In the heart of Kenya’s Maasai Mara, a failed green bean farm has been transformed into Naretoi, a pioneering 1,000-acre rewilding estate. Owners Tarquin and Lippa Wood replaced their failed agriculture venture with restored ecosystems, attracting wildlife and wealthy buyers willing to pay millions for nature-integrated homes. This “lions over links” philosophy has seen the return of giraffes, elephants, and hippos—the latter occasionally discovered fighting in residents’ swimming pools. Beyond the million-dollar treehouses, the project funds the Enonkishu conservancy, where Maasai pastoralists manage cattle alongside wildlife. By integrating high-end real estate with communal grazing, Naretoi offers a radical blueprint for conservation where “authentic” African landscapes and wealthy foreign investment coexist.
FT
