kitchen, working ranch and surrounding wildlife are not separate attractions arranged for guests. They are part of everyday life on the property.
From the Italian countryside to the Kenyan bush
How a 1985 law kept Italy's small farms working.
As small Italian farms struggled to remain economically viable during the mid-twentieth century, farmers began welcoming paying guests to supplement their income. Italy formalised the practice in 1985, allowing farms to offer accommodation, meals and rural experiences, provided agriculture remained their principal activity.
Hospitality was there to support the farm, not replace it.
Over time, the agriturismo became one of Italy's most appealing forms of rural hospitality, offering travellers good food, beautiful landscapes and an opportunity to experience life on a working property.
In Kenya, the relationship between agriculture and hospitality has developed differently. Across Laikipia, cattle ranches and wildlife conservancies have found ways to accommodate travellers while continuing to manage the land for livestock, wildlife and the communities who depend on it.
Where cattle and wildlife coexist
What a moved cattle boma leaves behind, and why ranch managers take note.
Across Laikipia, the relationship between livestock and wildlife is more complex than it first appears.
Unlike national parks, where land is principally reserved for wildlife, many of Kenya's conservancies occupy privately or communally owned properties that have historically supported cattle ranching and pastoral livelihoods.
One particularly interesting example is the traditional practice of housing cattle overnight in temporary enclosures known as bomas. Originally constructed from thorn branches to protect livestock from predators, some modern versions use mobile fencing, allowing the enclosures to be moved regularly.
As cattle gather overnight, their dung enriches the soil. Once the boma is relocated, the concentrated nutrients encourage new vegetation, creating fertile patches that can attract wildlife long after the livestock have moved on.
Research conducted in central Kenya by ecologists Lauren Porensky and Kari Veblen found that, 32 months after temporary cattle corrals were abandoned, browsing and mixed-feeding wild herbivores used the resulting patches at rates nine times higher than comparable surrounding areas.
Some ranch managers deliberately incorporate the movement of bomas into their wider land management practices.
Of course, grazing is not universally beneficial. Too many cattle can degrade vegetation and place pressure on natural resources. But careful management can create conditions that benefit both livestock and wildlife.
For travellers, these working landscapes offer a different perspective on safari. Behind the wildlife encounters are ranch managers, herders and conservation teams making daily decisions about grazing, rainfall, predators and the long-term health of the land.
When tourism serves the land
What a lodge's guests help pay for on a working conservancy.
Across Laikipia, much of the land supporting wildlife lies outside the boundaries of national parks. Maintaining these landscapes requires investment in habitat management, wildlife protection and the people who care for them.
At El Karama, hospitality helps make that work possible.
According to the Grant family, conservation fees collected from guests are reinvested directly into El Karama Wildlife Conservancy. The lodge also supports local employment, training and community initiatives, while sourcing ingredients from neighbouring farmers and suppliers where possible.
A safari is often remembered for its wildlife encounters: a pride of lions, elephants gathering at a waterhole or giraffes crossing an open plain.
But spending time on a working property offers another perspective. It introduces visitors to the people and practices that make conservation possible, and the economic realities of maintaining these landscapes.
This is what makes agricultural hospitality particularly interesting. The countryside isn't presented simply as a picturesque escape. It remains a place where people live, work and depend on the land.
The Italian agriturismo tradition was founded on a simple principle: tourism should support the land rather than displace the work that sustains it.
Kenya's working conservancies operate under different circumstances, but the principle remains relevant.
At El Karama, cattle continue to graze, vegetables are harvested from the garden and wildlife moves freely through the conservancy. Guests are welcomed into a place whose purpose extends well beyond their stay.
The land is not merely the setting for the experience. It is the reason the experience exists.
At Immersion Safaris, we incorporate visits to working ranches, farms and conservancies into our agricultural travel experiences, connecting guests with the people and practices that shape rural Kenya.
Where: El Karama, Laikipia, northern Kenya.
Getting there: A one-hour flight from Nairobi's Wilson Airport to Nanyuki airstrip, or a scenic drive of around four and a half hours by 4x4.
When to go: The dry months, from late December to March and from June to October. The long rains usually fall in April and May, and the short rains in November.
Where to stay: Grown-ups will love the privacy of the River Cottages or Nilotica House; kids will be between the pool and Bush School.
