The Ecoscapes Portfolio, Kenya
Ecoscapes Sanctuary – Ecoscapes Organic Market Garden – Ecoscapes Garden Centre – Ecoscapes Landscape Architecture – Ecoscapes Sustainability Centre
Ecoscapes (Kenya) Limited was founded by Alexandra and Richard Bell in 2015.
The various businesses that make up the Ecoscapes Portfolio include: Ecoscapes Agroecological Certified Organic Market Garden, Ecoscapes Sanctuary real estate, the Ecoscapes Sustainability Centre and our ecotourism accommodations; Ecoscapes House, Ecoscapes Glamping and Ziwani Island House.
Richard Bell is a seasoned ICT entrepreneur who is currently helping Amazon Web Services expand their Infrastructure in the Middle East & Africa. More broadly he is recognized as a subject matter expert in the technology, telecoms and renewable energy sectors in Africa, and leverages his knowledge through selected board appointments. He is currently a Non-Executive Director of The East Africa Maritime System (TEAMS) the undersea fibre optic cable linking Kenya to the Middle East.
Between 2007 and 2017 Richard was Co-Founder and Director of Wananchi Group which is a multi-media infrastructure company across 7 countries in Eastern Africa. Under their Zuku brand they were the first to deploy large scale Fibre-to-the-Home infrastructure in Africa. From 2005 to 2007 Richard was a Director and Investor in African Lakes Plc (the owners of Africa Online and UUNet Africa). Previously in 2002 he was Founder of Kenya Data Networks (now Liquid Telecom Kenya Ltd) which was the first data infrastructure company in Kenya, and, he was one of the early Internet Pioneers in Africa when he Founded the ISP/Swift Global in Kenya and Uganda in 1995.
Richard has been actively involved in the development of ICT in Africa. He was Chairman of the Kenya Capital Markets Authority Task Force on ICT Impact/venture investing in East Africa and was appointed by His Excellency, President Kibaki as a founding Director of the Kenya ICT Board. He was founding Chairman of the Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC), founding Chairman of the Telecommunications Service Providers’ Association of Kenya (TESPOK), founding Chairman of the Kenya Internet Exchange Point (KIXP), and, a founding Director of the Africa Network Information Centre (AfriNIC).
His early career was as a commissioned officer in The Royal Marine Commandos where he specialized in Mountain & Arctic Warfare.
Richard holds a BSc (Hons) from the University of St Andrews, Scotland & is a Sloan Fellow (MSc) of the London Business School, England. He is a Kenya Citizen is an enthusiastic amateur aviator, bush pilot, and, conservationist.
Alexandra Bell (nee Archer) has an undergraduate degree in Horticulture (BSC Honours) from Reading University, England and a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture (MLA) from the University of Georgia, USA.
Alex was, until December 2016, the sole proprietor of Ecoscapes, a full service landscape architectural practice in Nairobi, which she founded in 1996. During this time she worked on a large variety of commercial and private landscape architectural projects in Kenya and throughout East Africa. Prior to 1996, she worked for Pickering Firm Inc in Atlanta, Georgia, USA as a landscape architect. Since 2016, Alex has focused on organic farming and developing Ecoscapes Sanctuary.
For the last 8 years Alex has developed Ecoscapes from a farm growing fine beans for export into a certified organic farm growing over 100 different herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables for the local market, aiming at households around Naivasha and Nairobi. We have retained our weekly pop-up markets at Shamba Cafe and Langata Link every Wednesday and we also do delivery to the home. The Ecoscapes nursery has flourished and has over 300 plants that have been selected for drought tolerance. Alex has kept her hand in as landscape architect and does a few projects every year. The Ecoscapes Sanctuary Master Plan was designed by Alex and sales of residential plots to like-minded people continues. Ecoscapes House is a popular holiday home and as of May 2023 we have opened Ecoscapes Glamping with a view to expanding to 8 Glamping units in the future. Ziwani Island House is now available for self-catered holiday rentals as well as all-inclusive full board bookings. All of our properties have been stylishly designed by Alex. We are starting a program of courses in yoga, art, landscaping, healthy and sustainable living. We have started community outreach programs with farm visits and now we want share our vast knowledge of organic farming in Kenya by developing the Ecoscapes Organic Farming Institute.
Alex and Richard bought an existing farm in 2014 on the west shore of Lake Naivasha and from it they have developed a unique mixed-use community called Ecoscapes Sanctuary. Ecoscapes Sanctuary is 150 acres in size. At Ecoscapes Sanctuary we have sub-divided fourteen 2 acre plots which are available for sale as lovely residential properties. We also have 10 acres of organic vegetable gardens, a garden centre (to be opened in the future), 10 acres of botanical gardens, an airstrip, a boat yard and 80 acres of wildlife sanctuary outside the electric fence. This area abuts the lake, where we have a mobile boat jetty, which allows access to the lake at all times of the year.
Secure country living in harmony with nature
Ecoscapes Sanctuary is located on the west of Lake Naivasha far away from the greenhouse farms and Naivasha town. It is in a lovely area next to Crater Lake. Together with our neighbours, we have created a large contiguous wildlife sanctuary where the diverse number of different animals can roam freely unhindered by fences.
We have 150 acres of which we have excised 14 x 2 acre serviced plots in one block. The rest of the land is comprised of: 80 acres of game sanctuary, 10 acres of organic vegetables, 4 acres of garden centre and 10 acres of botanical gardens with cottages to be built in the future. We also have an airstrip running 816m in length. There is lake frontage within the game sanctuary and a private mobile jetty that accommodates the rising and retreating of the water so that the lake can be used at all times of the year.
A home within an holistic ecosystem
When you buy a plot you are not just buying your land but you are buying into the whole of Ecoscapes Sanctuary where you are free to roam around the farm, botanical gardens and wildlilfe sanctuary. This peaceful, beautiful area of Lake Naivasha is a gem rare to find and therefore to be cherished.
Together with our neighbours, we have created a large contiguous wildlife sanctuary where the diverse number of different animals can roam freely unhindered by fences. Access to this area is limited to walking and cycling and vehicles can only use the one road to the lake side.
Keep your boats secure at the Ecoscapes boat yard and use them when needed. We have easy access to the lake through the wildlife sanctuary and a tractor to put the boats in and out of the water.
The mobile jetty at Korongo Bay on the shores of Lake Naivasha is the perfect solution to the ever fluctuating lake. Water sports can enjoyed all year round in this perfect climate.
Book to stay at our stunning new property which opened in May 2023. Luxurious self-catered tented accommodation with all the home comforts. 2 comfortable en-suite sleeping tents and a mess tent with dining, sitting and kitchen area. Stylishly designed with…
4 plots have been sold with 10 remaining, so our community of like-minded people is developing nicely.
Ziwani Island is the luxurious private residence of the Bell family which is available for high-end client bookings on an all inclusive, exclusive basis. Your stay will be hosted by a professional safari guide or a member of the family to…
Read More Ziwani Island – available for high end bookings or on a self-catered basis
Ecoscapes House is available for short term rentals. The house is furnished.
Try out our wide range of certified organic vegetables. Our motto is “know your farmer, know your food”.
Our residential community at Ecoscapes Sanctuary is developing nicely. So far we have sold 4 plots to like-minded people. Contact us to for a site visit.
We value the support of our customers, clients and friends
Beautiful house and garden, loved to see the giraffes and monkeys so close. Thank you! Rieneke and Geert
Very nice stay, we enjoyed very much esp. the animals and pool. Alice
What a wonderful gem! Animals, pool, staff and house. FANTASTIC. Grace, Romain et Kieran
Very nice stay thanks to staff and surroundings. Thanks. Sebastian
Ziwani. When I say that word, the words that pop into my head are paradise, mystery, ancient, happy and awesome. To some, no most people, if you said Ziwani, they wouldn’t think the same things as me. Ziwani is my home.
The moment I step onto the island it is like gravity is no longer there, and I’m floating in paradise. It is bliss hearing the grunt of the occasional hippo, or even the squeaking and squawking of a kingfisher. To my family and I, Naivasha is a get away from Nairobi’s chaos, hectic roads and over crowded supermarkets.
Judy Comins. Today we collected our first order of vegetables from Ecoscapes Market Garden. What an experience from friendly staff to AMAZING veggies. Needless to to say we had a meatless dinner tonight. Thank you Ecoscapes Market Garden for such delicious veggies.
The Ecoscapes Portfolio, Kenya 