By The UNCHARTED® editors · 1 min readLIVING LEGEND
She leads Sirikoi Lodge in Kenya like a great elephant mama, with earned wisdom, fierce devotion to place and people, and an unwavering commitment to what matters most, no matter what.
In the wild, elephant matriarchs carry the memory of water, seasons, and safe passage. In Kenya’s safari world, Sue Roberts holds a similar role. She’s one of the last of her generation, a leader by example whose charm, wisdom, and vast life experience exemplify the oft-overlooked matriarchal spirit that has been so instrumental in the development of the independent safari ethos at its hospitable best.
Sue is the founder and enduring steward of Sirikoi Lodge, which she and her late husband Willie established in 2003 after more than four decades in the safari world. Together, they helped shape modern Kenyan safari culture — guiding across the country and developing lodges grounded in respect for land, wildlife, and people.
Sirikoi, which is part of the Lewa Conservancy in Laikipia, was Willie’s third lodge, and remains a reflection of the couple’s shared vision and devotion. Today, Sue continues to operate the lodge, carrying forward its mission with quiet strength and meticulous care. She is a queen of homey hospitality whose personal touch makes her guests feel like friends of the family. Her lifelong passion for botany is woven into every corner of the property, from rare climbing plants that soften stone chimneys to one of Kenya’s most celebrated organic lodge gardens.
After the profound losses of both Willie, an instrumental figure in the creation of the Mara Conservancy, and then her son Richard, both late in the last decade, Sue chose continuity over retreat. Through Sirikoi, she preserves not only a family legacy, but a genuine, heartfelt safari way.
