Mara Toto Camp

Mara Toto is a small seasonal camp nestled in a thick ebony grove in a small bend in the Ntiakitiak River, just a few kilometres from its sister camp, Mara Plains. The camp draws from Africa’s original explorers’ designs and will appeal to those interested in East Africa’s romantic safari era. It’s name comes from the Swahili word for “favourite child”, which is fitting considering how quickly it becomes a favourite for anyone who stays there. With just four tents that can sleep eight people, it is ideal for small groups looking for privacy in a stunning setting. The tents have plumbed-in hot and cold water for bucket-effect showers.

To avoid the challenges the flood season brings with it, the camp stays open for the migration (dry season) from mid-May to the end of October. The camp is locally famous for its leopard residents wandering the riverbanks. One such leopard, Fig, birthed her cub beneath one of the guest tents. The team named her Toto and she is the star of Great Plains’ owners Dereck and Beverly Joubert’s National Geographic film Jade Eyed Leopard. The camp is positioned to take the best advantage of two migrations – the famous annual Serengeti migration and the green season migration from Loita Plains, an additional 50,000 wildebeest and over 100,000 zebras vying for grazing rights. Mara Toto is a place for the ardent safari-goer.

Guests at the camp have day access to over 350,000 acres of wilderness in the Maasai Mara National Reserve and 70,000 acres of private community land in the Mara North Conservancy. The Reserve and Conservancy are renowned for the variety and density of fauna, healthy populations of the ‘big cats’, not to mention the Great Migration which congregates on the plains on both sides of the forested glade.