Reteti Elephant Sanctuary

At Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, they practice resurrection. Baby elephants arrive shattered—orphaned by poachers, mauled by hyenas, destroyed by human greed. They leave alive because a community decided some things matter more than despair. This is not a Western rescue fantasy. This is Samburu farmers choosing, daily, to sell their goat milk so elephant calves might live. Goat milk: precious, laborious, meant for their own children. Given instead to creatures whose mothers were murdered. This is not charity. This is defiance. The keepers perform unglamorous work. Bottles every few hours. Wounds dressed. Terror soothed. An elephant never forgets—which means these calves will remember both their trauma and these hands. They will carry into adulthood the knowledge that humans can be destroyers and saviors both. Every bottle of goat milk is a lifeline. Every contribution from travelers is a vote against extinction. The economics are simple and profound: people protect what provides for them. Reteti doesn’t ask the Samburu to sacrifice for elephants—it creates a system where saving elephants *serves* the community. Revolutionary in its plainness. I watch the keepers—patient, exhausted, devoted—coaxing traumatized calves back toward trust. Some witnessed their mothers die. Some bear hyena scars. All should be dead. None are. This is not miracle. This is work. Relentless, tender work funded by farmers sharing their goat milk and travelers sharing their privilege. To the people of Reteti: you are repairing what our species has broken. Not with grand gestures but with bottles and patience and goat milk purchased in careful transaction. You are teaching orphaned elephants that the world might occasionally be trusted. You are teaching the rest of us what conservation looks like when stripped of paternalism. The Samburu have lived alongside elephants for millennia. They understand what we’re learning: their fates are intertwined. Goat milk given to save an elephant calf is not sacrifice but investment—in a future where both species flourish. My gratitude feels insufficient. But it’s what I have, alongside whatever funds I can contribute to keep the milk flowing, the bottles filled, the keepers employed in their work of resurrection. At Reteti, death arrives regularly. Life keeps answering back. Thank you. Asante sana.

This elephant reserve is like no other. Retiti iis run by the local people and tied to other programs that support the local people like milk to mamas , where the village women can sell any excess milk from their goats or camels, to feed the elephants. Retiti is supported by the organization, Sarara, which has a 5star eco lodge, again primarily run by the local people and also supports other programs like the mobile women and children mobile clinic and Montessori schools. This was an amazing experience all around and I couldn’t recommend it more.

Tucked in the North of Kenya, Reteti is a sanctuary for rescued baby Ellies. I enjoyed my visit there. If you’d like to visit, book in advance as they have feeding hours and that’s an activity you should experience. I enjoyed how knowledgeable Naomi was with details about the elephants plus knowing each of their names. Lovely place to visit!

Wonderful experience and I especially liked that it was community led.

Amazing place! Established by the sanctuary is responsible for reuniting elephants with their families, offering health services to injured or I'll elephants, and providing food to both elephants and giraffes at least 3 times a day. You can view the feeding and also participate in feeding the animals. The sanctuary is run by the local community in Samburu. It is also pretty close to elephant rock, a work of art. Just lovely!

Wonderful place! Loved meeting the little elephant calves and baby giraffes. They're very well looked after. The staff are so kind and helpful! It's a thirty minute drive from the main road to the sanctuary. The terrain is rough, so an off road vehicle is highly recommended. Plan to go early, or book a stay at the sanctuary itself.

An amazing experience and well worth the drive. The rangers were so informative and passionate. This is a genuine conservation centre and not a zoo in disguise like so many. The great work done at Reteti is of clear benefit to the animals but also the surrounding communities. The drive is very pleasant, a nice sandy track from the highway. Don't worry that Google doesn't know how to plot your route, you just follow the one and only track.

Amazing experience. 40 baby elephants being cared for during the drought. A community project and happy to support this worthy cause. Also saw baby giraffes and other animals. Glad to see this amazing place.