Lentorre: From the Waterhole to a World Wide Audience

Posted in: The Wild Side

The Place of World-Class Photography

Tucked away in Kenya’s Olkiramatian Conservancy, far from the busy safari routes and crowds of vehicles, lies a waterhole that has become something of a hidden gem for wildlife lovers and photographers alike.

Welcome to Lentorre.

Lentorre Lodge is surrounded by an extraordinary mosaic of habitats, from open savannah and ancient forests to dense woodland and the nearby escarpment. With no fences restricting wildlife movement, animals are free to roam across the wider landscape, including the neighbouring Shompole Conservancy around Lentorre’s sister property, Ndoto House. Together, these unfenced areas provide around 87,000 hectares of habitat for wildlife to move through.

The result is a remarkable diversity of wildlife, from elephants, giraffes and plains game to some of Africa’s more elusive species, including striped hyena and leopard. And at the heart of it all is the Lentorre waterhole.

Established around 2019, the waterhole quickly became a natural focal point for wildlife – and an extraordinary opportunity for photographers.

A Waterhole with a Different Perspective

What makes Lentorre particularly special is not simply the wildlife that visits, but how you get to experience it.

Working closely with regular photographer Jeffrey Wu, the Lentorre team developed a purpose-built photographic hide designed specifically around the needs of wildlife photographers. Sunken into the ground at the waterhole, the hide places photographers almost at eye level with animals coming to drink, creating an intimate perspective that is virtually impossible to achieve from a traditional safari vehicle.

Since then, the hide has continued to evolve. In 2022, Lentorre introduced backlighting to the photographic setup, allowing photographers to capture wildlife against the light and experiment with a completely different style of imagery.

The hide has produced numerous breathtaking images, including the 2024 World Nature Photography Awards Winner, with a stunning black and white image of a leopard suantering around the waterhole.

Graceful Turn by Richard Li – Black and White, 2024 World Nature Photography Awards.

For photographers, this is what makes Lentorre so compelling. It isn’t simply a chance to photograph African wildlife. It is the opportunity to photograph it from an entirely different perspective, in a setting designed around patience, proximity and creativity.

And the photographic hide isn’t the only way Lentorre offers a unique view of its wildlife. With the Africam camera watching over the waterhole since 2024, the Lentorre team has also been able to observe the animals that return time and time again – including some particularly spotty residents.

Meet the Leopards of Lentorre

Lentorre’s leopards were here long before the camera arrived.

One of the most memorable early visitors was a large male known as Rocky, photographed by regular Lentorre photographer Paras Chandaria in late 2021. Easily recognisable by his size and distinctive “black eyes”, Rocky was a striking reminder of just how much wildlife was moving through the area.

Leopards may be relatively common in the wider landscape, but spotting one away from the waterhole isn’t always easy. Unlike the open plains of the Mara, Lentorre’s dense vegetation and woodland provide plenty of cover, making these cats particularly elusive on game drives.

The Africam has offered a different perspective. By watching the waterhole consistently, the Lentorre team has begun recognising individual leopards as they return. There is the resident female, whose swollen teats have recently raised the possibility that she may be nursing cubs hidden somewhere nearby. Another female has been visiting the waterhole since 2025 and is gradually becoming a familiar face.

Then there are the males. Just a few days ago, one put on quite a show, climbing into a nearby tree before eventually returning to the waterhole for a drink. Another is instantly recognisable by the distinctive bite marks on his neck.

Together, these encounters have revealed at least four different leopards visiting the waterhole, each with their own unique story and personality. And with such a vast, unfenced landscape surrounding Lentorre, there may well be others still waiting to be discovered.

From Kenya to the World

For those fortunate enough to visit Lentorre, the photographic hide offers an extraordinary way to experience wildlife: sitting quietly at water level, waiting for an animal to approach, and seeing it from a perspective few people ever get to experience.

But you don’t have to travel to Kenya to share in those moments. Through the Lentorre livestream, the same waterhole becomes a window into this remarkable wilderness for viewers around the world.

A leopard appearing at the water’s edge isn’t simply a photograph waiting to happen. It is a live moment, unfolding naturally and unpredictably. It might be the resident female arriving for a drink, one of the males passing through, a herd of elephants gathering at the water, or something else entirely unexpected.

And that’s the beauty of the Africam: you never quite know what is going to walk into frame.

For Lentorre, the hide and the livestream offer two very different ways of experiencing the same extraordinary place. One puts photographers at water level, creating opportunities for remarkable images. The other brings those same wild moments to people thousands of kilometres away. Both offer a glimpse into a landscape where wildlife moves freely and on its own terms.

And at any moment, a leopard might just be making its way towards the waterhole. All you have to do is tune in.