Eight canvas tents stand under riverine trees along the Olare Orok River, ten minutes by game drive from the boundary of the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Bookings at Speke’s Camp come with their own vehicle, guide and Maasai spotter, so the drives run to guest time rather than a camp roster. Full days out are ordinary here, with a picnic lunch spread in the shade of an acacia.
Bookings at Speke’s Camp come with their own vehicle
Guides leave for the northern Reserve at first light, coffee already delivered to the tent veranda. Game drives run into Musiara Swamp, Rhino Ridge and Paradise Plains. The Talek River, deeper into the Reserve, is leopard country, and between July and October the wildebeest herds pour through the same ground, with the Mara River crossing points within reach of a full day out.
The look is early expedition, all heavy canvas and campaign furniture. Faded Persian rugs and reclaimed timber warm the tents, and the mess tent holds a library of Kenyan history and wildlife. There is no air conditioning, no television and no hair dryer. Solar lamps light the paths, and hot water arrives in buckets, carried to the shower when it is wanted.
The crickets never stop, and lions sound out past the riverbed.
Dinner is three courses by candlelight, at a long table in the open-sided mess or outside under the riverine trees when the weather allows. Bread is baked in camp, and the lunches lean on garden salads and cold vegetable dishes. Then the fire is lit, and the hyenas begin their whooping. The crickets never stop, and lions sound out past the riverbed. An honesty bar sits in the corner of the lounge.
Adrian Hughes opened Speke’s Camp in 2010, at a moment when much of the Maasai Mara was building in stone and glass. He went the other way. The camp is canvas on simple footings, pitched so that it could be struck without leaving a mark, and staffed almost entirely from the surrounding Maasai villages. It has stayed small ever since, with guiding led by naturalists including Ambrose, a Silver-level KPSGA guide, and Fredrick Lebeneiyo. Eight tents remain eight tents.
Sitting between Mara North Conservancy and Olare Orok Conservancy on the Reserve’s northern edge gives the camp two sets of rules to work with. Daytime drives head into the Reserve, where the big cat sightings and the July to October crossings are. Night drives and guided walks take place on the community land outside the Reserve boundary, where restrictions differ from the Reserve itself. Bat-eared foxes, white-tailed mongooses and bushbabies turn up more readily after dark. Longer stays can add time in Mara North, where vehicle numbers stay low.
Bat-eared foxes, white-tailed mongooses and bushbabies turn up more readily after dark.
Walking inside the Reserve is not permitted; on the community land around camp it is. Short interpretive walks start from the tents, reading tracks along the riverbed and working through the medicinal plants Maasai guides grew up using. A longer route runs east across the plains towards the Loita Hills and the Loita Naimina Enkyio forest. That is several days on foot with Maasai guides, sleeping in fly camps, with some routes finishing at Jan’s Camp in the forest.
Speke’s Camp stands on land leased from Maasai landowners, which makes standing wildlife worth more than subdivision or another herd of cattle. The guides, spotters and stewards come from the villages close by, and visits to a local enkang are arranged through the people who live in it. Children of any age are welcome, and because vehicles are private, a tired four-year-old can be back at camp within the hour. Musiara airstrip is about twenty minutes away by game drive, and balloon flights over the plains are arranged from camp.
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accommodation
Eight canvas tents are spread along the Olare Orok, in double, twin, triple and family layouts, with a pair pitched a short distance apart in their own copse. Each has a writing desk, a wooden chest and a veranda set with directors' chairs, and behind it a bathroom with twin basins, a flush toilet and a bucket shower.
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activities
Private game drives run in the Maasai Mara Reserve, taking in Musiara Swamp, Rhino Ridge, Paradise Plains and the Talek River. Night drives and guided walks take place on the community land outside the Reserve. Multi-day walking trails run to the Loita Hills. Bush breakfasts, sundowners, village visits and balloon flights round out the offering.
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conservation
The camp leases the land it sits on from Maasai landowners, keeping the corridor between Mara North and Olare Orok open rather than subdivided. Guides, spotters and camp staff are hired from the villages nearby, and camp revenue supports local teachers, scholarships and healthcare.
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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.
