Saruni Eagle’s View

an unusually good value option in this prime area

Basecamp Eagle’s View is located in the Mara Naboisho Conservancy area of the Maasai Mara in southwest Kenya.

Set on a prominent ridge above an often active waterhole, this camp is centred on a large mess, with simple lounge and dining areas leading out onto broad terraces and a small pool.

The site was originally part of the Koiyaki Guiding School and was redeveloped by the Basecamp Foundation, reopening as Eagle View in 2012. Saruni Basecamp now also supports the Wildlife Tourism College at Pardamat, sponsoring local trainees and employing graduates across its camps.

Rooms

Guest accommodation is in ten elevated “Viewpoint” tents: eight doubles/twins and two two-bedroom family tents. Each has an en-suite bathroom with bio-flush toilet, indoor and outdoor showers, and a private deck oriented for views over the plains and the waterhole below. In-room Wi-Fi is available. 

Activities

Basecamp Eagle’s View provides the following guided activities, not all of which are necessarily included in the room rate …

• Vehicle safari
• Walking safari
• Bush meals
• Cultural interaction
• Night vehicle safari

Naboisho Conservancy spans about 80 square kilometres of plains and woodland bordering the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Strict vehicle limits, a high density of resident wildlife and seasonal wildebeest movements, make it one of the most reliable and uncrowded areas for year-round wildlife viewing.

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.

one of the three best private concessions in the Mara