Safari to Mara North

the best private conservancy with river frontage

Mara North is a prime private conservancy which lies immediately to the northwest of the main Maasai Mara National Reserve in southwest Kenya.

At around 285 square kilometres, this is the largest of the private conservancies and contains an impressive range of landscapes.

The area is dominated by broad undulating grasslands, which host a rich and varied population of grazers year round, including impalas, zebras, topis and warthogs. These herds are accompanied by high densities of predators, including lions, cheetahs, spotted hyenas and jackals.

On the eastern side these plains are punctuated by a network of lightly wooded valleys containing seasonal streams or ‘luggas’, with patches of denser riverine forest, which are home to a broader range of species notably including giraffes, baboons, elephants, buffaloes, hippos and leopards.

The western boundary of the conservancy is defined by forested hillsides sloping down to the Mara River itself, backed by the dramatic Oloololo Escarpment.

Mara North usually sees a good deal of migration action during the Jul-Oct dry season, although you would probably need to drive south into the Mara Confluence or Mara Triangle areas if you want to see significant river crossings.

Being a private conservancy means that vehicle traffic is strictly limited. Other than vehicles on the transit road, only guests of the dozen or so small camps here are permitted to explore this significant tract of prime land. Vehicle clusters are rare.

The conservancy status also means that camp operators are free to offer off-road driving, walking safari, bush meals and some limited night vehicle safari, which helps to produce a much more rounded experience.

There are also significant opportunities for cultural interaction with the local Maasai people, who are shareholders in the conservancy and therefore tend to be very welcoming.

The Maasai Mara tends to feature in almost all safari trips to Kenya. As well as being the best known reserve, it is also the most productive for wildlife.

The usual stay duration is 4-8 nights split between two camps, less frequently 3-4 nights in just one camp.

Seasonality

The best time of year to visit is generally considered to be the Jul-Oct dry season, when the weather should be reliably good and the wildlife concentrated around the permanent water sources.

The Nov-Jun green season may be much less dependable for weather, but remains really strong for wildlife viewing.

Visitor traffic is less of an issue in this private area, but you can expect the camps to be fully booked during the Jul-Oct and Dec-Jan high seasons. So there can be slight advantages to visiting during quieter periods.

Getting around

You’re most likely to arrive into the Maasai Mara area via the regular light aircraft services that operate from Nairobi, which means that you will travel around the area with a guide and vehicle from the camp in which you are staying.

If you’re staying in more than one camp in the greater Maasai Mara then inter-camp transfers are usually operated by the departing camp and generally pass through wildlife areas for most if not all of their routes.

It’s also possible to travel down from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara by road, which is quite a long and tiresome journey, but not without interest. The trouble is that the better lodges in the Mara will offer you no discount for having your own guide and vehicle along, so you end up paying for both, which works out more expensive than flying down.

Where to stay

The Mara North area contains around fifteen accommodation options, which range considerably in size, style and quality.

The very best and most authentic are the related Serian Mara North and Serian Mara Ngare, which offer the best guiding and, significantly, private vehicles for all groups.

Camps such as Offbeat Mara Camp and Kicheche Mara North also offer a pleasantly intimate and earthy bush experience, at considerably lower prices.

There are also some larger and more conventional lodges in the area, notably Karen Blixen Camp, whose swimming pool may be a particular draw for families with smaller children.

A good few of the lower rated camps are too far north for our tastes, since there is a fair amount of human encroachment up there and the landscapes are not so pure and pretty.

an excellent choice of quality safari lodges