Great Plains Conservation

“When we first considered Kenya’s Maasai Mara as a Great Plains destination, I actually verbalised “Agh…all those people” but then looked at the map more carefully and the location for Mara Plains Camp became apparent.

And then I saw it, the importance of the conservancies to the north of the Masai Mara Reserve. These are three private conservancy areas that embody the privacy of just a few camps and that contribute extensively to communities. More than anything, these are conservancies that perform a vitally important role in protecting the famous wildebeest migration.

We have selected an exciting combination of areas for you. The key to the Maasai Mara experience is not in the wildebeest crossing but in the hidden gems along the way. Lions wait under the acacias, cheetahs run the plains, and we watched a single male leopard in an insignificant gully pick of 14 wildebeest in one day. When others look one way, I like to see what is going on behind us!

Mara Plains Camp hides in the thick forest on a bend in the Ntiakitiak River. A perfect luxury Kenya safari camp. It is inside the 35,000-acre private Olare Motorogi Conservancy and borders Kenya’s Maasai Mara Reserve. Mara Plains Camp is a captivating and intimate experience of its own in one of the most iconic wildlife destinations on the planet.’ – Dereck Joubert, Great Plains Conservation CEO.

As you arrive at Mara Plains Camp, you cross a bridge and climb a few giant steps; an endless horizon greets you with a single, flat-topped acacia, the quintessential shape of East Africa. “When I laid out the camp and its design, I incorporated the arrival, bridge, camp’s main area and one single distant tree in the plains that stretch out in front of Mara Plains Camp as a central line. I tasked the tentmakers with the job of building a 25-metre tent (the biggest they had ever tried) with an arrival opening that was an exact proportion of the 35mm photographic frame. At National Geographic, we often speak of these proportions as “the golden rectangle.” The Fibonacci formula strongly influenced Mara Plains Camp’s design. I love details like that.” continues Dereck. 

The design and decor of this luxury Kenya safari Relais & Châteaux property pay homage to the essence of East Africa. These elements reflect the Swahili heritage of large wooden doors from the island of Lamu and accents of red to honour the great Maasai chiefs and warriors. With the rich leathers, copper and brass used in campaign-style furniture, you have an elegant yet comfortable atmosphere that complements rather

 than overwhelms the surrounding wilderness. This camp speaks to the intersection of cultures and a meeting place to talk, share ideas, and share experiences that you will have each day.

One of only five camps in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy, Mara Plains Camp, has unrivalled access to more than 100,000 acres of exclusive land. This area is prime habitat for a vast number of wildlife species, and this is in addition to offering unfettered access to the 375,000 hectare Masai Mara Reserve. “As someone who has studied predators my whole life, Mara Plains Camp has to be the finest luxury Kenya safari camp available. I often go out and struggle to decide between viewing lions, cheetahs, hyenas and leopards within an hour or two. Mara Plains Camp is a proud member of our Great Plains Conservation Réserve Collection of safari camps.”

If you understand Great Plains Conservation and share our sensitivities, please do us one favour; even if we are full, please don’t stay in the middle of the Reserve! There are ways to see this ecosystem without the traffic! Consider your safari stay at our Mara Nyika Camp (a fellow Relais & Châteaux camp) in the neighbouring Naibosho Conservancy or our Mara Expeditions Camp and Mara Toto Camp. Consider, too in extending your luxury Kenya safari with us by staying at the impressive ol Donyo Lodge, set under the watchful gaze of Mount Kilimanjaro.

“Mara Expedition Camp, offering affordable Kenyan safari experiences, is positioned on high ground in a grove of typical East African acacia trees overlooking a valley in the Maasai Mara Reserve. It is on private land, offering exclusivity with access to some of the region’s best wildlife. Wildlife drives are in Kenya’s Maasai Mara Reserve and the private Mara North Conservancy. The camp tells the story of early explorers to Africa with campaign furniture and open air space under light canvas. It is an ideal camp to start your safari looking for big cats such as cheetah and lion. Most days, you don’t even have to go very far!” – Dereck Joubert, CEO

Mara Expedition Camp is a magical revisiting of the past, drawing from Africa’s original explorers’ designs and designed for those who search for East Africa’s romantic safari era. Here, you will experience the best of both worlds: the intense action of the Maasai Mara ecosystem, as well as the more private 70,000-acre Mara North Conservancy. Mara Expedition Camp is a stylish experience and adventure camp unique to the industry and fits the service levels, specialised guiding and design associated with Great Plains Conservation.

It is safari chic with six light and airy, spacious canvas tents, each with en-suite bathrooms where you enjoy piping hot water from huge brass safari showers. The affordable Kenyan safari camp itself is tucked away below the tree line, hidden from the lights and noise from neighbouring camps or any other sign of humanity. Under the grove of Africa ebony trees, its humble main area is lit by lantern and candlelit, simple in design, but just enough for all the comforts. This camp’s ambience and ‘back to the classics’ safari design will be a sure hit with private groups and safari enthusiasts.

Whilst offering affordable Kenyan safari opportunities, Mara Expedition Camp is the perfect place for the ardent safari-goer. The camp is locally famous for its leopard residents wandering nearby. Mara Expedition Camp offers guests the best advantage of two migrations – the famous annual Serengeti migration and the green season migration from Loita Plains, an additional 50,000 wildebeest and over 100,000 zebras vying for grazing rights. With picnic breakfast (and often lunch, too), guests can enjoy full day safaris across some of Africa’s most prosperous game country, which is renowned for extraordinary predator density and frequent hunts. Access to both the Masai Mara Reserve and Mara North Conservancy give guests options of more privacy.

Mara Expedition Camp is a member of our Explorer Collection of safari camps located in the greater Maasai Mara. Mara Toto Camp is a fellow Explorer Collection safari camp only a short drive away and tucked discreetly into a forested grove. Mara Plains Camp and the Mara Plains Jahazi Suite are situated across the river in the private Olare Motorogi Conservancy. Mara Nyika Camp is in the private Naboisho Conservancy to the northeast. Mara Plains and Mara Nyika are Réserve-Collection safari camps as well as Relais & Chateaux members. Combining a stay with ol Donyo Lodge in the Chyulu Hills ensures a perfect safari combination for any visitor looking to experience an ideal Kenyan safari.

ol Donyo Lodge is located on the slopes of the Chyulu Hills National Park between the Amboseli and Tsavo West National Parks in south east Kenya. From here you have a full view of Mount Kilimanjaro and are in the path of seasonal elephant migrations.

“I sat on the logs that surround the hide at ol Donyo Lodge, listening to the elephants rumbling nearby. It was almost a meditation. I thought, wait, maybe we should create a meditation soundtrack like this, rather than that canned music you hear when you have a Great Plains Lifestyle massage! That is when the elephant touched my leg with his trunk!” Dereck Joubert, CEO of Great Plains Conservation, reflects on the origins of some of the moments experienced at ol Donyo Lodge.

ol Donyo Lodge is located on over 111,000 hectares of private land in the heart of the Chyulu Hills, set between Kenya’s Tsavo and Amboseli National Parks. The property is honed from the ancient lava rock that spewed out of Kilimanjaro 360,000 years ago, creating a timelessness that touches everyone who visits us.

On the Mbirikani Group Ranch – 111,000 hectares (275,000 acres) of private wild Africa bordering Chyulu Hills National Park and owned by 4,000 Maasai – ol Donyo Lodge blends contemporary design with the rich culture of the Maasai.

“We consider the community our partners, and there are financial benefits beyond the lease fees we pay that go to them, for teachers, for scholars. Other community projects are strategically designed to uplift our communities based on wildlife conservation and tourism.” Dereck adds: “Your tourism dollars, at ol Donyo Lodge, help us make this safari property one as a model of collaborative conservation. As a result, we are having excellent conservation success stories regarding lions, cheetahs and the icon bull elephants that are some of the last remaining large tuskers in Africa.”

Each suite at ol Donyo Lodge offers its own window to the soul of the East African safari. Their views look out over the suite’s plunge pool and across the rolling plains to Mount Kilimanjaro. All six suites plus a two-bedroom family suite have stunning star beds, where you can sleep out under the canopy of stars and listen to the hyenas and lions moving around. ol Donyo Lodge embraces its community heritage, and our guides can take you to a nearby village, offering authentic experiences that will change your life. We walk, cycle, horse ride, drive around the conservancy, later returning to Relais and Châteaux quality meals served by our Executive Chef and his team.

Relais and Châteaux stand for that excellence in fine dining, wine (in this case, from our hand-picked wine selection and our private cellar) and service excellence. We are proud to be one of only three Relais properties in Kenya, the others being our Mara Plains Camp and Mara Nyika Camp.

“I believe that a safari today must be a full and rich experience where there are no apologies for excellent service. Life-changing wildlife viewing and well-designed accommodation with a style are imperative. We like to think of all this as the ‘Great Plains Conservation style’. But it is also vitally important, for that extra bit of magic, that you are welcomed as part of a family. Our family.” Dereck continues: “Many of our first-time guests feel that ol Donyo Lodge is the best “first stop” on their safari. We have often had to pry children off the necks of guides because they fall in love with them, with the activities in our Young Explorers programs and just because it feels like home.”

Duba Plains Camp, the epitome of the Botswana safari, sits in the heart of the Okavango Delta. The private 33,000-hectare Duba Plains reserve is a matrix of palm-dotted islands, flood plains and woodland. This is the area that Great Plains Conservation co-founders, National Geographic filmmakers, conservationists and explorers Dereck and Beverly Joubert chose for their home base for filming.

The camp at Duba Plains offers five bespoke suites. The camp design ensures it blends into the landscape whilst evoking the classic African safari style of the 1920s. All the rooms are on raised recycled railway sleeper decking. Each suite affords guests stunning views of the surrounding floodplain and the steady stream of wildlife parading past. Each suite has a lounge area and beautifully appointed en-suite facilities: a flush loo, double vanities, indoor and outdoor showers, and a luxurious bath. Ceiling fans and an environmentally friendly air-conditioning system over the bed ensures a comfortable climate. Enjoy your private verandah, complete with a plunge pool and shaded sala.

Duba Plains Camp’s main area consists of a large raised dining room, comfortable lounge, interactive kitchen, wine cellar and library. The camp’s centre point is the gathering place of all your bush experiences. Its extended deck, under the giant ebony trees, is perfect for al fresco outdoor dining.

Duba Plains prides itself on its extraordinary Botswana safari wildlife experiences. Here you will enjoy intimate and up-close wildlife viewing opportunities, from lions and leopards to elephants, lechwe, buffalo and everything in between. Duba Plains is also known for interesting Kalahari species like aardwolf and pangolins.

A recent guest captured it perfectly when he said, “I am not a religious person, but I now understand that Duba Plains is the Garden of Eden.”

Duba Plains Camp and its neighbouring 2-bedroomed Duba Plains Suite are proudly Great Plains Réserve Collection camps. Fellow Relais & Chateaux members are our Selinda Camp and its private 2-bedroomed Selinda Suite, as well as our Zarafa Camp with its private 2-bedroomed Zarafa Dhow Suite. These camps are the only Botswana members of Relais & Châteaux.

“Selinda Explorer’s Camp is where you can sit with your feet in the sand and listen to or tell stories of your safari adventures and is in an intimate camp built near the ground.” Dereck continues, “In fact, this Explorer Collection safari camp follows the kind of camps Beverly, and I have used for filming or research our whole lives. And yet, although offering an affordable Botswana safari experience, the camp has Persian carpets, exudes a real explorer’s camp feel, includes a lot of brass and copper, and is handmade by us just for you.”

Selinda Explorers Camp is located in the private 130,000-hectare (320,000-acre) Selinda Reserve of northern Botswana. The camp, which accommodates a maximum of only ten guests, is built on the banks of Botswana’s Selinda Spillway.

Subtly placed under the shade of the riverine forest, the camp’s style is reminiscent of early African explorer’s philosophies and practices. Whiling away afternoons under the canopy of African ebony and Mopane trees, interspersed with guided walks, canoeing, and early morning and late afternoon / early evening wildlife drives, make this affordable Botswana safari camp a respite from the ‘daily grind’ of a traditional safari.

This authentic tented camp draws on the classic East African safari traditions with beautifully detailed campaign-style furniture made from recycled hardwoods and soft furnishings from Zanzibar and the East.

The four custom-designed, semi-permanent guest tents provide comfort and style but with a magnificently raw spirit. Each tent offers guests a well-appointed bedroom, covered veranda, private ‘bustani bathroom’ complete with hot water showers and a flush loo. All the guest tents are at ground level, on slightly raised platforms.

Selinda Explorers Camp is an unassuming camp, light on its footprint but heavy on its experiential luxury. The atmosphere of the camp is one of bush elegance with a relaxed style, complemented by attentive staff, private, professional service and fabulous food.

Selinda Explorers Camp is an ideal property for those guests who want to experience Botswana’s extraordinary wildlife but in the most private setting and taking advantage of an affordable Botswana safari experience cost. Selinda Explorers Camp is perfect for individual travellers, couples, families and small groups of up to ten guests sharing.

The camp sits in prime predator habitat, in a handpicked location based on Dereck and Beverly Joubert, Great Plains Conservation owners and National Geographic Explorers, exploring the area for years. Lion, leopard, cheetah, and the recently discovered Explorers Pack of African wild dog hunt these parts regularly. There are possible sightings of good densities of giraffe, buffalo (in the dry season), and antelope – including roan and sable and recently spotted eland. In September, over 9,000 elephants traverse the private Selinda Reserve at the peak of the dry season. There is phenomenal birdlife along the Selinda Spillway’s banks for those looking for some ‘lifers’.

This camp, an Explorer Collection member of the Great Plains Conservation portfolio, combines beautifully with Duba Explorers Camp in the Duba Plains Reserve of the northern Okavango Delta.

“Selinda Camp is filled with art, but I wanted to create a meaningful dialogue with our relationship with elephants in its design. It is an elephant-inspired luxury safari camp in many ways.

As you arrive at Selinda Camp, two giant elephant sculptures encourage you to understand who you are, forgive the past, and redefine your future using elephants as your guides.

Enjoy following lion prides and, of course, the regularly seen herds of elephants—some I have known for 25 years—as they visit this paradise on your safari in Botswana .”

“Zarafa Camp,” says Dereck Joubert, CEO of Great Plains Conservation, “is a beautiful sweeping design we had a little fun with and epitomises the romantic Botswana safari many seek. The décor is hand made in a colonial style, all from reclaimed wood, which we purchased after the 2005 Tsunami to support local artisans in the East. I love spending an afternoon drifting quietly along the edges of the Zibadianja Lake in our houseboat. Sharing great stories as we watch the setting sun cast long shadows over huge herds of hippos and crocodiles or gently track elephant bulls as they swim the deep water from island to island. We recently watched painted dogs (wild dogs) chase impala into this lake once, only to have it stolen by a hippo!

Zarafa Camp was the first camp where we added our beautiful copper baths to the suite’s bathrooms. That romantic Botswana safari touch has become a sort of signature for us in all our camps, especially our Réserve Collection camps. We inserted Zanzibar doors to the suite’s designs, and the camp’s name Zarafa (meaning Beloved One) is a nod to the story of the first giraffe to be taken from Africa to Europe as a gift to King Charles X of France. The Zarafa Dhow Suite pays homage to this story and is an extension of the camp, and that story, downstream from the main camp.

We are, in essence, storytellers, of which there is still a beautiful ancient history of in Africa to be told.”

Zarafa Camp is located on the private 130,000-hectare (320,000-acre) Selinda Reserve. The Selinda Reserve links Botswana’s Okavango Delta with the Linyanti waterways, and every area of the camp offers stunning views over the Zibadianja Lagoon, the source of the Savuti Channel.

Zarafa Camp’s four guest suites individually measure over 100 square meters (1000 square feet) under flowing canvas. Each suite rests on raised reclaimed railway sleeper decking with the interiors consisting of a lounge area that flows to a beautiful bedroom and an open layout indoor bathroom complete with a copper claw-foot bath. Expansive outdoor decking that wraps around each guest suite offers guests a private plunge pool, outdoor seating and private outdoor shower.

Under a canopy of ebony trees, the main camp area offers guests a sizable main lounge, library, dining area and bush boutique. An outdoor gym and in-room massage are available. With all its careful appointments, Zarafa Camp maintains the perfect balance between luxury, adventure and offering that romantic Botswana safari experience. The camp has no equal when it comes to its environmental credentials. The camp’s construction consists of recycled hardwoods and canvas. All the camp’s electricity comes from its solar farm, and a biogas system converts vegetable waste into usable cooking gas.

The private Selinda Reserve is home to leopard, lion, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, red lechwe, zebra and giraffe. It is also a refuge for some uncommon species such as African wild dogs, roan and sable. And for birders, the nearby African skimmer colony is a highlight. From camp, hippos are visible in the Lagoon, and elephants wander through regularly. It is an exciting area, and guests are in the heart of this wilderness wonderland.

Zarafa Camp (and the nearby Zarafa Dhow Suite) were Botswana’s first Relais & Châteaux member properties. Today they are joined by our Selinda Camp, Selinda Suite, Duba Plains Camp and Duba Plains Suite as proud members in Botswana.

Duba Explorers Camp, a perfect safari camp for any Botswana safari, is tucked away in the northeast corner of Botswana’s Duba Plains Concession, a 33,000-hectare private reserve. Due to its location in the Okavango Delta’s northern reaches, the permanent floodplain dominates the surrounding landscapes, interspersed with seasonal floodplains and grasslands and pockets of mopane and acacia woodlands.

Duba Explorers Camp is situated on an island surrounded by the pristine Okavango Delta and enjoys its separate traversing area, separated from Duba Plains Camp. The camp has year-round shade under a canopy of mature jackalberry, leadwood, mangosteen, and sycamore-fig trees. The camp’s location provides clear, unobstructed views across the surrounding water channels and allows cool breezes through the camp and guest tents.

Duba Explorers, part of Great Plains’ Explorers Collection and was designed by Dereck and Beverly Joubert, National Geographic Explorers themselves, embodies the golden age of a Botswana safari and the spirit of exploration. The camp consists of five airy canvas tents, each raised on decking, stylishly furnished with a campaign writing desk, private verandah, and en-suite facilities. Guests wake up to panoramic views of the Delta floodplains and, during the flood season, the water channels link to open water filled with flowering water lilies and tall papyrus. Under sweeping marquee canvas, the central area on raised decking offers guests an open-concept dining and lounge area.

Duba Explorers Camp is on an island surrounded by beautiful landscapes and watercourses as it sits in the heart of Botswana’s northern Okavango Delta floodplains. The camp is accessible only by a gum pole bridge. During your siesta, lounge on the daybed on your veranda, absorbing the peacefulness and tranquillity of your surroundings. During the flood season, you might even be lucky to catch sight of spotted neck otters swimming and eating. Listen out for the prolific birdlife. At night, let the hippos sing you to sleep. Sometimes, the roar of a lion cracks through the night as he calls out to his pride.

During a stay at Duba Explorers Camp, guests step into the shoes of the early adventurers. Explore the water channels associated with the Ngoga River system by boat or traditional canoes (mekoro), meandering through channels created by hippos and elephants. The mekoro allows you to glide silently through the channel systems and experience a peaceful water world around you. With over 400 bird species, birding is unsurpassed, with spectacular species like the malachite kingfisher zipping past you in a burst of colour. Vehicle safaris in this paradise allow for exciting encounters with the predators resident in the area. On guided walks, explore the islands, wetlands, and plains, following the tracks and interpreting the signs of the wild. Guests might even be lucky enough to get a glimpse of a rare sitatunga or an elusive leopard. Enjoy the excitement of catch and release fishing, where one can study the various delta fish species up close.

The unique flooding cycles of Botswana’s Okavango Delta create a mosaic of habitats from permanent wetlands to seasonal floodplains to woodlands and grasslands around Duba Explorers Camp and fosters an incredible diversity of wildlife. Plains created by dropping water levels in the dry season (December to April) form a perfect habitat for zebra, wildebeest, kudus, and tsessebes. In the flood season (May to November), the area transforms into a water wonderland with aquatic diversity. The year-round healthy herbivore population, including elephant, buffalo, and lechwe and suitable hunting terrain, attracts predators such as lions, leopards, and wild dogs – all highlights to any Botswana safari.

Guests staying at Duba Explorers Camp should also consider extending their safari to  our Selinda Explorers Camp located located in Botswana’s Selinda Reserve. Selinda Explorers Camp is also an Explorer Collection safari camp of Great Plains Conservation.

The Duba Plains Suite, an exquisite two-bedroom tented villa located on the 33,000-hectare private Duba Plains Reserve, ensures your private Botswana safari. Tucked into the pristine Okavango Delta wildlife habitat with views across floodplains filled with iconic African wildlife species, there is simply no other private Botswana safari experience like this in the Okavango Delta.

The perfect partner to the 2-bedroomed Zarafa Dhow Suite or Selinda Suite, the Duba Plains Suite is raised on recycled railway sleeper decking and offers guests fabulous views and a steady stream of wildlife parading past. This 2-bedroomed Suite has a wrap-around private verandah complete with a private plunge pool and shaded outdoor sala. The heart of the Suite is an indoor lounge and dining area. Each sleeping area offers guests beautifully appointed en-suite facilities, including indoor and outdoor showers and a luxurious bath. Ceiling fans and a solar-powered air-conditioning system over the guest’s bed area ensure that the tent’s design maintains a comfortable climate.

Guests of the Duba Plains Suite automatically enjoy the services of a private vehicle, guide, private host and chef. The entire space has a luxurious yet distinctly African feel and has no equal environmental credentials and thoughtful appointments.

The Duba Plains concession prides itself on offering extraordinary Botswana luxury safari wildlife experiences, and many consider this region Botswana’s Okavango Delta’s Maasai Mara because of the sheer volume of wildlife. Great Plains Conservation owners, National Geographic filmmakers and conservationists Dereck and Beverly Joubert chose this area as their home base. Great Plains Conservation is the only operator on the concession, thereby offering guests the ultimate opportunity for private wildlife sightings.

The Duba Plains Suite is a proud Relais & Châteaux member property along with Duba Plains Camp and our Selinda Reserve camp – Selinda Camp, Selinda Suite, Zarafa Camp and Zarafa Dhow Suite in Botswana.

The Selinda Suite offers travellers the best safari in Botswana experiences and accommodation available. The private 2-bedroomed Suite rests on the banks of Botswana’s Selinda Spillway as it enters the Linyanti River in the Selinda Reserve. The private 130,000-hectare (320,000-acre) Selinda Reserve is one of the most pristine wilderness areas left on our planet. The reserve boasts large herds of elephants and regular sightings of the Selinda pack of African wild dogs. The famous Selinda Lion Pride, recently featured in the National Geographic film “Birth of a Pride” by Dereck and Beverly Joubert, also call Selinda home.

With the services of a private wildlife viewing vehicle and guide, guests explore an area with a sense of remoteness, a true spirit of Africa. The Selinda is an excellent example of a Botswana private reserve offering various species and rare animals to be seen when on safari.

The Selinda Suite is within walking distance of our Selinda Camp. It is themed to resemble that of the thatched village of Sangwali, which used to house 3,000 warriors and who loaned David Livingstone 200 men during his travels. The design represents the meeting place of three cultures, European, Mokololo and Bayei.

Two beautifully appointed suites flank a central, open-air, yet covered, indoor dining and lounge area. Flowing from the main area is a large private veranda and private swimming pool. With an en-suite bathroom and indoor shower, each guest suite is unique, designed with its unique colour palette and theme. A fifth element, ‘metal’, is also incorporated into the design. Every space enhances what Livingstone would have had, what he would have travelled with and found. But beyond that, we go back to the Robinson Crusoe feel, including rope textures, rooms under thatch, hammocks, lots of space, nautical elements and salvaged wood.

The 2-bedroomed Selinda Suite operates exclusively of the main Selinda Camp, much like our Zarafa Dhow Suite and the Duba Plains Suite. The nightly rates include the services of your private vehicle, safari guide, chef, manager/butler and a separate entrance to the residence.

Enjoy early morning and late afternoon safari drives that only return after sunset, guided walks, boating, tracking, birding, and other bespoke wildlife viewing activities are designed to place you in front of the best sightings of Africa’s most iconic species the area offers for a unique one-on-one life-changing experience. Guests should also aim to tick off as many of over 200 bird species in the area.

The Selinda Suite (including Selinda Camp) is also a proud Relais & Châteaux member property alongside our Botswana located Zarafa Camp, Zarafa Dhow Suite, Duba Plains Camp and Duba Plains Suite.

Welcome to the Zarafa Dhow Suite.

Here exclusivity takes on a new meaning, bonding with friend and family on an illustrious safari filed with excitement and discovery…

The Zarafa Dhow Suite is undoubtedly one of our most beautiful Great Plains Conservation Réserve Collection safari camps in Botswana. Zarafa means “the beloved one” or “the lovely one” in Arabic. The name comes from a giraffe presented to Charles X of France in 1826 by the Viceroy of Egypt. The giraffe was transported from Africa to France in a traditional Dhow.

Today the Zarafa Dhow Suite is a stunning two-bedroom tented suite located on the private 130,000-hectare (320,000-acre) Selinda Reserve of northern Botswana. The 210 square meters (2,260 square foot) suite is on raised decking under flowing canvas. Entering through the wooden Lamu door, exclusivity takes on new meaning.

“For those travellers seeking a luxury Zimbabwe safari, Tembo Plains Camp, located in the private Sapi Reserve, welcomes you. “Tembo” means Elephant. The camp honours these animals found on these Zimbabwean plains alongside the Zambezi River. We draw on the elephant’s pace and essence for the camp’s atmosphere. Tembo Plains Camp reflects more than just a place,” explains Great Plains Conservation CEO and National Geographic Explorer Dereck Joubert. “It also speaks to the long and unique relationships we have with elephants.”

Our brand new Mara Toto Tree Camp, scheduled to open on July 1, 2024, will be nestled into the forest canopy of ebony trees in one of the very few hidden places in Kenyas Maasai Mara.

It will offer privacy and tranquillity, serving as a haven for just 8 guests at a time, making it ideal for entire families or groups of friends.

Constructed from canvas and wood, set on elevated decks, and boasting spacious living areas, it will exude an aura of exploration in its style, featuring lightweight canvas and campaign appointments. The presence of baths, showers, desks, and lounges will create a feeling that one could easily settle in and stay for days.

The intimate and exquisite Mara Plains Jahazi Suite is perfectly suited to experience a private Kenya safari of the wildlife spectacle on offer in the Masai Mara Reserve and the private Olare Motorogi Conservancy. The 2-bedroomed suite 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 Jahazi Suite offers an indoor dining area leading out to a prominent private outdoor verandah and flanked by two large bedrooms with en-suite facilities consisting of flush loo, double basins, indoor and outdoor showers, and luxurious baths. Ceiling fans over the guest’s bed and careful tent design maintain a comfortable climate for relaxation.

When residing at the Mara Plains Jahazi Suite, guests automatically enjoy the services of a host, private Kenya safari game drive vehicle with a guide. 

The Mara Plains Jahazi Suite is part of Mara Plains Camp and a member of the Great Plains Conservation Réserve Collection of safari camps. It is also proud to be one of only three Relais & Châteaux private Kenya safari camps, the others being our Mara Nyika Camp and our ol Donyo Lodge.

In the main camp area (an easy walk away), guests have the opportunity of visiting the bush boutique for retail therapy.

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. There is only one guest bed per 350 acres, leaving the land unadulterated for the wildlife to roam and thrive, as nature intended. 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. Regularly hippo’s snorting and leopard’s barking 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 tent offers a professional camera and range of lenses available for guests to use on a complimentary basis. Add a pair of high-quality binoculars, and it is impossible not to see and capture the region’s incredible wildlife scenes.

Mara Nyika Camp, meaning “Large Plains or Great Plains,” is an intimate tented camp set in a valley and. a perfect location for your safari in Kenya. The camp tucked away under the treetop canopy straddles a small stream on the western side of the Naboisho Conservancy bordering the Maasai Mara.

Mara Nyika Camp and its light-coloured canvas suites are designed to sit under the canopy of umbrella thorn trees. All the suites offer guests unforgettable views out over the plains. Walkways from the guest suites to the main area evoke the feeling of a treehouse under canvas. The camp’s ethics and inspiration are one of exploration and adventure. Privacy is the key to Mara Nyika Camp. Privacy to live, think, explore, be romantic and be pampered – all the while with one of the most spectacular backdrops Africa can provide.

Mara Nyika Camp offers guests three luxury guest suites in addition to 2 x 2 bedroom family suites.

Guests staying at Mara Nyika Camp explore the private and exclusive 50,000-acre Naboisho Conservancy, the second largest conservancy in the greater Maasai Mara region. “Naboisho” means “coming together” in the Maasai’s Maa language and represents the 500 local landowners who established the conservancy. The conservancy model strives to conserve natural and cultural heritage, tourism, and livelihoods for the local communities. Each guest’s stay supports over 500 Maasai families with a sustainable livelihood and helps to ensure the conservation of this vital corner of the Maasai Mara eco-system.

Many guests opt to spend a few days at Mara Nyika Camp combined with a stay at our Mara Expedition Camp, Mara Toto Camp, Mara Plains Camp or the Mara Plains Jahazi Suite. This perfect safari in Kenya combination allows one to experience all three wildlife areas: the private Olare Motorogi and Naboisho Conservancies and the Maasai Mara Reserve. Each wildlife experience from our camps is unique and offers a different face to the incredible Maasai Mara ecosystem.

The 2-bedroom private Suite is tucked away into a thick riverine forest on the edge of the Zambezi River in the private 128,000-hectare Sapi Private Reserve, East of Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park.

The camp is built into the thick riverine forest located on the Zambezi River’s edge, in the private 128,000 hectares Sapi Private Reserve east of Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park. Tembo Plains fits into our highest level brand, the Réserve Collection of camps alongside our other camps like Zarafa Camp, Selinda Camp, Duba Plains in Botswana; Mara Nyika, Mara Plains and ol Donyo Lodge in Kenya. It is also a proud member of Relais & Châteaux – the only camp in the whole of Zimbabwe given this honour.

Built on a raised, wrap-around railway sleeper private deck using entirely recycled materials, Sitatunga Private Island can accommodate up to eight guests as part of Great Plains latest Okavango Delta water-based Réserve-Collection Safari Camp.

Sitatunga’s design tells the story of the Okavango, a camp surrounded by water referenced to a Robinson Crusoe experience, and one that has had indigenous fishermen in the region for over 200 years. Those fishermen designed and used fishing baskets and traps made from reeds in the shape of a funnel so Dereck Joubert took this reference and designed the rooms as tents hanging inside of giant bamboo fisherman baskets. The interiors as a result draw on a colour range that you can see by looking out at the Okavango, misty greens, and light-bleached woods.

Mpala Jena is an intimate safari camp positioned along the beautiful tree-laden banks of the Zambezi River.

Mpala Jena is located on the white sandy edges of Zimbabwe’s Zambezi River and in the Zambezi National Park.

The architect team of Craig Hayman and Hannah Charlton and interior designer Tracy Kelly created a haven that epitomises “Barefoot Luxury” at its best.

The team sought to combine natural elements using thatched roofs in the main areas and flowing canvas luxury tents for the bedrooms.

Okavango Explorers Camp is an Explorer Collection safari camp located in the southwest of Botswana’s private Selinda Reserve. At the intersection of the upper Okavango Delta water system and the famed Selinda Spillway, the camp’s location is a unique combination of two iconic ecosystems. This area may be new to guests but has been known to us for many years as one teeming with wildlife.

The 130,000-hectare Selinda Reserve in northern Botswana is a prime predator and elephant habitat. This location has been handpicked for its access to some of the highest concentrations of wildlife in the region, along the southernmost section of Selinda Spillway. Lion, leopard and wild dogs hunt these parts regularly. There are good densities of giraffe, buffalo and exciting and now rare antelope like roan, sable and eland. At the peak of the dry season in late September, the Selinda Reserve has been documented to be home to over 9,000 elephants concentrated along this river system. For lovers of elephants, this is the place to be in the dry season. There is phenomenal birdlife in this area for those looking for some ‘lifers’.

Okavango Explorers Camp creates a safari experience reminiscent of exploring the unknown African hinterland in a 1920’s style. The camp exudes a spirit of the romance of yesteryear whilst ensuring that adventure and discovery are an essential part of the journey.