Great Plains Safari Camps In Kenya

Great Plains Safari Camps In Kenya

Some safari camps are simply places to sleep between game drives. The Great Plains lodges in Kenya are something else: small, intimate bases built around a single idea, that the best way to experience the Masai Mara is quietly, with few vehicles and an exceptional guide. Founded by the wildlife filmmakers and conservationists Dereck and Beverly Joubert, Great Plains Conservation began in Botswana, grew through Zimbabwe and now operates some of the most sought-after camps in Kenya. Here Africa Travel’s specialists explain how their four Kenyan camps differ, which one suits your style of safari, and what to know before you book.

What are the Great Plains lodges and camps in Kenya?

Great Plains Kenya has four safari camps in the Masai Mara region: Mara Plains Camp, Mara Nyika, Mara Toto Tree and Mara Expedition Camp. Mara Plains is the big cat specialist, Mara Nyika has a two-bedroom Family Suite with its own pool, and Mara Expedition Camp is known for leopards and the migration.

Key Takeaways

• Great Plains Conservation was created by Dereck and Beverly Joubert, and the Great Plains Foundation supports conservation, schools and community projects.
• All four Kenya camps are in the Masai Mara region and are deliberately small, from 4 suites at Mara Toto Tree to 6 tents at Mara Expedition Camp.
• Mara Plains Camp has just four guests in each vehicle and can take you into the Masai Mara National Reserve.
• Mara Nyika guests normally have their own vehicle and private guide, with drives exclusively in the Naboisho Conservancy.
• Mara Expedition Camp, in the Mara North Conservancy, is well known for leopards, and the wildebeest and zebra migrations which pass through each year.
• All four camps welcome children aged 6yrs and over. See our safari age limits guide for the full picture.
• Light aircraft transfers usually limit luggage to 15kg per person in soft bags.

Who Are Great Plains Conservation and the Great Plains Foundation?

Behind every Great Plains Camp is a conservation story. Dereck and Beverly Joubert are award-winning wildlife filmmakers who have spent decades documenting Africa's wild places, and Great Plains grew from the belief that tourism, done well, can protect the land it depends on.

The Great Plains Foundation is the non-profit arm of that vision. It protects wild places and wildlife through conservation initiatives, community development and sustainable tourism. Its projects include the Sapi Restoration, the Big Cats Initiative, Solar Mamas, the Naboisho Women's Group and the Great Plains Earth Academy, with a particular focus on schools: school support, mobile school clinics and sponsored teachers. When you stay at a Great Plains Camp you support that work directly.

Where Are the Great Plains Lodges and Camps in Kenya?

The four Great Plains camps in Kenya sit in and beside the private conservancies that border the Masai Mara National Reserve. This is one of the best areas in Africa for big cats, and the conservancy model helps keep vehicle numbers low so sightings feel private rather than crowded. Mara Plains, Mara Nyika, Mara Toto Tree and Mara Expedition Camp each occupy a different corner of the ecosystem, which is why choosing between them matters. For the wider picture, see our guide to Kenya's best safari parks and reserves.

Luxury Safari Camps in Kenya: How Great Plains Compares

Among luxury safari camps in Kenya, Great Plains stands out for their scale and attention to detail. Camps have just 4-6 suites or tents each, which keeps service personal and the feeling private. Mara Plains accommodates a maximum of 14 guests, and Mara Toto Tree a maximum of 8 guests.

Great Plains Kenya Safari Camps Compared

Details can change. Our specialists will confirm current information when you enquire.

Mara Plains Camp: The Big Cat Specialist

If one Great Plains Camp defines the collection, it is Mara Plains Camp. Set in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy on the northern border of the Masai Mara National Reserve, it is a small, private tented camp with five suites and a maximum of 14 guests. Game drives carry just four guests per vehicle, and you will rarely meet another vehicle because this is an area with some of the lowest vehicle density in the Mara.

Your guide can take you into the Reserve itself, famed for the Migration, and all stays also include night game drives and visits to Masai villages. Back at camp, each suite has a canvas-canopied ceiling, a copper bath and a large private verandah. It is a camp for the connoisseur.

Mara Nyika: Privacy, Big Cats and a Family Suite

Hidden in a valley in the Naboisho Conservancy, Mara Nyika is all about privacy. With just five suites, the camp keeps the experience personal, and guests are normally allocated their own vehicle and private guide, with drives taking place exclusively within the conservancy. It is one of the finest spots in Africa from which to see big cats.

The standard tented suites are over 1,000 sq ft, divided into a private lounge, bedroom and bathroom, with a copper bath and a wraparound verandah. The two-bedroom Family Suite has its own swimming pool, which makes Mara Nyika the best Great Plains Camp in Kenya for families with older children.

Mara Toto Tree: Treehouse Luxury Above the Mara River

The newest addition to their Kenyan collection, Mara Toto Tree overlooks the Ntiakitiak River in the Masai Mara National Reserve. Its four suites sit high in the tree canopy, with hanging basket chairs, a copper bath and a verandah that feels like treehouse living at its finest. With a maximum of eight guests, service is exceptionally personal.

The location is its great strength. Guests can take game drives in the Reserve and in the Mara North and Olare Motorogi Conservancies, a combined area with some of the highest concentrations of big cats in Africa, and the Mara River, famed for crossings during the Great Migration, is easily accessible.

Mara Expedition Camp: Leopards and the Migration

The sister camp of Mara Plains, Mara Expedition Camp sits in the Mara North Conservancy, bordering the Masai Mara National Reserve. It is a wonderful game-viewing area, well known for leopard sightings, and the wildebeest and zebra migrations pass through each year.

The camp's vehicles are open-sided, ideal for photography, and professional camera equipment can be provided. With six light, airy canvas tents, each with an en-suite bathroom and a huge brass safari shower, it feels like the safaris of yesterday, stylishly brought up to date, with very few neighbours.

Great Plains Camps and Children: Age Guide

Families often ask whether a luxury camp suits children, and with Great Plains the answer is yes. The four camps, Mara Plains, Mara Nyika, Mara Toto Tree and Mara Expedition Camp, all welcome children aged 6yrs and over. They can join the camp's Young Explorer's Programme, where kids learn to identify plants and wildlife and make their own bows and arrows, with a certificate presented on completion.

For families, Mara Nyika's two-bedroom Family Suite with its own pool is the easiest layout.

Want the full picture? Read our guide to safari age limits and which camps in Kenya and Tanzania accept under 6s. For ideas, see our family holidays in Kenya page and our guide to 5 amazing family holiday destinations.

What Makes Great Plains Safari Camps in Kenya So Special?

The suites are generous, but it is the small touches that set the camps apart. Many have an exercise bike, dumbbells and a yoga mat on the deck. Beds come with memory foam pillows and fine cotton sheets, and hot water bottles travel with you on game drives. Copper baths are common, and every guest can use hi-spec binoculars and a professional camera. Just as important, most guides and camp staff are local to the area so you learn about the land, its wildlife and its culture from the people who know it best.

How Is the Food on a Great Plains Safari?

Many Great Plains Camps are members of Relais & Chateaux, and the table shows it. Menus change daily, with salads, meat and fish dishes and desserts, plus a lighter supper menu for those who prefer something simpler. Bush breakfasts are a highlight, set up on a riverbank or under a lone tree, with champagne, fruit and a freshly-cooked hot breakfast. Some camps have interactive bush kitchens, and meals can be served in the dining room, in your suite or under the stars.

Our Top Tips for a Great Plains Safari in Kenya

• Pack light. Light aircraft transfers usually allow 15kg per person, including hand luggage, in soft bags. That leaves little room for camera gear, so leave your professional camera at home and use the one provided.
• Take half the clothing you think you need. The camps are casual and offer complimentary laundry.
• Time the Mara carefully. The Migration is usually in the Mara from July to October, but big cats can be seen year-round. Our guide to the best time to go on an African safari can help you choose.
• Look at low season. Free-night offers can make a real difference to the cost of a luxury camp.
• Plan the whole trip. Pair the Mara with another region or country. See our Kenya safari itineraries for ideas, and if elephants are on your list, read our guide to the best places to see elephants in Africa.

Why Book Your Great Plains Safari With Africa Travel

Great Plains camps are small and often full well ahead, so the right guidance matters. Africa Travel knows these camps first-hand and matches the right camp to your dates, interests and budget.

• Over 30 years of experience creating luxury Kenya safaris, as a boutique, owner-run company with personal connections to many camp owners.
• Recognised expertise. Chris Wain, who has been with Africa Travel since 1992, has once again been named one of the world's top travel specialists by Condé Nast Traveller 2026.
• Staff who have travelled the continent, with team members based in Africa to help your trip run smoothly.
• Best-price guarantee on any like-for-like itinerary, and ATOL financial protection on flights and flight-inclusive holidays.
• Smart combinations, such as two Mara camps for different landscapes, or Kenya with Botswana or Zimbabwe.

For more information, speak to one of our experts on 020 7843 3500 or email info@africatravel.co.uk.

FAQs

1. What is Great Plains Conservation?

Great Plains Conservation is a safari and conservation company founded by the wildlife filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert. It began in Botswana, extended through Zimbabwe and now also operates camps in Kenya. Its work is supported by the Great Plains Foundation, which funds conservation, community development and school projects, so a stay contributes directly to protecting the land you visit.

2. How many Great Plains camps are there in Kenya?

There are four, all in the Masai Mara region: Mara Plains, Mara Nyika, Mara Toto Tree and Mara Expedition Camp. Each sits in a different part of the ecosystem, so the choice of camp shapes your safari more than you might expect.

3. What is the best Great Plains lodge in Kenya for big cats?

Mara Plains Camp is the standout. It sits in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy, runs just four guests per vehicle and has some of the lowest vehicle density in the Masai Mara. Mara Toto Tree and Mara Nyika are also in areas known for big cats, so all four camps offer strong predator viewing.

4. Which Great Plains camp is best for leopards?

Mara Expedition Camp, in the Mara North Conservancy, is well known for leopard sightings. It is the sister camp of Mara Plains, so the two can be combined to cover different parts of the Mara in a single trip.

5. What is the minimum age at Great Plains camps in Kenya?

All four camps welcome children aged 6yrs and over, who can join the Young Explorer's Programme. Children under 6yrs are not accepted at these camps, so families with younger children should look at other options. Our safari age limits guide covers which camps in Kenya and Tanzania accept under 6yrs.

6. Which Great Plains camp is best for families?

Mara Nyika, thanks to its two-bedroom Family Suite with a private swimming pool. Guests normally have their own vehicle and private guide, which lets you set the pace of each game drive around the children. For more ideas, see our family holidays in Kenya page.

7. What is the difference between a conservancy and the Masai Mara National Reserve?

The Reserve is the famous, publicly-accessible core of the Mara. Conservancies are private areas on its borders, and they keep vehicle numbers low, which makes sightings feel more private. Several Great Plains Camps are in conservancies (Olare Motorogi, Naboisho and Mara North), and some can also take guests into the Reserve. For more on Kenya's parks and reserves, see our guide to Kenya's best safari parks and reserves.

8. When is the best time to visit Great Plains camps in Kenya?

The Great Migration is usually in the Mara from July to October, and Mara Toto Tree has easy access to the Mara River, famed for crossings. Big cats can be seen year-round, so other months can be quieter and often bring free-night offers. Our guide to the best time to go on an African safari can help you decide.

9. Can I combine Great Plains camps in Kenya?

Yes. Many guests stay at two camps to experience different parts of the Mara, for example Mara Plains for big cats and Mara Expedition Camp for leopards and the Migration. Our specialists can plan the combination around your dates, interests and budget, and can also pair Kenya with Botswana or Zimbabwe. See our Kenya safari itineraries for ideas.