Best hotels in Masai Mara

Located in its own private conservancy just one kilometre from Kenya's famous Masai Mara Reserve, Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp was created by Calvin and Louise Cottar in the mid-1990s. You're in the hands of experts – the owners are the fifth generation of a family recognised as the oldest established and continuing safari family in Africa. So you'll experience the perfect combination of adventure, adrenalin and comfort. The plains are alive with animals, the Masai guides are gold-star professionals, the tented rooms offer relaxation in luxurious style and the food is fresh and fabulous.

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.

(Currently closed) Situated just outside the Masai Mara, overlooking the Njageteck River in the private Mara North Conservancy, Richard's River Camp is an intimate, seven-bedroom camp dedicated to the preservation of the natural beauty of the area. Originally the Robert family's 'home away from home' in the Mara, the camp is now run by Richard Robert and his wife Liz, and much of the casually luxurious style is down to the bits and bobs that Liz has collected on her travels over the years. Climb into one of the hanging baskets outside your tent, and watch the sun rise and fall over the iconic Mara landscape - this place will feel like the home you always dreamt of.

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.

Experience timeless safari tradition in secluded luxury, within one of Africa's most prolific wildlife regions. This intimate villa is perched on a hillside in Cottar's Private Conservancy, within the Masai Mara region but just outside of the Masai Mara National Park itself. An indulgent and romantic homestead linked to Cottar's 1920's Camp, Cottar's Bush Villa is utterly exclusive. It comes with a discreet and professional staff, including a butler, private chef and guide. The ecosystem is hugely fertile, with abundant game (keep an eye out for the Big Five) and stunning landscapes to be explored by vehicle or on foot.