The Maasai Mara

From the Aberdares we drop down to the floor of the Great Rift Valley, with an overnight stop to break the journey, before making our way to the Maasai Mara, Kenya's premier safari destination which is world famous for its annual wildebeest migration, when over one and a half million animals make their way across the grass plains in a continuous search for fresh grazing. As home to the “Big Five”, elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard, it is not surprising that so many wildlife documentaries have been filmed here. The Mara is an awesome place, where the Maasai people and their herds share a stunning landscape with vast herds of antelope and accompanying predators, and wildlife still exists in unimaginably vast numbers.

We stay at a John's Camp in a hidden and secret location, on the banks of the Talek River, in the heart of the Maasai Mara. Our good connections with the local Maasai and the park authorities means we have been given special permission to stay here, in a fabulous spot, just below a busy hippo pool where the hippo and crocodiles are always visible. There is a great view across the river and the area immediately around the camp is famous for its big cat population meaning that we don't normally have to go far to find them.

Glamping nights are spent in the comfort of large safari tents with beds, sheets, blankets and pillows. Each tent has its own toilet and hot showers are always available on request from the camp staff. This is the classic safari style of the past, when the great and the good, from all over the world made their way to Kenya for its fantastic wildlife. It is a unique and intimate experience of the wild that is very different from staying in one of the normal tourist camps or lodges.