Encounter Mara Camp
Encounter Mara Camp is a permanent tented camp located in the heart of the exclusive Naboisho Conservancy, bordering the Masai Mara Game Reserve.
Encounter Mara Camp offers a classic tented experience within the exclusive Naboisho Conservancy. The camp has a busy, convivial atmosphere, and offers a great all round Mara experience without attempting to offer top 5 star services. Consequently, it offers good value for money and is very suitable for families, especially those on a first safari. The balance of comfort and adventure is perfect for visitors looking for an authentic safari experience, without giving up their basic comforts. A friendly, relaxed property.
Rooms
There are 10 tents, each occupying a secluded setting in the shade of an acacia forest with views onto the surrounding savannah. The tents are spacious with a furnished verandah and en suite facilities consisting of a flush toilet, double basins and plumbed shower.
Central Areas
Central areas of the camp include individual lounge and dining tents, a dedicated Wi-Fi tent, a small curio shop and a covered viewing deck a short distance away.
Facilities
Wi-Fi – Yes
Power for Charging – Yes
Swimming Pool – No
Habitat & Wildlife
The Masai Mara ecosystem is one of the best game viewing areas in Africa and is especially good for viewing the big cats. Elephants, buffalo, hippo, crocodiles, giraffe, zebra, lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyaena, impala, gazelles, eland, waterbuck, topi, jackal and serval are all common and seen regularly. Wild dogs are more transient visitors. The famous wildebeest and zebra migration is usually in residence from mid-July through to mid-October, though the movement of the animals is always somewhat unpredictable. The scenery of the Masai Mara is stunning with open grassland plains intersected by rivers, rocky ridges and pockets of riverine forest. Birdlife is varied and especially good around the riverine woodland areas.
Whilst the official Masai Mara Game Reserve can be busy with tourist vehicles in places, especially at river crossings in migration season, the Naboisho Conservancy offers relative exclusivity away from the crowds. You do sometimes still see other vehicles, but most of the time you will be able to explore away from other vehicles.
The Conservancy offers a good mix of open plains, rocky hills and acacia woodland, and is superb for game viewing.
The conservancy is funded by a limited number of ‘tourism partners’ in cooperation with local Maasai land-owners, and this model has been shown to benefit not only the local land-owners who receive greater income and better pasture for their livestock, and the tourism partners, but also the wildlife and in particular, the predators.
Activities
Game viewing activities include game drives by day and night in open 4×4 safari vehicles with shade canopies within the conservancy. Please note that day trips into the Mara Reserve (only a consideration during migration season from July to October) are not available unless you have a private vehicle included during your stay. Hot air ballooning and cultural excursions to local Maasai villages are all available at extra cost, as are visits to community and conservation projects supported by the camp (see Conservation & Community for further information).
Seasons
Encounter Mara Camp is open from June to April. Game viewing is excellent all year, with the migration usually being resident from mid-July to mid-October.
The camp includes two family units comprising two en suite rooms connected by a central lounge area which are ideal for families. A limited number of triple rooms can also be accommodated with an extra bed for a child. Due to the more adventurous nature of the camp, Encounter Mara is especially suited to families with older children (the minimum age is five years).
Staying at any of Asilia’s properties, owners of Encounter Mara Camp, sees guests automatically contributing to community and conservation projects through their guest conservation charge. By staying in Asilia properties, guests are also supporting their in-house training schemes and responsible tourism efforts.
Asilia’s home-grown projects include Twende Porini, meaning ‘let’s go to the bush’. The programme hosts children from local communities in an Asilia camp for five days, offering an immersive introduction to the tourism industry and wildlife conservation. Whilst at the camp the children are mentored by Asilia guides and staff as well as local school teachers and engage in a range of activities from lectures to game drives in order to assist their understanding for the need for conservation in the wild areas close to their communities.
Sustainability efforts in Asilia’s camps include eliminating single-use plastics and banning the use of cling film in their kitchens.
AsiliaGiving is an online donation platform for their UK and US charities with total annual donations increasing significantly. The projects which AsiliaGiving supports are both community and conservation focused.
Encounter Mara, specifically, supports projects including the Maa Trust which has established youth empowerment programmes, vocational training, beekeeping, honey production, and an extremely successful beadwork project. Conservation projects supported include the Mara Predator Conservation Program and the Kenyan Wildlife Trust, the Mara Elephant Project and the Ol Chorro Rhino Sanctuary.
