Richard’s River Camp

You fly from Nairobi's Wilson airport to an airstrip in the Mara North Conservancy, about forty-five minutes to an hour by light aircraft, and the camp meets you for the transfer to the Njageteck River. We arrange the flights and timings. We can also arrange a private charter, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, direct to the conservancy airstrip and timed to suit you.

The bush planes take soft bags of around fifteen kilograms per person including hand luggage, so a duffel is best. A road transfer from Nairobi takes five to six hours if you prefer to travel overland.

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 brings the migration and the busiest crossings, while the green months around November and from March to May bring lush plains, calving and far fewer vehicles. Richard's River Camp has an advantage in the dry months, when its spring-fed valley stays green as much of the Mara turns dust-brown.

That permanent water holds wildlife in the valley the whole year, so the low-rainfall months here are quieter but far from empty.

The camp sits beside a permanent spring, which keeps its stretch of valley green through the dry months when much of the surrounding Mara turns to dust. That single fact is why the game stays close: zebra graze by the tents and a resident lion pride works the open ground in front of camp the whole year.

It makes the camp a strong choice in the low-rainfall season, when the open plains elsewhere empty out but this valley holds its wildlife. At night you will most likely hear lions and hippos close by, so light sleepers can pack earplugs, though most guests come to fall asleep to exactly that.

Because the camp sits in the Mara North Conservancy rather than the reserve, the guides run day and night game drives, walk you out on foot with Maasai trackers, and lay bush breakfasts, lunches and sundowners away from camp. Day drives still reach the national reserve for the migration.

Maasai village visits, a rhino sanctuary, balloon flights and the Mara Elephant Project can all be arranged, so the days here run well beyond the standard drive that the reserve alone would allow.