Mara Olare Motorogi

is one of the best private areas

in the Maasai Mara

exceptionally pretty undulating landscapes

Mara Olare Motorogi is a prime private conservancy which lies immediately to the northwest of the main Maasai Mara reserve in southwest Kenya.

This area contains 133 square kilometres of the most spectacular scenery in the Mara, with beautiful dome-topped hills backed by the distant Oloololo Escarpment.

The conservancy was formed by the amalgamation of two separate Motorogi and Olare Orok areas, with all camps now being able to operate safari over the whole.

The open hills host a rich and varied population of grazers year round, including giraffes, zebras, hartebeests and warthogs. These herds are accompanied by high densities of predators, including lions, cheetahs, hyenas and jackals.

In between the hills run a number of small seasonal streams or ‘luggas’, lined by ribbons on forest which are home to a broader range of species notably including baboons, elephants, buffaloes, hippos and leopards.

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

Being a private conservancy means that vehicle traffic is strictly limited. Only guests of the dozen or so small camps here are permitted to explore this significant tract of prime land. Vehicle clusters of any type are very 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.

At 133 square kilometres, Mara Olare Motorogi is arguably the prettiest conservancy in the Maasai Mara.

The area is dominated by broad undulating grasslands, which host a rich and varied population of grazers year round.

There is also a full range of predators, including lions, cheetahs, leopards and spotted hyenas.

The area is bisected by seasonal river luggas, which are host to a different range of animals.

Mara Olare Motorogi also intermittently hosts the migration herds during the Jun-Sep dry season.

There is blissfully low vehicle traffic and the freedom to offer a much wider range of quality safari experiences.

The main activity is vehicle safari often punctuated by bush picnics and sundowner drinks.

Walking safari is a particularly speciality in some camps.

The conservancy is a partnership between safari operators and the local Maasai people.

All the best camps are stakeholders in the conservancy.

Each guest pays a substantial levy to compensate the Maasai for leaving the land free for wildlife.

Access is almost always by scheduled flight from Nairobi and on by road to other Mara areas.

Gallery

Map

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 the Maasai Mara 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.

We always include all connecting transport in your trip unless you specifically ask us not to.

Where to stay

The Mara Olare Motorogi area contains just a handful of good camps, plus a further handful of lesser options, some of which are barely functional.

The most exclusive and polished option is definitely the ‘reassuringly expensive’ Mara Plains Camp.

The most conventionally comfortable option is definitely Richard Branson’s Mahale Mzuri.

There are two good mid-range choices, namely Kicheche Olare Bush Camp and Porini Lion Camp.

The area also happens to contain the best private house rental in the whole of the Maasai Mara, the exceptional Topi House, which is great for a small family or group of friends, especially if you fancy staying a little longer and really making the area your home for a while.