Best hotels in Kenya

Beautifully stylish canvas rooms, spectacular 270 degree views and a truly fabulous location in the heart of the Mara Naboisho Conservancy, just outside the Masai Mara Reserve, are just a few of the reasons that we love Ol Seki. And then there’s the activities. The private conservancy is yours to explore as you wish and the game drives, night drives and walking safaris, all led by a team of fantastic local guides in their traditional red shukas, are intimate and private. And with only four other camps in 200 square kilometres, you see hordes of game, not hordes of tourists – just as it should be.

Unfortunately, this camp is currently closed.

In Kenya's conservation capital, Laikipia, the private Mugie Conservancy does more than its fair share with projects to protect cheetah, African painted dog and lion. If you'd like to visit to see for yourself, you can't get much better than Mugie House. Set on 50,000 acres of acacia plains and olive forests, this is a grand manor house with a chandeliered dining room and luxurious bathtubs, as well as an infinity pool overlooking the waterhole where a hide provides close encounters of the best kind. When you're ready for adventure, there are guided bush walks to spot reticulated giraffe and sundowners on the plains - and you'll be pleased to know that the wildlife sightings are always astonishing and action-packed.

Tucked into a riverine forest setting on the very edge of Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve is an intimate tented camp so peaceful, elegant and close to the best of the game viewing that safari-goers visit it time and again. This sister camp to Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp at the foot of the Oloololo Escarpment offers the quintessential East African safari experience with a generous dash of old-world glamour. The vintage atmosphere transports you back to the golden age of exploration, while still delivering all modern comforts. From thundering herds during the Great Migration to resident big cats stalking the golden plains, wildlife encounters here are truly spectacular. After thrilling game drives, return to butlers who remember exactly how you take your gin and tonic, and dinner tables set under acacia trees illuminated by lantern light.

Voyager Ziwani Tented Camp sits on the outskirts of southern Kenya's Tsavo West National Park. On the edge of a small lagoon near the Santee River and within a private sanctuary, it enjoys an ever-constant parade of hippos, crocs and numerous water birds, to name but a few. Ziwani is part of a collection of Kenyan camps, known for their sociable, high-energy atmosphere, and there's plenty of activities on offer, fro guided game walks to night drives. The kids club in particular is a highlight and little ones will be well looked-after and entertained!

A new lodge with a fresh approach in an area long heralded as the planet's paramount game-viewing destination, Mara Nyika lies in the Naboisho Conservancy (part of the greater Mara landscape). Its attraction? This intimate, five tent retreat is built in the treetops. Wooden walkways wind through the umbrella-thorn canopy to link the tents with platforms and other structures. The concept is the brainchild of veteran safari operator, Great Plains, and the effect is singularly enchanting. Privacy, the spectacle of the Great Migration on your doorstep, and a bed in the trees, make this camp idyllic.

Located on the banks of the river from which it takes its name, Sand River Masai Mara lies within Kenya's flagship reserve, close to the Tanzanian border. This is where the wildebeest cross the river in search of better grazing later in the year, so you couldn't be closer to the heart of the action. There's profuse resident game too, so there's lots to see year round. The camp itself is charming. Decorated in authentic 1920s colonial safari style, with plush leather seating, travel chests and a well-stocked library, the camp makes you feel like an extra in Out of Africa.

Opening beneath the leaves of Kenya's quintessential fever trees in June 2022, Tambarare Camp, an A&K Sanctuary is a bright and eye-catching new camp. Under the impressive gaze of Mount Kenya, the camp sits in Ol Pejeta Conservancy, an untamed realm where you'll follow in the footprints of the Big Five and lay beneath the star-spangled African sky. Laikipia is known for its collection of private camps with big hearts for conservation and Sanctuary Tambarare fits right in. Each day brings the chance to get to know the land and creatures that call it home, your expert guide sharing the secrets of their plains with you.