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.
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Three canvas-and-wood communal tents form the heart of camp: a lounge, a bar and a dining tent, all done in chic, muted tones, hand-carved wood tables and softly draped fabrics, with hammocks swaying out front. Meals run on no fixed timetable. Tuck into a three-course dinner beside the fire, or have the team lay a candlelit table out in the bush, where the only soundtrack is the hippos and the odd distant roar. The food is very, very good.
Eight tents are spaced wide along the river for privacy: six Classic Safari Tents, plus a two-bedroom Family Tent and a Private Suite, both with their own lounge and veranda and dedicated staff. Each tent is a generous 50 square metres, raised on a stone platform, with king or twin beds, antique wooden furnishings and carefully detailed canvas roofs overhead. The en-suite bathrooms have flush loos, indoor showers and an outdoor one too, all with 24-hour hot water. Your private veranda looks straight onto the springs where wild visitors gather.
You're right in the midst of the Mara wilderness at Hemingways River Camp Mara. Discover all the hidden corners on day and night game drives, walking safaris, and cultural visits to local Maasai villages. If you want to stay out all day, ask the staff to pack you bush breakfast, lunch or dinner (or all three!). There's also visits to the nearby rhino and elephant sanctuary, hot air balloon rides over the Mara at sunrise or, if you're not feeling energetic, simply watch the wildlife from your tent.
Dinner out on the savannah, accompanied only by the twinkling stars and the snortings and gruntings of the wildlife, will be a night to remember.
Take time to visit the Mara Elephant Project to see their instrumental work in alleviating human-wildlife conflict and anti-poaching in the area.
The camp is completely unfenced, so wildlife is free to roam about as it pleases. We love this detail, but it's something to bear in mind.
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A safari classic filled with the Big Five, wildlife-dotted landscapes and vibrant Maasai warriors.
