Mara Nyika Camp is part of the 210 km² private Mara Naboisho Conservancy, which borders the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in the north and serves as a buffer zone for the actual Maasai Mara Game Reserve.

“Nyika” means “Large Plains or Great Plains” and as such Mara Nyika is the perfect sister camp to Mara Plains in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy. While this intimate five tent camp (3 double room, 1 family suite and the Sambuk Suite) is set in a valley, straddling a small stream, the light-coloured canvas tents were designed to sit under the canopy of umbrella thorn trees while still offering guests views out over the bush. Walkways from tents to the main area evoke the feeling of a treehouse under canvas and the camp’s ethic and inspiration is one of exploration and adventure.

Each room consists of three units: lounge, bedroom and bathroom which includes en-suite flush loo, shower (indoor), copper bath tub, double basins and hot and cold running water. The rooms are raised on wooden decks that allow private outdoor dining.

Most guests fly with a small aircraft from Nairobi Wilson to the Mara Ol Seki Airstrip. The flight time from Nairobi Wilson is approximately 45 minutes.

The Maasai Mara abuts the Serengeti to the north to form the border with Tanzania. The reserve covers an area of approx. 1'510 km² and receives water via the Sand River, the Talek River and, of course, the Mara River.

The Naboisho Conservancy is made up of land belonging to some 500 Maasai families, which joined forces in March 2010 to create a single area to be used for sustainable tourism. Today, the Naboisho Conservancy is one of the best nature reserves in the Maasai Mara. It is reserved exclusively for use by guests of the few camps that are allowed to be built there.

The Maasai Mara is home to one of the highest concentrations of big cat in Africa and more than 50 species of raptor. Lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, buffalo and elephant are high on the must-see list of most visitors here, and it is indeed the most likely place to get a snapshot of all of them.

Additionally, July sees the arrival of the first ca. two million wildebeest, zebra and Thompson’s gazelle that migrate from the Serengeti to feast on the fresh green grass of the Maasai Mara. They remain until September, when they make their way south again towards the Serengeti. The animals traverse the Mara River, where hungry crocodiles lie in wait for their prey, a spectacle known as ‘river crossings’.

Day and night game drives, balloon flights (additional costs), visit to a local village.

Guides are allowed to leave the tracks in the Naboisho Conservancy, which means very close animal encounters are possible.

Game drives take place in the conservancy, but also cross into the actual Maasai Mara Game Reserve, which is particularly popular during the great migration. It is not unusual for guides to pack breakfast and lunch and spend the whole day out with guests to witness one fo the River Crossings. Night drives are allowed in the private conservancy, but not in the game reserve.

SwissAfrican Travel Service
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8702 Zollikon
Zurich, Switzerland


Telephone: +41 (0)44 451 40 51