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    An intimate and exclusive safari experience

    Enjoy an exclusive safari experience in the Mara Conservancies. These private and community-owned areas border the Maasai Mara National Park, so you can expect exceptional game viewing and far fewer visitors.

    The boundaries of Kenya’s national parks and reserves reamin largely unfenced. This allows the animals to move freely, using their ancient corridors and migration routes, coming and going as they please.

    Collaboration between Maasai communities and safari camps has seen much of the land to the north and the east of the Maasai Mara converted into wildlife conservancies. The land is leased from the Maasai and a limited number of camps are permitted in the conservancies. This helps to maintain a lower-impact on the environment, wildlife and people who live here.

    While staying in the conservancies, it is still possible to go into the Maasai Mara – a particular draw during July and August when the Great Wildebeest Migration crosses the Mara River. However, the vehicles in the national park cannot enter the conservancies, ensuring the habitats here remain peaceful.

    As the conservancies are located on privately owned land, there are a number of exclusive and unique experiences on offer. Camps can organise guided bush walks and night drives, both of which are not permitted in the national park. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet with Maasai and learn about their way of life.

    From our experts

    Experiences picked by our Mara Conservancies safari specialists

    Visit a Maasai village

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    Learn about some of the ancient traditions of the Maasai people during a village visit, seeing how they handcraft furniture from reclaimed wood and locally sourced supplies.

    Set off on unforgettable bush walks

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    Head out on incredible safaris, night game drives to spot nocturnal creatures and join experienced guides for fascinating bush walks.

    Dine in the bush

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    Leave camp a little earlier so that you can enjoy a delicious bush breakfast out in the wild during your morning safari drive, or stay out a little late in the evening to enjoy sundowners as the bush comes alive around you.

    Luxury Mara Conservancies safari lodges

    There are many incredible places to stay in Mara Conservancies. Here are some of our favourites, handpicked by our travel designers:

    Mara Conservancies

    Mara Plains Camp
    Just north of the Maasai Mara Reserve, in the 30,000 acre private Olare Motorogi Conservancy, this Relais & Châteaux camp offers you outstanding game experiences without the restrictions that the reserve itself imposes on other lodges. Each guest’s stay helps to contribute to various conservation and community projects. This conservancy adds a huge plus factor due to the privacy and minimal vehicle traffic within it. You can easily access the Maasai Mara Reserve, but the game in the conservation area is just as excellent. Leopard are regularly spotted passing through the camp and lions can often be heard in the distance. Stroll along walkways that wind their way through the forest between the tented suites that are built on high stilts offering you stunning views onto the Ntiakitiak Riverr or across the Mara plains. Each suite has deep canvas canopied ceilings, rough-hewn wood floors and accents of East Africa’s rich safari history. Expect thick Lamu wood doors, deep purples, and brass accents. The raised library looks down onto hippos wallowing in the river, while the wine cellar is the perfect place to unwind and sample a selection of excellent South African and French wines. You can also choose to enjoy a private dining experience here. A highlight of the camp is the family suite, the Mara Plains Jahazi Suite, which is an exclusive-use, two-bedroom tented villa with its own team of dedicated staff. The game drive vehicles are all completely open which helps you get some phenomenal photographs. In addition to the game, you mustn’t forget that you also have a community nearby that you can visit and witness a genuine working village. A truly marvellous experience.
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    Mara Conservancies

    Sanctuary Olonana Camp
    Olonana is located on a private section of the Mara River, offering you spectacular views of the animals as they wander down the banks each day. What makes this camp extra special is its relationship with local communities and its efforts to be as environmentally responsible as possible. Fourteen canvas pavilions are dotted along the river, each one extremely spacious with parquet flooring and four poster beds. With a modern spin this lodge has a library that you can enjoy and it even has a pool for an afternoon dip. And, if you feel like you need some extra pampering, you could wander down to the mini spa for some traditional African treatments with the bush as your soundtrack. Besides the usual fantastic game drives where you can see the big five and more than 300 bird species, you will also have the chance to enjoy a nature work outside the reserve. These are hugely educational and your guides will point out the most remarkable things, from animal tracks and spoor to sights where lions have marked their territory. As the lands are not only home to game, you can also visit a Maasai village for some cultural insight into the traditional lives that these remarkable people lead. This is a fabulous camp for families as there is a kids club and a range of special activities. Expert guides will take children out on game drives and accompany them to the nearby Maasai village where they will learn how to make and shoot a traditional bow and arrow, make a fire, build a hut, herding cattle to name a few. Kids will also be able to interact with the local children while playing football together, learn Maasai songs and traditional dances. Other activities include going out on a nature trail where they will learn about animal footprint identification or enjoy a bush treasure hunt followed by planting their own tree.
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    Mara Conservancies

    Serian 'The Original'
    Alex Walker has been guiding and organizing expert safaris throughout East Africa for over 25 years and this camp was the first of many, hence, ‘The Original’. Serian, meaning ‘peaceful, calm, serene’ in the Maasai language, perfectly captures the essence of this camp, perched on the edge of Mara River in the Mara North Conservancy. There are five vast marquees atop beautiful hardwood decking, including one family suite. Each is unique and all are furnished with elegant simplicity and homely touches. Beautiful bush bathrooms offer views over the river valley from the bathtub, with an airy feeling blending the divide between indoors and out. The thatched mess area and its stunning view sit at the camp’s heart. Here you’ll enjoy wonderful dishes created with ingredients from the manager’s own organic garden and get cosy around the fire as the night cools. Of course, the main focus is the safari experience and each group has their own custom safari vehicle with a dedicated guide and spotter, giving you the freedom to spend your drives seeking out what you want and more flexibility with times. On night drives, spot animals with red-filtered bulbs before watching active predators on the hunt through special infrared cameras. Walking here is also a speciality, and you can head out with a guide in to a private no-vehicle zone where you are likely to have close encounters with elephant, buffalo, hippo as well as more rare species like Chandler’s mountain reedbuck, klipspringer and oribi.
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    Why book with Jacada?

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    Safari expertise

    Our experts bring decades of first-hand expertise. They’ve lived and travelled across Africa and are regularly on the ground reviewing the most exclusive camps and experiences. You’ll also have the support of a personal concierge, based in region.

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    Unforgettable guides

    We handpick the most knowledgeable guides, who bring each destination to life with care and passion. They’re chosen for their ability to provide unrivalled insight into the region’s wildlife and landscapes as well as a genuine, memorable experience.

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    Positive impact

    By travelling with us, you directly support a range of initiatives spanning wildlife conservation to community engagement. Our luxury trips are designed to prioritise experiences that are positive for you and the places you visit.

    Trip inspiration

    Get inspired with our Mara Conservancies example trips and then get in touch to plan your own adventure

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    Ready to plan your adventure?

    Whatever you want from your Mara Conservancies adventure, our team of safari experts are ready to help.

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    When to visit Mara Conservancies

    The best time to visit the Mara Conservancies is generally the dry season from June to October,  coinciding with the Great Migration for peak wildlife viewing, especially river crossings. For fewer crowds and excellent game viewing, consider the shoulder seasons  of January to February, or the green season from November to March). January and February are great months to see baby animals and birds before the long rains between March and May.

    Wildlife viewing

    June–October

    Bird watching

    January–February

    Walking safaris

    July–October

    When Is the Best Time to Visit Kenya?

    When Is the Best Time to Visit Kenya?

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    Plan your trip to Mara Conservancies

    Whatever you want from your adventure in Mara Conservancies, our team of safari experts are ready to help.

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    We craft trips deeply personal, delightfully surprising and entirely one of a kind. Every Jacada journey begins in conversation with a travel designer, a specialist in their destination of expertise. Behind each journey is a wealth of insight, gathered over years of on-the-ground exploration.

    Once you’re booked, you’ll meet your concierge. Based in the region you’re visiting, they’ll take care of all the details so your mind is at rest. They make the trip truly special – and truly yours.

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