Mara Plains Camp

Mara Plains Camp is located in a more secluded, lesser-known side of the Maasai Mara, the Olare Motorogi Conservancy. In a private forest within a 35,000-acre conservation area, it borders the main reserve – yet feels worlds apart. As one of only a few camps granted access, Mara Plains delivers what more popular reserves cannot: the highest concentrations of big cats in Africa, the fewest vehicles, longer sightings and a strong sense that the landscape belongs to the wildlife first. It's so quiet here, you can feel your nervous system recalibrating. 

Game drives here unfold in open vehicles – a rarity in the Maasai Mara region – giving you unobstructed photographic sightlines and the visceral thrill of wind, dust and the smell of rain before it falls, while off-road driving permissions allow you to track predators in tall grass rather than watching from afar. Expert guides read the land like their mother tongue, adjusting to the pace of the bush rather than to checklist demands, with walking safaris, night drives and Maasai cultural visits offering you authentic experiences. Every night you stay here supports the local communities.

The camp's tented suites echo refined colonial-era design – leather, brass, copper baths – with Maasai and Swahili influences, including hand-carved wooden doors. Private verandahs overlook the forest and each tent has an en-suite bathroom. Families with children six years of age and older are welcome. There are special family suites and flexible guiding accommodates young safari guests. Meals are served wherever the moment demands – under stars, beside the river or around the fire.