Basecamp Masai Mara

Basecamp Masai Mara is the rare safari camp where the conservation story is as compelling as the wildlife. Perched on the Talek River just outside the reserve gate, it puts you inside the Mara ecosystem within minutes of leaving your tent, yet the camp itself is quiet, green and shaded, with monkeys and birds in the branches overhead. The seventeen river view tents are deliberately simple and deliberately comfortable: hardwood floors, big beds, canvas walls that open to the river, an indoor shower and an open air one, and a terrace where morning coffee comes with a view of the savannah. Meals are served under thatch beside the water, the firepit runs long into the evening, and the camp has been carbon neutral and community owned in spirit since it was founded, funding the local school, the tree nursery and the Maasai Brand craft workshop. It suits travellers who want front row access to the Mara without the scale or the polish of a big lodge.