The Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort has won in the Nature Protection category in the 2017 IAGTO Sustainability Awards for its reforestation programme alongside the Kenya Wildlife Service and Rafiki Foundation in the local Eburru community.
Each year global golf tourism industry body IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators), in partnership with GEO (Golf Environment Organization), celebrates the outstanding sustainability achievements of golf facilities, resorts and destinations around the world.
Alongside her partners, the Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort will help in restoration of one thousand acres of native forest in Eburru Forest, providing valuable habitat for local wildlife, encouraging biodiversity and protecting watersheds and soil from erosion. The introduction of zebras, impalas, antelopes and reedbucks will also return a balance to the ecosystem and a more natural food-chain cycle.
The Great Rift Valley golf course lies 12 km off the Nairobi to Nakuru highway on the slopes of Eburru Range. From the golf course one can view the Mount Longonot volcano, Lake Naivasha, the Mau escarpment, Mt Kipipiri and the Aberdare ranges. Built to USGA specs with “tiffgreen” grass, the course has 3 par 5’s, 11 par 4’s and 4 par 3’s with the 3rd hole par 3 the most spectacular. Every golf hole is a challenge, with the par 5 - 17th the “signature” hole being 654 yards from the championship tee.
“We are humbled that our efforts at improving our immediate environment with our partners has received such a major recognition. It’s an endorsement to our shareholders’ vision and a major boost for the stakeholders involved,” added Heritage Hotels CEO, Mohammed Hersi.
Currently in its fifth year, the IAGTO Sustainability Awards are presented at the International Golf Travel Market annual gala dinner, recognising the high performance and commitment across 3 core areas of sustainability – nature, resources, and community. The awards are open to all IAGTO members and have been designed so that achievements and results from the past 12 months are taken into strongest consideration, and with 3 key areas of sustainability recognized each year – Nature, Resources, Community – the awards can be shared out optimally depending on the actions and activities of different golf facilities from year to year.
For more information about the 2017 IAGTO Sustainability Awards and to download high resolution photos and logos, please visit: http://www.iagto.com/awards
ENDS
About Heritage Hotels
Heritage Hotels Ltd is one of Kenya's leading safari companies, with over 30 years of experience in managing a portfolio of seven luxury properties, including Mara Explorer, Kipungani Explorer, Mara Intrepids, Samburu Intrepids, the Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort, Voyager Beach Resort and Voyager Ziwani Camp. Heritage is renowned for the blue-ribbon offering for today’s discerning travelers, including premier class services, optional "extras" and good relations with neighboring communities, while always committed to nurturing and protecting the fragile eco-system.
