Elewana Loisaba Tented Camp
- Laikipia, KenyaPerched on the edge of an escarpment, Loisaba Tented Camp is designed to capitalize on unhindered views across Laikipia's mottled landscape all the way to Mt Kenya.
touch the soul of africa
Mara Plains Camp is a one-of-a-kind camp located in the private 13,300-hectare Olare Motorogi Conservancy, just on the Maasai Mara National Reserve’s northern boundary. This intimate camp, one of Kenya’s only three Relais & Chateaux properties (other being sister properties ol Donyo Lodge and Mara Nyika Camp), blends the finest in wildlife viewing with the absolute best of safari hospitality and guiding.
No other Maasai Mara based camp offers the extensive traversing area of Mara Plains Camp, with access to a total of 40,000 hectares of private conservancy land and the world-renowned Maasai Mara, home to the Great Migration.
Each guest at Mara Plains contributes considerably to the success of the Olare Motorogi Conservancy’s flourishing ecosystem; conservation fees paid to safeguard this habitat while supporting over 1,000 Maasai families. This partnership agreement ensures the survival of an astounding volume and variety of wildlife.
The camp is nestled in a lush forest on the meandering bends of the Ntiakitiak River, with careful thought given to every detail. The camp is not an imposition on the landscape, but rather a subtle refuge among the wild. Its presence does not detract from the ecosystem’s visual beauty but incorporates it with sweeping views across the plains and careful position among the riverine forest. It is captivating on arrival.
Each of the suites has deep canvas canopied ceilings, rough-hewn wood floors and accents of East Africa’s rich safari history. Thick Lamu wood doors, deep reds, and brass accents – these small details transport guests to a time and land far away. The well-appointed en-suite facilities (including a deep copper bath) and extensive private verandah complete what is genuinely a stunning concept. These stylistic elements and thoughtful environmental elements such as solar power and no cement make Mara Plains a modern-day safari retreat.
The Mara Plains Jahazi Suite, an intimate, two-bedroom exquisite, tented suite, is built entirely under canvas and is a perfect partner to the safari experiences at Mara Nyika Camp and ol Donyo Lodge. It is on raised, recycled railway sleeper decking and offers guests incredible views of the steady stream of wildlife parading past whilst discreetly tucked away under the tree canopy. Central to the Mara Plains Jahazi Suite is an indoor dining area leading out to a prominent private outdoor verandah and flanked by two large bedrooms with en-suite facilities consisting of a flush loo, double basins and indoor and outdoor showers and luxurious baths. A short walkway leads off the main area to a private swimming pool. Ceiling fans in the guest’s bedroom and careful tented suite design maintain a comfortable climate for rest and relaxation. When residing at the Mara Plains Jahazi Suite, guests automatically enjoy the services of a private game drive vehicle and guide.
The Olare Motorogi Conservancy is reputed to have the lowest vehicle density in the Maasai Mara region, while also having the highest concentration of big cats anywhere in Africa. The camp is a sanctuary for resident species by day and night, including many of the Maasai Mara’s 300 bird species. After dark, larger mammals frequent the camp and Maasai warriors escort guests to and from their rooms. Hippos snorting and leopards barking often provide the night’s chorus.
But most of all, Mara Plains is a showcase for one of the world’s most magnificent wildlife havens. We believe in keeping the safari experience intimate and personal, so there is no set camp schedule or set mealtimes. The guest’s preferences wildlife opportunities of the moment tailor the day’s activities and dining arrangements. Each guest suite has a set of professional camera and lenses available to them. Add to it the pair of high-quality binoculars, and it is impossible not to see and capture the region’s incredible wildlife scenes.
Game drives (day & night) take place in some of the Mara’s most coveted vehicles. Each of the four Toyota Land Cruisers is open-sided, canopied and customised for photographers (fold-down screens, raised roofs, photographic bars, multi-plug invertors). With just four to six guests each, the Cruisers also have fully-stocked fridges stocked with drinks and snacks. No two days are the same on safari. Game drives typically start at sunrise, returning for lunch and depart again in the mid-afternoon before returning just after sunset. However, very often we will go out all day, deep into the Reserve or Conservancy with a packed breakfast and lunch. One visit per guest per 3-night stay included, additional visits subject to park fees. Very often, our safaris will continue into the night, a possibility because of our location on a private conservancy. Night drives are particularly prolific in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy, and while they take patience, sightings commonly include lesser known nocturnal mammals and even lion and hyena hunts.
Each of Mara Plains’ guest suites has a professional camera set, including a camera body and lenses. Photos will be downloaded to a memory stick on guest’s departure. Each suite comes with a pair of high-quality binoculars for guest use as well. Photographic tuition can be arranged for guests (at an additional cost) and we recommend prior booking if possible. Tuition can be either on company cameras or own guests’ personal cameras.
Hot air ballooning is available, but should be booked in advance and is subject to availability and additional cost. Departures are very early in the morning to allow time to transfer to the nearest launching point.
Safaris with kids are much the same – a time to stimulate all the senses. Safaris open up a whole new world to us all, but for kids it is magical. While new animals are a huge part of the excitement of safari, stepping away from everyday life in favor of spotting animal tracks and practicing your newly learnt traditional bush survival skills is an experience that kids and parents alike will cherish.
The Great Plains Young Explorers Program blends fun with conservation learning. On arrival each child receives a Young Explorers pack full of all that is needed for them to become a Conservation Ambassador. The pack includes an activity book full of interesting information including animal tracks, seTswana or Kiswahili vocabulary, facts on flora, fauna and stars, word games and a safari journal. Great Plains guides and staff seamlessly modify the level of activities according to age.
Great Plains is first and foremost a conservation organization that uses eco tourism as a tool to sustain conservation programs. We even coined a new name for what we do – “Conservation Tourism”. We define it as the use of quality led tourism experiences that are environmentally sound, with the benefits going specifically into making the conservation of an area viable and sustainable.
It is important to us that this is done without any negative influence on the land, on any species that uses that land, or, indeed, on any individual animal. We do not do conservation by triage, killing some to save the rest, because this is a defeatist and disrespectful way of interacting with nature.
Our model takes stressed and threatened environments, surrounds them with compassionate protection and intelligent, sustainable management, and funds them with sensitive, low-volume, low-impact, tourism. Communities are an intrinsic part of this model and benefit directly from it. The final piece of the puzzle is you – our clients and guests – who pay to visit the camps we create, and through doing so, become our valued partners and agents of positive change.
Our philosophy is grounded in the fundamental appreciation of the good in life… Good people, good staff, good decisions, good things we share and enjoy, but most of all we try to extend that “goodness” to our interactions with you, with wildlife, with nature and with the local communities which so depend on them
