Change location
Acacia House and Mara House are colonial-style homes in the far north of the Mara Conservation Area in the Mara North Conservancy. Each three-bedroom house is fully staffed and designed for families or groups who want the privacy of their own home in the bush.
Inside you’ll find polished stone floors, whitewashed walls, and smooth wooden furniture. Each area has been designed to be cosy and comfortable, so the atmosphere is very unfussy and unpretentious. Mara House is slightly larger, but both options are nicely spacious and can be booked individually or in combination. There is a shared pool and garden area between the two.
The idea is to make these houses your own; they are a place to come to relax in and explore from. This is very much your home in the bush and offers you total privacy in the wilderness.
The houses come with their own staff, and you have a vehicle and guide to explore the Mara with, as you wish. There is a chef who cooks delicious meals each day, and if you don't fancy going out on a game drive, you can take a dip in the pool or enjoy long, lazy lunches on the veranda overlooking the waterhole.
Start planning your tailor-made trip by contacting one of our Kenya specialists
Acacia House has two large bedrooms, both with en suite bathrooms, and a small loft room that's a perfect hideaway for children, and shares the bathroom of the second bedroom.
Mara House offers three en suite double bedrooms.
Both houses have a large private outdoor veranda area as well as open plan living and dining areas and a shared communal pool.
The decor is comfortable and understated, offering the feel of a home away from home in the hear of the bush. Each house comes with a full team, including a chef, house manager, and your own private guide.
Northwest of the Masai Mara National Reserve, the Mara North Conservancy is a quieter alternative that still demonstrates the diversity and concentration of the area’s wildlife. With only a handful of camps and lodges located here, the Mara North conservancy is excellent for game viewing and has some of the best established game out of all the private conservancies within the Mara.
More than just a haven for wildlife, the conservancy was set up as a partnership between hundreds of Maasai landowners and several camps and lodges to create a conservation area that also benefits local communities. The conservancy leases land from the Maasai, who therefore receive a direct income from wildlife conservation and tourism.
You might encounter a huge bull elephant looking for a female herd, twitchy herds of zebra, impala and Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles keeping a look out for hidden predators, and lounging in the shade, a pride of lion spanning various ages, from tufty-maned adolescent males to well-respected mothers and golden-spotted cubs.
The small number of guests in the conservancy means you’ll see far fewer vehicles than in the national reserve and with strict rules on the number of vehicles permitted at each sighting, you can get closer to the animals without disturbing them or feeling like you’re part of a crowd battling for the best view.
Each house has its own private chef who will prepare meals using produce from the local area and Nairobi. Having your own chef means meals can easily be fit around your plans for the day. Opt for a quick early morning snack as you head out for a sunrise game drive and return for a long and relaxing brunch by the pool. Alternatively, grab a full packed lunch for an extended day of game viewing within the conservancy and beyond. All dietary requirements can be catered for with advance warning.
Each day you can enjoy morning and afternoon game viewing activities with your own dedicated safari guide and vehicle. Activities include game drives (off-road driving is permitted in the conservancy to allow closer viewing of wildlife sightings), guided walks and visits to the local community. From Mara and Acacia House you can also enjoy night game drives, bush breakfasts and sundowner drinks. Each house has its own private vehicle and driver exclusively for your use, allowing you to tailor your game drives to your preferred schedule.
Where possible, we like to offer a range of accommodation for each stop of your trip, chosen by our specialists as some of their favorite places to stay. To help you make the right choice, we give each property a rating based on its facilities and service, but we also look for hotels with distinct character or a location that can’t be bettered.
Set in a truly stunning position on the edge of the Great Rift Valley overlooking the Masai Mara, Angama Mara is an exclusive, owner-run safari lodge offering a luxurious base from which to explore this incredible reserve and its variety of game.
This small, authentic camp has an exclusive feel, being one of very few camps set within the private Mara Naboisho Conservancy. Here you can enjoy fantastic game viewing, and the family safari program means children and adults alike can explore the area’s rich wildlife and culture.
Bateleur Camp is located just outside the Olololo gate to the park, in a Masai concession area. The plains in front of camp are often frequented by warthog and zebra and wildebeest are never far away.
Elephant Pepper is a lovely little bush camp set just outside the northern boarder of the Masai Mara Game Reserve. During the day they offer game drives and walks with excellent local guides.
Governors' Camp was the first tented camp to be established in the Masai Mara National Reserve. A new chef-training program has brought the level of the food here to excellent standards, so you can be sure to enjoy some great food after a long day on safari.
A small, intimate tented camp with a focus on environmental sustainability, Kicheche Bush Camp's tents are spread over a kilometer of land. The eco-friendly camp is unfenced, runs completely on solar power and is located among some of the most diverse wildlife in the bush.
Hidden in a picturesque valley within the Mara North Conservancy, Kicheche Mara Camp offers a classic bush camp experience in a prime game viewing location. While authentically simple, the camp’s welcoming hosts and low guest capacity give it an air of exclusivity.
A small, very comfortable tented camp, Kicheche Valley Camp serves as a good mid-level option for guests looking to experience the Mara in an authentic environment. You may even be lucky enough to see some incredible wildlife from the camp as animals venture close to the grounds.
Little Governors' has a superb position above a small swamp where, during the day, you often see animals coming to graze and drink. Overall it is one of our favorite camps in the Mara.
Acacia and Mara Bush Houses are ideal options for families or groups of friends, looking for an exclusively catered safari experience in the Mara. You’ll have the flexibility of your own private chef, vehicle and safari guide so you can really make the most of your stay.
Naibor is a spacious and stylish safari camp, located on the banks of the Talek River in the Masai Mara Reserve. The food and service is superb, as is the guiding. We warmly recommend it.
Offbeat Mara Camp is a luxury tented camp situated on the Olare Orok water system, on Koyiaki Group Ranch, north of the Masai Mara Game Reserve. The camp is owner-run and very friendly.
Situated high on a ridge in the Masai Mara’s Naboisho Conservancy, this luxurious camp provides a peaceful retreat while still being in the heart of the action when it comes to wildlife viewing.
Porini Lion Camp is located in the Olare Orok Conservancy, which borders the Masai Mara Game Reserve. Service is personal, the food is good and you will be well taken care of.
Rekero Tented Camp is located inside the Masai Mara Game Reserve, very close to the confluence of the Mara and Talek rivers. It is a firm favorite with repeat visitors to Kenya.
Saruni Mara is a luxurious tented lodge set in the Koyiaki Group Ranch, adjacent to the Masai Mara. Activities include guided bush walks, game drives, while fly camping is also possible.
Serian is an exclusive wilderness camp set alongside a secluded valley flanking the Mara River in the Mara North Conservancy. Each of the eight tents is fitted with large double beds flanked by twin bedside tables and a writing desk.
Brimming with authenticity, this rustic camp has a secluded location close to the main Masai Mara National Reserve, offering spacious tents with plenty of privacy.
The following activities are designed to give you the most authentic experiences of the area where you’re staying. We work with local guides, who use their knowledge and often a resident’s eye to show you the main sights and more out-of-the-way attractions. Our specialists can also suggest outdoor pursuits and activities, such as cooking classes, that will introduce you to the traditions of the area’s inhabitants.
Charity volunteering
ME to WE provides you with the opportunity to experience life with locals in rural Kenya, working on sustainable projects that benefit these communities in the longer term.
Hot Air Balloon Flight
Watch out for the giraffe hiding in the trees, antelope on the plains and roosting birds. As the sun comes up the views are superb - one of the most beautiful sights in Africa.
