MAASAI MARA CONSERVANCIES
Located on the northern and eastern borders of the Maasai Mara National Reserve, you will find the Mara Conservancies. These have been created as a result of agreements between the local Maasai landowners and safari lodges, extending the conservation and wildlife areas of the Maasai Mara. In return for allowing wild animals to roam their land and allowing safari lodges to take guests on safari, the Maasai receive a land-use income and have also have retained grazing corridors in the conservancies where they can continue to graze their cattle.
Advantages over the National Reserve
The partnership has been a huge success because the conservancies offer a number of advantages over the national reserve, with their focus being on low-impact sustainable tourism. This, of course, also results in slightly higher prices, but the conservancies are quieter than the national reserve, with fewer lodges per square kilometer, and this is something animals are slowly learning. You get a more authentic safari experience with less other visitors around, which makes the extra money spent worthwhile. Especially in the Mara migration season, the national reserve can become very busy and lots of animals have decided that they prefer the tranquility of the conservancies.
Because they are private, the conservancies are also able to offer night drives and bush walks and if you stay for 3 nights or more in one lodge, they will often include a day trip into the national reserve, whereas the reverse is not possible. A couple of lodges in the conservancies have started offering cycling safaris as well, which are becoming increasingly popular. Again, these safaris are not possible in the national reserve itself, and many of the guides and staff in the conservancies come from the local villages and grew up grazing their cattle in the area, so they know the land like the back of their hands.
The different conservancies
There are 6 conservancies, namely Mara Naboisho, Mara North, Ol Kinyei, Ol Derikesi, Olare Motorogi and Siana Group Ranch. There is no best conservancy to stay in. You will find the same animals in each conservancy and as there are no fences between any of the conservancies and the national reserve, just the animal numbers can vary as the animals roam around. The decision about which conservancy to stay in will often come down to lodge availability and budget. For example, Ol Kinyei and Ol Derikesi only have 1 camp each, but you can rest assured that whichever conservancy you do visit, you will have a fantastic, authentic African safari experience.
Advantages over the National Reserve
The partnership has been a huge success because the conservancies offer a number of advantages over the national reserve, with their focus being on low-impact sustainable tourism. This, of course, also results in slightly higher prices, but the conservancies are quieter than the national reserve, with fewer lodges per square kilometer, and this is something animals are slowly learning. You get a more authentic safari experience with less other visitors around, which makes the extra money spent worthwhile. Especially in the Mara migration season, the national reserve can become very busy and lots of animals have decided that they prefer the tranquility of the conservancies.
Because they are private, the conservancies are also able to offer night drives and bush walks and if you stay for 3 nights or more in one lodge, they will often include a day trip into the national reserve, whereas the reverse is not possible. A couple of lodges in the conservancies have started offering cycling safaris as well, which are becoming increasingly popular. Again, these safaris are not possible in the national reserve itself, and many of the guides and staff in the conservancies come from the local villages and grew up grazing their cattle in the area, so they know the land like the back of their hands.
The different conservancies
There are 6 conservancies, namely Mara Naboisho, Mara North, Ol Kinyei, Ol Derikesi, Olare Motorogi and Siana Group Ranch. There is no best conservancy to stay in. You will find the same animals in each conservancy and as there are no fences between any of the conservancies and the national reserve, just the animal numbers can vary as the animals roam around. The decision about which conservancy to stay in will often come down to lodge availability and budget. For example, Ol Kinyei and Ol Derikesi only have 1 camp each, but you can rest assured that whichever conservancy you do visit, you will have a fantastic, authentic African safari experience.
where to stay...
From our visit to the Maasai Mara Conservancies, we have first-hand knowledge of lodges and below you can find the ones we most commonly use, sorted from low-key to deluxe. Those lodges include mainly our favourites, which are usually smaller lodges with very personalised service.
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NABOiSHO |
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basecamp eagle view
BASECAMP leopard hill
BASECAMP wilderness
kicheche valley
encounter mara
Hemingways ol seki
Naboisho Camp
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mara north |
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karen blixen camp
kicheche bush camp
Saruni Mara
Elephant Pepper
Ngare Serian
Serian the original
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olare motorogi |
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ol Kinyei |
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porini mara camp
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LEmek |
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Saruni wild
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