Basecamp Wilderness

Basecamp Wilderness Camp sits inside Mara Naboisho Conservancy in the Saddle Valley, a quiet section of the conservancy set apart from the busier wildlife circuits of the wider Mara ecosystem. Eight tents — seven doubles and one family tent — are spread across the valley with open savannah in front of each one. There are no permanent structures beyond what a tent camp requires: no lodge building, no lobby, no hotel corridor.

The double tents have proper beds with linen and duvets, en-suite bathrooms with flush toilets and showers, and a private verandah with seating. The family tent is raised on a wooden platform and divided into two wings, each with its own bedroom, bathroom, and verandah; the bathrooms sit at opposite ends of the tent for privacy, and each room takes either a king-size or twin bed. Bucket showers serve the family tent bathrooms.

Guides here are Maasai, and the activities follow from that. Game drives run in the early mornings, late afternoons, and at night, when animals move more freely in the cooler air. Walking safaris cross the same ground on foot — tracking elephant, wildebeest, and lion prints across the savannah. Bush dining takes a meal out into the landscape entirely, the site chosen by the guides on the day. The dining tent, the fixed gathering point at camp, is furnished with leather chairs, a shelf of books, and an old gramophone.

The conservancy holds the Big Five, and bird watching and cultural visits to Maasai communities are also available. Staff speak English and Swahili.