One of the Middle East’s biggest developers has decided to make a splash in Kenya.
Dubai-based Emaar Properties plans to establish an eco-friendly resort, including an 18-hole golf course, in Narok County, in the southwestern part of the nation. The resort, called Enkereri Masa, will take shape in an as-yet unidentified town that’s said to be “on the fringes” of the Maasai Mara Game Reserve. The 580-square-mile Mara, as it’s called, is Africa’s best-known wildlife sanctuary and a popular vacation destination, primarily for safaris. Numerous hotels and campgrounds are operating in the area, but no golf courses of note.
Emaar is best-known as a developer of master-planned communities, some of them with golf courses. Its portfolio is highlighted by two prominent properties in Dubai: Arabian Ranches Golf Club, which features a “signature” course by Ian Baker-Finch (with assistance from Nicklaus Design), and the Montgomeie (Colin Montgomerie with Desmond Muirhead), the featured attraction of the Emirates Hills community.
The company also has a residential division in India, where it’s created Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. It hopes to build other courses in India, as well as tracks in Indonesia, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
Emaar’s latest venture is further evidence of Kenya’s arrival on the international golf scene. The nation currently has, give or take, 42 courses, and perhaps a dozen others are in planning or under construction.
In addition to its golf course, Enkereri Masa will feature a hotel and a spa, both of which could open as early as next year. Emaar is developing the property with the African Dream Collection, Ltd.
Enkereri Masa hasn’t yet been approved, however. Before Emaar and the African Dream get permission to begin construction, they’ll need to prove that their resort won’t damage the environment or drain the local water table.
The original version of the preceding post first appeared in the October 2012 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.
Dubai city is beautiful in the day but more charming at night. As there is the concept of night life at Dubai, so people mostly go out at night for celebrations and other fun filled activities with families or friends Desert Safari in Dubai
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