Encounter Mara Camp

You fly from Nairobi's Wilson airport to Ol Seki airstrip, which serves the Naboisho Conservancy, about forty-five minutes to an hour in the air. The camp collects you there for a drive of around forty-five minutes that doubles as a first game drive, and we build the flights and the timings into your itinerary. We can also arrange a private charter, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, if you would rather fly to your own schedule.

The light aircraft take soft bags only, around fifteen kilograms per person including hand luggage, so pack a duffel rather than a hard case. Driving from Nairobi takes five to six hours if you would rather watch the country change on the way.

Yes, plan on that basis. The conservancy sits at roughly 1,500 to 1,700 metres, and both the CDC and the UK's official travel health advice put the altitude at which risk becomes very low at 2,500 metres, so antimalarial tablets are usually recommended for the Mara. The risk is lower than on the humid coast, and it rises after the rains.

Guidance is reviewed regularly, so check the current position with a travel clinic or your doctor before you travel, then keep up the simple defences in camp, repellent and long sleeves once the sun drops.

Warm days, cool nights, and a real chill in an open vehicle at dawn, which surprises people expecting equatorial heat. The long rains run from around March to May, a shorter burst arrives near November, and the months between stay mostly dry and clear.

Bring neutral safari colours, a proper warm layer plus a windproof for morning drives, strong sun protection, and a light waterproof if you travel in the green months. Closed shoes matter more here than at most camps because of the walking, and binoculars earn their place in the fifteen kilos.

First, a planning note: the camp closes every May and runs June to April. July to October brings the migration into the wider Mara ecosystem, with the reserve's river crossings at their height around August, and a full-day drive from Naboisho reaches them.

Outside those months the conservancy relies on its resident game rather than the passing herds, so the plains do not empty when the migration moves on, and the green months from November and again from March to April bring soft light, superb birdlife and far fewer visitors.

Most of the safari. The rate covers full board, house drinks apart from champagne, game drives, a night drive, guided walks, transfers to and from Ol Seki airstrip and a limited laundry service, and the conservancy's nightly fee is bundled in as well, which is not true of every camp in the Mara. There is wifi in camp at no extra charge.

Balloon flights and anything beyond the standard activity list sit outside the rate, so tell us what you want from the days and we will price the whole trip before you commit.

From age five upward, yes. The camp takes children aged five and older, keeps family tents for parents travelling with younger ones, and has twin-bedded tents that work well for teenagers alongside.

The conservancy gives children more than vehicle time, though the wilder outings suit older ones best, so tell us the ages when we plan and we will be straight about what fits now and what is worth saving for a return trip.