Deep in a secluded valley in the private Naboisho Conservancy, the canvas suites of Mara Nyika Camp stand on tall wooden decks beneath umbrella-thorn acacias, linked by raised walkways that carry you above the valley floor. Here the bush moves around and below you rather than beyond a fence line, and it is this, more than anything, that gives the camp its treehouse character, closer to the ground it sits above than any lodge with a boundary.
Naboisho carries one of the highest densities of predators in the Mara
Naboisho carries one of the highest densities of predators in the Mara, its lions, leopards and cheetahs shadowing the elephants, giraffes and plains game they hunt. This is migration country too: the conservancy sits on the wildebeest route, and between August and November the herds spread across these plains. Being private land changes everything, freeing guides to leave the road for a sighting and to run drives well after dark, both off-limits in the neighbouring National Reserve.
The whole camp comes to just six suites and never more than twenty guests. Four are standard, one is a two-bedroom family suite, and the last is the two-bedroom Sambuk Suite, which arrives with its own vehicle and guide. A standard suite runs to around 1,000 square feet, high-ceilinged and quiet, its netted windows and indoor lounge giving onto a private veranda that faces open plains.
Four are standard, one is a two-bedroom family suite
Across every suite the same notes return: light canvas, wooden floors and a copper soaking tub set into the bathroom. A photographic instinct runs through the camp, and nowhere more than in the guiding, where open Land Cruisers modified for cameras seat no more than four apiece, built to keep a sighting uninterrupted by other vehicles. You come back from a drive to warm towels, a drink, and staff who already know how you take your coffee.
Behind this collection of camps stand Dereck Joubert, the National Geographic filmmaker and conservationist, and his wife Beverly. Before Mara Nyika opened in August 2019, he searched Naboisho for a site with privacy and little light pollution, and that same care shows now in the camera-ready vehicles and in the way each suite is angled for a clear line of sight across the valley. Relais & Châteaux accreditation sets the standard for kitchen and service alike, and it shows at the table.
Ask most guests what they remember and the guiding comes up first. The vehicles seat only four, and drives run at early morning, late afternoon and after dark within the conservancy, while full-day safaris head out with a picnic packed by the kitchen. For the classic Mara scenes, day trips cross into the Maasai Mara National Reserve, and in the migration months they chase the river crossings that draw the herds down to the water and hold everyone who watches them.
The comfort you enjoy and the land you drive across are, in the end, the same project.
Dining follows the Relais & Châteaux standard, though never with ceremony. The menus are a la carte and built around fresh ingredients, dietary needs quietly met, and where you eat is left to you: the open dining area, your own veranda, or a table out on the plains. A mobile kitchen makes cooked-to-order bush breakfasts possible, laid with linen and silver wherever the game happens to be that morning. Evenings settle around the fire pit, a dawa in hand, as the valley’s night sounds build in the dark beyond it.
Naboisho means “coming together” in Maa, a fitting name for a conservancy formed by roughly 500 Maasai landowners who leased their grazing land for wildlife. Every stay at Mara Nyika contributes to those families through conservation fees, keeping a working wildlife corridor intact across the wider Mara ecosystem. The camp runs on solar power, while the Great Plains Foundation leads community and conservation work across the surrounding area. The comfort you enjoy and the land you drive across are, in the end, the same project.
accommodation
Six suites: four standard suites of roughly 1,000 square feet, a two-bedroom family suite, and the two-bedroom Sambuk Suite with its own vehicle and guide. Suites are raised canvas structures set beneath acacias, with high ceilings, netted windows, an indoor lounge, a private veranda and en-suite bathrooms with copper soaking tubs.
activities
Game drives in open, photography-adapted Land Cruisers seating four run morning, afternoon and after dark within Naboisho Conservancy, where off-road driving and night drives are both permitted. Full-day safaris, Maasai community visits and day trips into the Maasai Mara National Reserve are also arranged, with the Reserve favoured for river-crossing viewing during the migration months.
conservation
Naboisho Conservancy was formed by around 500 Maasai landowners who leased their land for wildlife. Conservation fees from each stay at Mara Nyika Camp provide income to those families and help maintain a wildlife corridor across the Maasai Mara ecosystem. The camp runs on solar power, and the Great Plains Foundation leads conservation and community programmes in the region.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
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You fly from Nairobi's Wilson airport to an airstrip in the Naboisho Conservancy, about forty-five minutes to an hour by light aircraft, and the camp meets you for the transfer to its secluded valley. We build the flights into your itinerary, and if you prefer to travel on your own schedule we can arrange a private charter, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, direct to the conservancy airstrip.
The bush planes take soft bags of around fifteen kilograms per person including hand luggage, so a duffel is best. The camp holds no more than twenty guests across six suites, so it is quiet throughout.
The Maasai Mara sits at around 1,500 to 1,800 metres, below the altitude at which malaria risk falls away, so both the CDC and TravelHealthPro treat it as a malaria area and antimalarial tablets are usually advised. The risk is lower than on the hot, humid coast but it is real, and it rises after the rains.
Because this is a health matter and guidance is reviewed regularly, please confirm the current position with a travel clinic or your doctor before you travel, and take the usual care against bites once the sun is down.
Days are warm and the mornings and evenings cool, so open-vehicle game drives at dawn can feel cold. The long rains fall roughly March to May and shorter rains around November, greening the plains; the dry months in between are clear and dusty.
Pack neutral colours, a warm fleece and a windproof layer for early drives, sun protection and a hat for the day, and a light waterproof in the green season. Closed shoes for any walking, and binoculars are worth bringing.
July to October is the migration window and the busiest at the crossings, while the green months around November and from March to May bring lush plains, calving and far fewer vehicles. Naboisho carries one of the highest predator densities in the Mara year round.
The conservancy also sits on the wildebeest route, so between August and November the herds spread across these plains, making the green shoulder months a strong time here as well as the peak.
The migration moves through the wider Mara from July to October, and because Naboisho lies on the wildebeest route, the herds spread across the conservancy's plains between August and November. The river crossings themselves are in the national reserve, favoured for that spectacle during the migration months, and reached on a day trip.
Outside the migration, Naboisho's high density of lions, leopards and cheetahs keeps the predator viewing strong, so the camp rewards a visit in any season.
Yes. Six suites include a two-bedroom family suite and the two-bedroom Sambuk Suite, which comes with its own vehicle and guide, so a family can have its own set-up and let the drives flex around younger ones. The raised, treehouse-like walkways above the valley floor tend to delight children.
Walking safaris carry age limits, so tell us your children's ages and we will match the suite, the vehicle and the activities to your family.
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
