Gone Native

Singaporean Laura Yung and her husband Andre Cohen bought a safari lodge in Kenya to contribute to conservation and community building efforts in the country.

- KAREN TEE

When it comes to holiday homes, most people would probably explore destinations in the region that are closer to home like Indonesia or Malaysia. But not Singaporean Laura Yung and her husband Andre Cohen, who went against the grain of conventional wisdom by acquiring a luxury safari lodge in far-flung northern Kenya last year.

That said, their connection to Africa goes a long way back. In 2014, the couple and their sons, then aged 11 and 13, took a year-long sabbatical to travel through the back roads of Africa to immerse themselves in the unique cultures of the continent. Following this once-in-a-lifetime experience, they returned to their corporate jobs and regular life but continued maintaining close ties with friends and contacts they had met along the way, often returning for shorter stays.

Fast-forward to 2022, when they found out that the owners of Ol Lentille - a safari lodge they had stayed at previously - were planning to retire, the couple decided to seize the day and acquire the property.

“It was one of those life-changing Covid-19 decisions where we were reassessing what we could do that would be more meaningful. What attracted us to this project is that the lodge is first and foremost a conservation project,” says Cohen, of the lodge, that sits amidst 40,000 acres of conservation land.

Located on the northern escarpment of the Laikipia Plateau, Ol Lentille is situated on the ancestral lands of four Maasai and Samburu communities who benefit directly from the conservation fees paid by guests. Hence, the local communities actively work in partnership with the lodge to protect and preserve the natural environment. Over the years, this land which was once overgrazed, has been rewilded and is now home to iconic safari animals including the elephant, leopard, hyena, greater kudu and the endangered African wild dog.