Review: Mara Plains Camp, Kenya

If any camp should be the flagship of Great Plains Conservation, it’s undoubtedly Mara Plains. Sure, it checks all the noble boxes: supporting the local Maasai community, with most of the staff from nearby villages, and being deeply committed to conservation and sustainability. A chunk of the camp’s revenue goes to community projects like schools and healthcare, which is all fantastic.  Yes, that’s all great. But this isn’t some feel-good documentary about planting trees. The founders of Great Plains made their name in wildlife filmmaking, and no one tunes in to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to hear them debate Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra. You want action. And Mara Plains is all about delivering that, in abundance.

Setting

To understand the Mara, you must first become the Mara. Which would require you to adopt the personality of an arsehole. The Mara is divided into two realms: private concessions, like the one Mara Plains sits on, and the Reserve, which is basically as elegant as a monster truck rally – just with more vehicles.

If you’ve flown halfway across the world for your first safari and end up in the Reserve, it’s like being the first one off the boat at Normandy. Sure, it’s 2024 and we’re spoiled, but the analogy still holds.  In short: it’s not exactly pleasant. Picture twenty vehicles at one lion sighting—suffocating both the wildlife and the experience.  So, your choices are simple. Either book a luxury camp on a private concession, like Mara Plains, where you can actually relax and enjoy the wildlife, or head to Singita Grumeti in Tanzania for something similarly upscale. Consider this advice as essential as remembering to breathe—it’s that important.

But why choose the Mara in the first place? Well, it’s home to one of the most absurdly concentrated wildlife spectacles on the planet—the Great Migration. Hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebra sweep through, creating a massive buffet that attracts a density of predators, all wearing their napkins and polishing their knives and forks.  It’s a predator’s paradise, with lions, cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas flocking in numbers. Plus, you’ve got elephants, giraffes, and pretty much everything else on your safari checklist. The only thing missing are myy personal favourites—the Wild Dogs, who are busy terrorising wildlife elsewhere.

Now that we’ve established that you, the lucky chosen few, will get to experience one of the most epic wildlife destinations on earth, with hardly any vehicles around, you can start to see why this is Great Plains’ flagship camp.

Facilities

Mara Plains Camp is set in its own secluded 35,000-acre private concession in the heart of the Olare Motorogi Conservancy, just 150 meters from the Maasai Mara Reserve. The conservancy has access limited to only five camps. Mara Plains also benefits from access to the nearby, private Mara North Conservancy, which allows for even more exclusive game-viewing opportunities. The camp’s location provides a balance between the batshit crazy Maasai Mara National Reserve for the river crossings, and the quiet, joyful experience of a private concession where you can enjoy day and night drives without inhaling the fumes of a thousand other vehicles.

The aesthetic design of Mara Plains Camp is very colonial. The camp’s decor draws heavily on a classic safari style, with deep-toned woods, leather furnishings, and brass accents that evoke an old-world feel. Antique trunks, chandeliers, and decks made of reclaimed wood add to the sense of vintage charm.

The camp’s unique entryway involves crossing a wooden bridge over a river, immediately immersing you in the wild. The surrounding river meanders through the camp, giving the sense of being tucked away in nature.  As you walk across the bridge and enter the camp, it opens up to reveal the large view in front, offering sweeping views of the plains.  Almost like they got their name from somewhere.

Since my last stay in 2018, Mara Plains has undergone several major upgrades, some of which planned, some due to the extensive flooding.  The biggest change is they dropped the communal dining.  Oh, praise all the gods, even the shitty ones like that Zeus fella.  Some things never change though. As with all Great Plains camps, Wi-Fi is only accessible in your room. As a solo traveler, I hate it. I keep hoping for a cyberbullying campaign to change this, but since no one can get online, no one would receive the abuse.

The lodge starts with an indoor dining table to one side, and a sofa area to another, before it opens up to their boma and outdoor dining options.  A standout feature is the wine cellar, where you can select from a curated list of wines via a tablet, and even dine inside. There’s a library tucked to the side, which also acts as a dining room in the evening.  An open-plan kitchen has recently been added, with barstools added for those who want a front-row seat to the culinary action.

Mara Plains doesn’t have a gym—true to form for Great Plains camps—but the big surprise is the addition of a massage room, located behind the boutique. It’s near staff offices, so could hear some people talking, but I was in such a state of shock that Great Plains had a spa that I could forgive them.  Who knew Great Plains would offer such an indulgence? There’s also a handy shower room next door.

Upon arrival, I was given a questionnaire to specify my preferences, and unlike Mara Toto, the therapist delivered the exact treatment I requested—flawlessly. Top marks.

Room

Mara Plains offers 7 rooms,  including their two bedroom Jahazi Suite are raised on wooden platforms and feature large private decks.  Your view very much depends on which side you’re on.  Mine was of a hedge. Last time we were here they put us in Tent 7, which is near the hippos, and the stench was so bad we asked to move.  Those rooms do have river views though.  So pick whether your nose or eyes are your favourite part of your face.  There was still a river over by my room, but enough behind it that the smell and sounds are muted.  They did have a two-day old hippo in that river though, which was pretty darn cute.

I was in room #3, located the closest tent to the camp. The room is open-plan, with a separate toilet and a bathroom area that can be closed off with curtains for a bit more privacy. The outdoor balcony, which is covered, gives the room a nice indoor-outdoor feel, though it’s not a huge space for lounging.

There’s a proper wooden door, much like what you find at Duba Plains and the room is a great size at well over 100 sqm. It feels spacious despite the lower ceilings at the edges—the ceiling rises in the middle, giving the space an airy, open feel. The walls are mostly netted, allowing plenty of natural light to stream in, though the dark-colored interiors balance this brightness, creating a cozy yet elegant atmosphere.

Outdoors, the balcony features a spinning bike, a couple of chairs with a table, and a sofa. However, that view isn’t much to write home about—basically, a bush, so not ideal if you’re hoping for a sweeping vista. Inside, the room is well-equipped. There are plenty of plugs behind the bed, a fan spinning overhead to keep things cool, and comfortable leather chairs positioned in front of a small coffee table. There’s also a wardrobe area behind the bed with sheets to store your belongings, and a small desk area.

The bathroom is quite standard for Great Plains properties, with a double vanity, large wooden shower in the middle, and the typical copper bath paired with an open-plan wooden shower.  Gracefully, the toilet is in an enclosed area.  The shower (which uses solar to heat up) takes so long to heat up my skin had shed whilst I waited and I didn’t need to shower anymore. The water pressure was also weaker than the Wifi signal in the main area.

Service / Food

On arrival, I was greeted with a warm, traditional song by the staff.  While they did ask about allergies, it’s frustrating that preferences—especially those shared at other Great Plains camps—don’t seem to carry over. This disconnect between camps, especially for something as simple as pillow preferences or dietary needs, is something Great Plains needs to address.

The first night featured an Africa-themed dinner, so there was no menu choice. Unsurprisingly, I wasn’t in love with all of it—but that’s likely because I’m British and share a palette with a microwave.  In general, Mara Plains’ food was my least favourite of the Great Plains lodges. They seem to focus more on local cuisine, which is great for authenticity but not aligned with my tastes. On the plus side, the pastry chef is clearly talented, though when it came to the main meals, I always found something slightly off. My final meal was so tough I wished the lions would chew it for me first and regurgitate it for me —though admittedly, it was 10 PM when I finally got to it.

Dee, the camp manager, was lovely and made sure things ran smoothly. The camp’s setup mirrors other Great Plains properties, with the a single member of staff acting as your waiter for all meals, someone else as your bartender, and management always around.

No serious complaints, except our guide’s red torch ran out of battery, and naturally, the charging cable wasn’t on him.

One nice touch: after we spotted a cheetah, they sent a separate vehicle to watch it while we went for a bush breakfast. It’s small things like this that make the experience feel well-coordinated. Also, the driver’s name was stitched on the back of his hat, which was a lifesaver for someone like me who is too embarrassed to ask five days later what their name is.

Activities

I cannot stop emphasising this: the Mara is one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth.  The low grass, large plains give you incredible access to see a sighting, from start to finish.

Hyenas were everywhere—literally dozens of them, with adorable babies.  The Lion King didn’t do much in the way of good PR for hyaenas, but they are amongst my favourite predators in Africa, and far more exciting than lions in 99% of cases.  The highlight, however, was a pride of lions – words that completely contradict what I just said.  They couldn’t seem to catch a break. They were mere meters from a topi but blew their cover and lost the hunt when they were spotted.

Later, a pride of nine lions attempted to take down a wildebeest, only to send the entire herd into a Lion King-style stampede. Too soon, I know.

One of the big perks of Mara Plains is the night drives, and they did not disappoint.  After that, the same pride made seven more valiant but failed attempts to hunt giraffes and hippos over the course of the night. By the time we left at 9:30 PM, they still hadn’t caught anything. It felt like they were cursed—one of them must’ve had a vendetta against hippos for killing their grandmother.

The action-packed two-hour night drive had more lion drama than my last five years of safaris combined. When we returned at 6:30 AM the next day, they hadn’t moved much—and still hadn’t eaten. Meanwhile, a massive clan of around 50 hyenas was busy tearing apart a wildebeest. 

For nature lovers like me, it’s heaven—that is, until a spider crawls under the duvet.  Which happened to me at 1 am, as I was sitting in bed doing some work on my laptop.  Yep, there I was, innocently minding my own business, when a spider crawled into bed with me.  The next morning, when bringing my wake-up drink, the guy saw my covers everywhere and asked if everything was okay with the bed. No, it wasn’t—I’d been violated by an eight-legged demon.  It reminds me of the saying, “A conservative is a liberal who’s been mugged.” I love nature—can’t get enough of it. But when that spider crawled into bed, I suddenly turned into Colonel Kurtz from Apocalypse Now and was ready to burn the whole camp to the ground.

Child friendly

Children from the age of six are welcome.  And what children wouldn’t want to stay up until 10pm watching lions hunt?

Other Great Migration options

Singita Sasakwa

Grumeti, Tanzania

5/5

Mara Toto Camp

Maasai Mara, Kenya

3.5/5

Singita Serengeti House

Grumeti, Tanzania

4/5

The Good

• Accommodation
• Service
• Setting
• Privacy

The Bad

• The food menu and I had some disagreements

The Luxurious

• Exclusivity
• The entire experience

Conclusion

Rating this camp is tricky. The lodge itself is solid; the food definitely needs a little work, but the experience—oh, the bloodbath! I’ve stayed in countless luxury hotel rooms, initially impressed by their grandeur, but they eventually get dull. There is nothing dull about Mara Plains. This place is epic.  This is what I live for, and this is the peak of that experience. If the food were just a bit better, I’d give it another half-star.

If you want to be in the Mara, this is the one to pick.  Now, if luxury is your top priority, Singita is still your go-to. There’s no air con here (a deal-breaker for many of my clients), and hot water can be a bit of a luxury in itself. But if the experience is your priority, Mara Plains is phenomenal. I was out at 6, back at noon, heading out again at 4, staying out until 10 pm.

It also pairs incredibly well with other top Kenyan properties like Arijiju or Ol Jogi, which are around an hour’s flight away. Arijiju is far more luxurious than Ol Jogi, but nowhere near as strong on the wildlife front.  For the experiences offered, I would choose the uglier option: Ol Jogi.  Maybe I need to create an “Ugly Two” safari – it ain’t the prettiest place, but delivers the best experience.  Like dating someone with the best personality, but all your pictures together have only the head of their head.

At least now, I can confidently say you can have the ultimate safari experience without crossing Tanzania.