Luxury Safari Lodges To Consider on Your Visit To Masai Mara

Masai Mara national reserve has some of Kenya’s leading luxury safari lodges that complement the vibrant big five and wildebeest migration safaris. Masai Mara is renown for its big five mammals that can be experienced in the Mara Triangle and and the various conservancies around the reserve. Accommodation is Key in exploring the vast lands of the Masai ecosystem and a number of luxury safari lodges have been set up over the years. These are strategically located making it easy for tourists to access Masai Mara for general activities like game drives.

Let us look at some of the most outstanding luxury safari lodges you must consider when visiting Masai Mara.

Luxury Safari Lodges in Masai Mara
A luxury Tent at Mahali Mzuri. Photo by Mahali Mzuri

This beautiful luxurious tented safari camp is situated in the Olare Motorogi conservancy. The camp has 12 luxury cottages that are self contained with great views of the conservancy. Mahali Mzuri was voted Number 1 hotel and number world safari lodge in 2021 in Travel+Leisure for its outstanding services and luxurious touch.

Mahali Mzuri has an infinity swimming pool where you can swim and cool down on a hot day and relax enjoying the views of the wilderness. The pool is also heated and you can still enjoy your swim on a chilly day.

While staying at the Mahali Mzuri you get to experience big cats safaris, Wildebeest migration if it is the right season, safari game drives and much more. The Olare Motorogi conservancy is famous for the big cats and many other wildlife species. Incase you are interested in visiting the Mara triangle you can still do for wildlife viewing. You can also have a community to the Masai where you would get to know more about their culture and heritage.

Ensure to make your booking to the camp in advance since it gets fully booked especially in the peak tourist season.

Angama Mara is one of the best luxury safari lodges in Masai Mara overlooking the reserve. It is situated on the Rift Valley escarpment over looking the Rift valley floor. The tented safari lodge has 15 luxurious self contained and fully furnished tents that offers interrupted views of the great Rift Valley.

It is among the best exclusive and Honeymoon destinations in Kenya. It has over the years been internationally recognised as among World’s best accommodation facility for its outstanding beauty and excellent services offered there. It featured in and got accolades from renown travel magazines including Travel+leisure, Conde Nest Traveler, National Geographic among others.

Angama Mara is the perfect place to explore Masai Mara starting from Big five and big cats plus the wildebeest migration experiences. The lodge has a mobile tented camp called Angama Safari Camp in the Mara Triangle that is very ideal to explore the wildebeest migration. With this you are able to keep up with the wildebeest migration including live predators hunting moments.

The lodge can easily be accessed by air to the lodge’s airfield and it would be the best means to maximise your experience at the lodge. The safari experience starts right at the lodge and at the Angama Safari Camp so if you a wildlife lover you are very much covered. Those interested in filming or photographic safaris are very much welcome here. The lodges strategic location makes it ideal for filming and a lot of scenes from Out of Africa were filmed here. You can therefore enjoy photographic safaris, family safaris, Masai cultural visits, classic game drives, ballon safaris, guided nature walks among others.

You can not list luxury safari lodges and camps in Masai Mara and fail to mention andBeyond’s Kichwa Tembo tented camp. It is located on a private concession on the Oloololo escarpment overlooking Saparingo River. The concession is home to wildlife species including big cats that are often seen while on game drives. Kichwa Tembo is one of the best places in Masai to enjoy the great wildebeest migration experience. 

It has 8 superior view tents, 20 superior tents and 12 classic tents that are well furnished and decorated with a rustic touch. They offer great uninterrupted views of the Masai Mara and one can easily spot wildlife even at the comfort of their tent. The tents are self contained and private and you get to have an exclusive access during your stay at Kichwa Tembo. 

Kichwa Tembo also has a beautiful infinity pool where you can relax enjoying the sunset and the great scenic views. While staying at Kichwa Tembo you can engage in a number of safari activities including game drives, nature walks, community visits among others.

This rustic camp has 12 tented cottages and it is among the top luxury safari lodges in Kenya’s Masai Mara. Its strategic location makes it an ideal place for game drives featuring the big cats. It is very exclusive giving one an opportunity to enjoy interrupted wildlife safari experiences and services at the lodge it self.

Elewana Sand River overlooks the Sand river and often times dinner and breakfast is set at the River banks. Here one relaxes enjoying great scenic views of the River and wilderness in general. There is also a swimming pool overlooking the plains of Masai Mara where you can enjoy a swim or sunbathe.

While Elewana Sand River you can engage in a number of safari activities like game drives, nature walks, community visits among others. The lodge is very ideal for the great wildebeest migration as you can get to watch the migration from your cottage.

The lodge received a Conde Nest traveler Readers’ Choice award in 2020 and it is truly outstanding.

This beautiful camp overlooks Talek River and is also strategically located in the heart Masai Mara national reserve. The camps location makes it an ideal place to enjoy and explore the great Masai mara and its wildlife species. Mara Intrepids Tented Camp is located just a few minutes drive from the Mara River where millions gather to witness the Wildebeest River crossings as the wildebeest cross over from Tanzania’s Serengeti National park. With this easy access to the Mara River, the camp is the best and ideal to book if you are much interested in the wildebeest migration.

The luxury tents at the camp are self contained with great views of the surrounding scenery. You can engage in a number of safari activities while staying at the lodge. These include safari game drives, photography safaris, ballon safaris among others. Mara Intrepids Tented Camp is also a great place to stay with your family. They organise kids activities that keep them engaged and also get an opportunity to learn and explore more of the African and Masai Mara wilderness.

They also organise bush dinners and sundowners where you can enjoy the view of the sunrise and sunset. The camps exclusive nature makes it a great option if looking for luxury Safari Lodges to stay at when in Masai Mara.

East African Luxury Safari Holidays To Be Apart of This December

East Africa is one of the leading luxury safari holiday destinations on the African continent and the world at large. The regions has various natural wonders and attractions making it among the most desirable and bucket list tourist destinations. The idea of luxury Safari holidays is not new as many people continually seek exclusive high-end safari packages.

In East Africa, there are a number of these exclusive luxury Safari holidays one can be a part of. Now that the festive days are getting closer, let’s look at some of the finest luxury safari holidays to look out for.

East Africa is the only destination with the rare and endangered mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas are apes and some of the closest primate species to human beings with over a 95% DNA similar to humans. They can only be found in Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo and offer so far one of the best wildlife safari experiences.

Of all the 3 gorilla trekking destinations though Rwanda offers the best luxury gorilla trekking safaris. Mountain gorillas in Rwanda can be trekked in Volcanoes National park located North west of the country. The park has 12 habituated mountain gorilla groups open for tourism.

There are a number of high-end luxury accommodation options around Volcanoes National Park where one can stay. These include Bisate Lodge, One and Only Gorilla Nest Lodge, Kwitonda Lodge, Bishops House and many others. This December if looking for one of the best luxury safari holidays then Volcanoes National Park would be a great option.

Mountain Gorilla. Luxury Safari Holidays. Photo by Eric Manzi
Mountain Gorilla in Volcanoes National Park. Photo by Eric Manzi

Kenya’s Masai mara national reserve is one of the best safari destinations for Big Five safaris. The reserve is home to Elephants, Lions, Leopards, Rhinos and Buffaloes. There are many private reserves surrounding the Mara Triangle where one can have game drives seeing the major big five.

Apart from game drives, you can do nature walks, ballon safaris among others all which that give you an opportunity to see the big five. There are a number of luxury safari lodges in the Masai Mara reserve offering all inclusive services.

End this year relaxing in the jungle enjoying high-end exclusive services with great views of endless plains of Masai Mara.

Lions in Masai Mara. Luxury Safari Holidays
Lions in Masai Mara Reserve

The wildebeest migration is a natural phenomena that involves a mass movement of wildebeest, gazelles, zebras over the Masai mara and Serengeti eco systems. This mass movement attracts a number of predators that are often ready to take on their prey. These includes the jungles most feared predators like lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas among others.

The great wildebeest migration can be enjoyed in Masai Mara national reserve Kenya and Serengeti National Park Tanzania. The year 2021 has also been stressing because of the corona virus and it would be great to end it enjoying typical African luxury safari holidays featuring the wildebeest migration.

While on the wildebeest migration you will get to enjoy other classic safari experiences featuring the big five and a number of bird species.

Wildebeest Migration Safari. African Safaris
Wildebeest Migration. Courtesy Photo

Chimpanzees are other primates that offer great safari experiences and would be a great option for luxury safari holidays. East Africa has many chimpanzee trekking destinations but Uganda’s Kibale National Park offers the best experiences. The park is the primate capital of the world and is a home to chimpanzees and many other primate species.

The park is located in Western Uganda about a 6 to 7 hours drive from Kampala Uganda’s Capital City. It can be accessed by road and air transport but road transport is more enjoyable through the Ugandan countryside.

There are a number of high-end luxury safari lodges around the lodge including Kyaninga Lodge, Papaya Lake Lodge, Primate Lodge, Crater Safari Lodge among others. All these are a few minutes drive to the park and can be the best options to stay at while heading for chimpanzee trekking.

Chimpanzee in Kibale National Park Uganda by Lionel Egger
Chimpanzee in Kibale National Park by Lionel Egger