The Masai Mars in Kenya is one of the most famous safari destinations on the planet. It is one of the best places to spot Big Cats, is home to the Great Wildebeest Migration, arguably the greatest wildlife show on earth, and hundreds of species of bird, not to mention elephants, giraffes, zebra, gazelle, hyenas, hippos, buffalo, the list goes on and on.
It’s no wonder that the most popular place to include in a Kenya safari, but with over 150 camps to choose from in the Masai Mara National Park and its surrounding conservancies, how do you begin to pick where to stay?
Here are our top ten luxury Masai Mara safari camps and lodges, in no particular order
Best Luxury Camps & Lodges In The Masai Mara
1. Offbeat Mara Camp
A seasonal camp located on the Olare Orok River on Koyiaki Group Ranch. This small and exclusive tented camp offers a truly private, traditional safari experience with access to the famous Masai Mara Game Reserve.
The camp sleeps 12 guests in six large tents – three doubles and three twins – and an extra bed can be added to each tent for small children. Each tent has an en-suite bathroom with hot bucket showers, washbasins and flush loos. All are also furnished with large, handmade cedar beds, solar lighting and fine linen.
Informal dining is hosted in the mess tent or around the campfire. Delicious English breakfasts, light lunches and three-course dinners are served each evening. Guests can relax in the bar and ‘mess’ tent, furnished with comfortable sofas, a writing desk and a library with wildlife guide books.
Unrestricted by game reserve rules around camp, guests can enjoy daytime game drives as well as night drives in custom-built Land Cruisers, bush breakfasts, picnics and sundowners. Guests also have access to the Game Reserve, the Mara River and early morning balloon trips.
The Offbeat Mara Camp works closely with the local Masai community. Local Masai helped build the camp and several are now working as the camp staff and guides.
2. Elephant Pepper Camp
Situated right on the Northern Edge of the Masai Mara reserve, this eight-tented bush camp is situated in one of the prime wildlife areas.
Originally Mara Bush Camp, Elephant Pepper Camp has been completely refurbished and redesigned to become an eco-friendly bush camp, committed to minimising impact on the surrounding environment and animals, and with revenue from the camp filtering back into the local community. As a result, Elephant Pepper Camp is constructed each season and then taken down, leaving no trace behind. The camp sits beneath the shady branches of a natural forest overlooking the Mara plains. There are 8 large light canvas tents with en suite dressing rooms, showers and flush toilets. The main dining and bar mess tent serves communal meals and there is a help-yourself bar.
The emphasis is on a traditional bush safari camp experience, complete with starlit nights, campfire tales and hurricane lamps. The Mara is the staging ground for the annual wildebeest migration, but this is by no means the only lure and other activities on offer include day and night game drives, guided bush walks, bush breakfasts, sundowners and cultural visits.
3. Kicheche Mara Camp
The Kicheche Mara Camp is a bush camp located on the Aitong Plains in the northern region of Kenya’s famous Masai Mara Reserve. The Kicheche Mara Camp is hidden in a grove of wild olive trees in a prime wildlife area and has a relaxed and intimate atmosphere.
There are eight fully insect-proof tents, comfortably furnished with proper beds, with some sleeping up to three or four people in total. Bathrooms are en-suite and are equipped with a shower and flushing loo.
A large central tent acts as the Kicheche Mara Camp lounge with comfortable seating, a collection of reference books and a fully-stocked bar. Game viewing starts right from the camp itself, with early morning and late afternoon game drives in customised vehicles, accompanied by knowledgeable guides.
The Mara is well known for the seasonal migration but provides for wonderful game viewing all year round. Bush walks and overnight fly-camping, escorted by an armed ranger, are also available. In the heat of the day, relax in a hammock slung between the trees and sleep off the excellent bush cuisine or enjoy the stunning views across the sweeping grasslands.
4. Ol Seki Mara Camp
Set on a rocky promontory overlooking the Il Supukiai River, Ol Seki sits amongst cordia and acacia trees, attracting an abundance of wildlife and birds, many of which can be seen from the tents.
The simple modern architecture creates an exciting living space in the spacious tents, each with a double and a single bed, crisp linen, thoughtfully designed lighting, a changing room and en-suite hot showers and flush loos. Extra double tents to accommodate families are available.
Game viewing is with experienced drivers/guides in immaculately maintained Land Rovers and Land Cruisers and the staff can also arrange bush picnics and sundowners in the Maasai Mara Reserve, on the plains or by the nearby Hippo pools. Visits to local Masai villages, night game drives and tracking and guiding courses are also available.
5. Rekero Camp Masai Mara
Rekero is a small tented camp located inside the Masai Mara Game Reserve, offering old-time hospitality and an insight into the Masai Mara’s wildlife, cultures, flora and fauna.
Nestled in a forest close to the confluence of the Mara and Talek rivers, the camp comprises seven comfortable double/triple tents and one family tent for two adults and up to four children. Each tent has an en-suite bathroom with a flush loo and safari shower.
A typical day at Rekero involves an early morning game drive or walk, with a picnic breakfast, followed by an afternoon siesta, a further game drive in the late afternoon and then drinks around the campfire in the evening.
Appetising ‘farmhouse’ meals are produced by the camp’s safari chefs. Other activities at Rekero include dawn balloon flights – the only way to appreciate the vastness of the Mara – and cultural visits to the local Maasai and Il Dorobo communities.
6. Richard’s Camp
Richard’s Camp is a small and exclusive tented camp situated in a conservation area to the northwest of the Masai Mara Reserve.
The camp offers a traditional and exclusive safari experience with accommodation in comfortable and spacious tents, each with an en-suite bathroom equipped with a flushing loo and hot-water shower. Activities include escorted bush walks, day and night game drives, full days out with delicious picnic lunches into the very heart of the Mara and cultural visits to Masai villages. Guests can also spend a night fly-camping, which offers a chance to spend a night with basic comforts out in the bush. In the evenings, enjoy cocktails by a cosy campfire and delicious three-course meals under a canopy of stars.
7. Ngare Serian
The sister of neighbouring Serian Camp, Ngare Serian is owned and run by Alex Walker, a professional filmmaker, fourth-generation Kenyan, and guide extraordinaire.
There are just four tents at Ngare Serian, each spacious with ensuite bathrooms – and when we say ensuite we don’t just mean a bucket shower and a hole, these are the real deal with sunken baths, twin basins and a separate outdoor shower. The tents are on raised polished wooden decks with spectacular views across the Mara River, and the small number of tents makes the camp perfect for exclusive use.
Being in the heart of the Mara, the wildlife is fantastic, and the viewing opportunities are even better from a private vehicle (guests have exclusive use of a private vehicle and guide throughout their stay). Activities include day and night game drives, river fishing and guided walks in the 4,000-acre exclusive walking area.
8. Sala’s Camp
Located in the heart of Kenya’s Masai Mara, an area dubbed as one of the best places to see the Migration – where over a million wildebeest pour into the Masai Mara’s lush grasslands between July and September – and Sala’s Camp is at the heart of the action.
The camp comprises seven tents, including a huge honeymoon-come-family-sized-sized-sized-sized size tent that can accommodate an extra two children. All of the tents have showers, flushing loos and running water. The food at Sala’s camp is delicious and homemade, and the sundowners are pretty good too. Soak up the wilderness and catch up on the day’s sightings around the campfire.
As well as the Great Migration practically passing the doorstep, the Masai Mara is home to the ‘Big Five’ and boasts an abundance of birdlife. Go on morning and afternoon game drives to see the spectacular animals.
Children of all ages are welcome at Sala’s Camp, and the local Masai tribe loves teaching them all about the Masai and its wildlife, their traditional lore and playing games such as Find the toothbrush tree. Couples are just as welcome, and private bush dinners and champagne breakfasts can be arranged.
9. Cottar’s 1920’s Camp
Cottar’s 1920’s Camp is the oldest established family-run safari camp in Africa spanning over five generations. Situated amidst 6,000 acres of private reserve and located less than a mile from the Masai Mara, the camp offers bespoke safari experiences.
There are just ten canvas tents in total; one honeymoon, five double tents and four family suites each with en-suite bathrooms and canopied verandas offering panoramic views. The family tents feature spacious living rooms and cosy fireplaces and the wooden treasure trunks and cream drapes create an essence of safari from a bygone era.
Facilities include a tented reading room, a swimming pool with lounge hammocks, a full-time masseuse and two large mess tents where guests enjoy fine dining. As the concession borders the Serengeti reserve the sunsets are phenomenal, watch the orange glow touch down on the distant horizons of the Masai Mara and stretch across the Serengeti plains.
The Masai Mara is brimming with wildlife from the wildebeest migration to lesser flamingos (and everything in-between) and, as the camp’s guides all have a unique skill set, you’re in great hands. Embark on daily 4×4 game drives, guided bush walks and night drives and enjoy cultural interactions with the local Masai community. Make sure to treat yourself to a bush meal followed by a relaxing canvas bush bath to make the most of the spectacular surroundings.
10. Kichwa Tembo
Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp is situated on the spur of the Oloololo escarpment of the Great Rift Valley, with spectacular views across the open plains of the Maasai Mara.
The camp is made up of 40 “Hemingway-style” safari tents with private showers, toilets and a private terrace overlooking the savannah. All tents are tastefully furnished with lots of natural wood and traditional African pieces to add a splash of colour to the otherwise neutral colour scheme. There are 12 Classic tents, 20 Superior tents and 8 Superior View tents.
When it comes to dining, Pan-African cuisine is served in the beautiful thatched central building, which has open sides so that views can still be enjoyed as you dine. Alternatively, opt to eat under the stars on the terrace. After dinner guests will want to head to the boma for a drink or two around the fire.
With the Maasai Mara on the doorstep, guests can expect to see a wealth of wildlife, including the Big Five, on early morning and afternoon game drives. Alternatively opt to try a bush walk along the Mara River or Oloololo Escarpment, or simply relax by the camp’s swimming pool and admire the views from there. If you’re visiting between July and October you’ll also want to head out and try to catch a river crossing during the Great Migration.
11. Angama Mara
The lodge comprises two camps with just 15 suites each. Each luxury suite is perched on the edge of the escarpment with a private viewing deck overlooking the Masai Mara! The perfect opportunity to take out your Swarovski Optik binoculars and scan the wilderness below! For those with families, Angama Mara accommodates you with interconnected family suites. These are identical to the other tented suites, except with a safely enclosed walkway to connect the two rooms. Angama Mara is all about soaring panoramic views, helping to showcase the natural wonder of this remarkable wilderness. And with the Masai Mara just a 30-minute drive down the escarpment. It’s Perfect!
12. Mahali Mzuri
Another one of the spectacular Masai Mara safari lodges is Sir Richard Branson’s luxury Mahali Mzuri in the private Olare Motorogi Conservancy of the Greater Mara. The name means ‘beautiful place’ and it’s everything you’d expect. The tents have an unusual custom design, each with an expansive view from a private deck. Add a romantic freestanding bath (also with a view), candlelight dinner for two under the stars, rim-flow swimming pool and champagne picnics. All the hallmarks of that special Branson touch are here.
The lodge’s position gives you front-row seats to spectacular wildlife sightings year-round. This includes the great migration from July to November, depending on climatic conditions. Drink in the dramatic scenery and experience the thrill of watching elephant, lion, leopard, giraffe and plains wildlife. It’s hard to beat the buzz of a game drive but make time to visit a Maasai village to learn about their pastoralist culture.
13. Little Governors Camp
Little Governors Camp is a luxurious safari camp located in Maasai Mara National Reserve. It is another of the Governors Collection. With 17 luxurious tents, it gives you a panoramic view of wild animals assembling at a nearby water hole and hundreds of bird species.
The journey to get to Little Governors Camp will have you take a short boat ride across the crocodile-infested Mara River and into the riverine forest where the tents sit quietly. All guest tents feature a verandah and wooden decks to enable one to watch wildlife comfortably.
Common sightings include warthogs which come near the camp often as well as elephants. The camp is solar-powered. For a night, you cough up to $1,064.
14. Governors II Moran Camp
Under the Governors Collection, this prestigious establishment describes itself as the “premiere camp in Masai Mara” offering the best game viewing sights. Governors II Moran Camp stands out as the ultimate destination for wanderlusts looking for nothing but luxury coupled with moments of intrigue in game viewing. It is stuck deep in the forested areas of Masai Mara with its ten tents winding up along the Mara River.
Décor here is fascinating. It is made of exotic wood and beautiful and comfortable coaches with chandeliers hanging above your head. Mealtimes are the best as the deck offers a glimpse of the hippos in the Mara River. Evenings come with the warmth of a sunken fire that illuminated the camp.
Per night, you will have to pay $1,422.
15. Elewana Sand River Masai Mara
Without a doubt, this is a world-class tented camp under the Elewana Collection. It sits deep at the heart of the Mara along the banks of the famous Mara River. It is near the Tanzanian border from where the Serengeti begins. It has seen better days and style is the hallmark of the lodge’s tented architectural design. It has in the past hosted a dozen Hollywood stars in its stylish 16-tented camps.
It does not come cheap as a night costs around $1.373
