Offbeat Mara Camp

Offbeat Mara Camp is a traditional safari camp, at its very best private and small. The camp offers excellent game-viewing in one of the most famous safari destinations in the world. With just six tents and a prime location means that we can provide a truly individual and tailored approach to your holiday. This small and exclusive tented camp offers game-viewing in both the serene and unspoilt Mara North Conservancy and close access to the famous Masai Mara National Reserve.

Offbeat Mara Camp, along with several other camps in the area, founded the Mara North Conservancy in January 2009. A pristine reserve of 74,000 acres with a strict cap on visitor and vehicle numbers, the Mara North is incredibly rich in wildlife and has one of the lowest densities of tourist visitors in the greater Mara ecosystem.

The camp's location is on the Olare Orok, a meandering tributary of the Mara River. The Olare Orok cuts through the centre of the Mara North Conservancy, a vivid swathe of green that allows an unrivalled habitat for game. Offbeat Mara Camp nestles into a valley in the middle of this wilderness, a doubly protected area that provides guests with unparalleled game-viewing. Four of the Big 5 are seen regularly around camp, and the valley never fails to provide guests with game-viewing of all sorts. Most importantly, the camp is far away from other lodges, and we aim to provide guests with great game-viewing away from the masses.

The Masai Mara plays host to the annual migration from July to October. An enormous concentration of wildebeest, zebra and consequently predators pass through the surrounding plains. Unrestricted by National Park rules, guests at Offbeat Mara can enjoy full day game drives, as well as evening drives in custom-built Land Cruisers, bush breakfasts, picnics, and the famous Kenyan sundowner. Visits to the wildebeest crossing points on the Mara River, Maasai village visits, trips to the Rhino Sanctuary, Koyaki Guiding School, scenic flights, and hot-air balloon safaris can all be enjoyed from Offbeat Mara.

The camp sleeps just 12 guests in six traditional safari tents. Each tent has an en-suite bathroom with hot bucket showers, wash basins and flush loo, and features large, handmade cedar beds, 24-hour solar lighting and the finest linen. Informal dining is hosted in the mess tent or around the camp fire. Delicious English breakfasts, light lunches and three-course dinners are served each evening. Guests can relax in the bar and mess tent, with comfortable sofas, a writing desk and library with wildlife picture and guide books.

The welfare of the Maasai community in Mara North is a huge priority for Offbeat Mara Camp. Since the first days of the camp's inception, when we assembled a team of local Maasai to help us build and level our foundations, we've continued in this mutually beneficial relationship and many of the Offbeat "pioneers" continue to work for us to this day, with their wives and families providing us with beading and crafts.