Best hotels in Kenya

Ol Jogi is a magnificent private ranch-style lodge set against a boulder-strewn hillside, with just seven cottages tucked away in the lush gardens, all with astounding views over nearly 24,000 hectares (60,000 acres) of pristine wilderness – and it’s all yours for the booking. Ol Jogi lies within Kenya’s scenically diverse northern Laikipia region, renowned for its abundant wildlife, including all of the Big Five together with several rarities and a staggeringly rich birdlife. This former family ranch, with a glamorous history dating back over several decades, leaves no stone unturned in crafting the ultimate luxury safari experience.

Ol Malo is a privately owned game sanctuary and working ranch in northern Kenya’s Laikipia Plateau, spanning 5,000 acres of rugged hills and valleys overlooking Mount Kenya. Once an overgrazed cattle farm, Ol Malo has been transformed into a conservation area, literally teeming with wildlife. Ol Malo House is a stunning six-bedroomed homestead perched on a rocky outcrop with sweeping views of the valleys and hills beyond. With a range of fabulous (and some totally unusual!) activities, this is the perfect bush break for anyone looking for excellent game-viewing and a whole lot of fun. For families and groups of friends, the house can be booked exclusively.

Il Ngwesi is one of Kenya’s most pioneering bush camps. Lying within a vast community conservation and livestock region north of the wildlife-rich Lewa Conservancy, the lodge is one of the first of its kind to be entirely owned and staffed by members of the local Masai tribe. This small camp, with just six rooms, sits on the thickly forested slopes of a hill in a remote corner of the conservancy. We appreciate the authentic, all-round Kenyan experience, and the focus that's equally weighted between the region’s traditional culture and heritage and the abundant plains game and birdlife.

Taking the Governors' tried, tested and truly excellent formula to the next level, Il Moran is the one for honeymooners, couples and anyone looking for a little piece of secluded privacy. In a quintessential and wonderfully romantic Mara picture, the 10 tents wind their way down a bend of the Mara River in the beautiful Musiara Sector of the reserve, shaded by the branches of ancient fig trees. With handsome Victorian bathtubs to fall into at the end of an active day and long, lazy candlelit dinners under a starry sky to look forward to, you might find yourself never wanting to leave.

Saruni Mara Camp and its sister tented camp, Saruni Wild, lie in the Mara North Conservancy, a private wilderness covering more than 30,000 hectares outside the Masai Mara Reserve. The sanctuary is a partnership between conservationists, investors and 800-plus Masai landowners, for whom this is the first time they have received income from wildlife. The camps lie in the path of the Great Migration (July to November) and the less well-known Loita Hills migration (December to May), which sees thousands of wildebeest arriving at the conservancy. So there's plenty to see and, to top it all, this boutique lodge offers top-quality service.

Tucked into a quiet corner of the Mara North Conservancy, Acacia House is your very own country house in the bush. A charming three-bedroom house, it’s perfectly positioned looking out over a busy waterhole and those iconic Mara plains, with nothing but birdsong, warthog grunts and the occasional lion roar to disturb the peace. With a dedicated team, your own guide and vehicle, and a wonderfully relaxed, do-as-you-please rhythm, it’s made for families and friends who like their freedom – and a good dollop of wildlife, too.

For the best seats in the house to annual Great Migration, Serian's Nkoromobo is the place to be. Perched right on the banks of the Mara River, the five tents are far from the madding crowds yet still in the heart of the Masai Mara with its spectacular concentrations of game and, from June to November, wildebeest. Watch in awe as the herds plunge across the Mara River in some of the most exciting, chaotic and utterly phenomenal game viewing in the world before spending a few nights in one of owner Alex Walker’s permanent camps in the Mara North Conservancy for a slightly slower pace of safari! A winning combination if ever we saw one…

The Masai Mara is Kenya's safari headliner, but the main reserve can feel like rush hour when the migration's on. Mara North Conservancy, where Hemingways River Camp Mara sits on the banks of the Njageteck River, is the antidote: 73,000 acres of community-owned wilderness with a fraction of the vehicles. Founded by late conservationist Richard Roberts, the camp has just had a top-to-toe refurbishment under the Hemingways Collection, who've kept the old-school safari soul intact. Eight canvas tents, a resident lion pride that hunts within earshot, and guides who'll happily revolve the whole day around you. Safari the way it used to be done.

Sanctuary Olonana is an elegant tented camp in the heart of Kenya’s finest safari region. It's situated within a private concession alongside the Masai Mara Game Reserve, overlooking a stretch of the Mara River with a resident pod of hippos. A mix of classic safari elements – canvas tents, timber and thatch – together with a strong Maasai influence gives this camp an authentic African feel, with luxury all round. Game viewing is excellent, and one of the highlights is the chance to spend a day at a Maasai village, and participate in some of the daily rituals and routines.