Mara Bushtops Camp

A natural salt lick sits a few metres in front of the restaurant terrace. Elephant, giraffe, buffalo, zebra, warthog, and impala arrive throughout the day to absorb the minerals; leopard and lion follow. The camp occupies a hillside within a private conservancy that borders the Masai Mara reserve. Twelve canvas-walled suites open on three sides to wooden decks that stretch more than a hundred square metres each. Teak frames support the canvas; floors are polished hardwood. Each suite includes a hot tub set into the deck, indoor and outdoor showers fed by pressurised spring water, and views across the valley toward the Siana hills. Two family suites — Leopard and Rhino — hold two bedrooms with a sunken lounge between them, each bathroom separate, each suite able to accommodate six. Game drives depart in open four-wheel-drive vehicles with a ranger and Maasai spotter. Routes cross the conservancy with no fixed schedule; night drives and off-road tracking are permitted on the private land. Walking safaris led by an armed Kenya Wildlife Service ranger start from camp. Kakiya Cave, a site used by Maasai communities and discovered by the Mau Mau in the 1950s, lies within a fifteen-minute drive. Hot-air balloon safaris lift before dawn; inflation is watched with coffee in hand. Bush breakfasts are laid out after a morning drive; sundowners take place on a vantage point as light drops. The Amani Spa overlooks the salt lick from a separate pavilion with treatment rooms, a star pool, and natural-ingredient products.