Mahali Mzuri is located in the private Mara Olare Motorogi Conservancy area of the Maasai Mara in southwest Kenya. The Mara is not only one of the best-known and most iconic safari areas in Africa but also an absolutely beautiful area with a great climate. Additionally, it is extremely rich in wildlife, most notably the migration of Wildebeest which usually takes place from July to October.
You can easily access the reserve by air from Nairobi, and there is a vast range of accommodation options, including a few top lodges and camps. The main reserve is surrounded by a dozen private conservancies, which are far removed from the busy central areas. They offer a wider range of safari activities.
Mara Olare Motorogi Conservancy
Mara Olare Motorogi is a 133-square-kilometer private conservancy that lies immediately to the northeast of the main Maasai Mara reserve. Situated to the north of the main Maasai Mara National Reserve, it is one of several conservancies which form a critically important conservation area.
Local Maasai people are directly paid revenues generated by tourism in these areas as compensation for keeping their domestic herds away and leaving the place for wildlife. If it were not for these reserves the Serengeti migration would come under enormous pressure. Your visit, therefore, has a particularly direct and important impact on local conservation.
The combined areas contain a very rich and varied array of resident wildlife, with the main wildebeest migration usually passing through July-Oct. Compared with the main Maasai Mara, this is a low-traffic environment therefore, quality safari can take place without the fear of significant vehicle clustering. The camps can also offer a wider range of activities than those further south since they usually permit walking safari and night vehicle safari.
Ownership
Renowned British entrepreneur Richard Branson partly owns Mahali Mzuri, which is included in the Virgin Limited Edition collection. Branson has long had a personal interest in the African safari and conservation. Twelve similarly innovative canvas structures ranged across the hillsides, with gorgeous interiors and broad verandahs with sweeping views making the place literally ‘mahali mzuri’, loosely translated as a perfect place.
Their properties in Africa include:
- Franschhoek : Mont Rochelle
- Kruger : Ulusaba Rock Lodge
- Kruger : Ulusaba Safari Lodge
- Maasai Mara : Mahali Mzuri
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Wildlife in Camp
We appreciate one aspect here: the amount of wildlife that you can see from camp, notably zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, and baboons, all passing through in the valley below, often in plain view of your private verandah.
Service Levels
The camp offers elevated levels of service, the kind you would expect from an upmarket international travel brand. One might suspect that the camp lacks safari authenticity, but the fact that Richard Branson is a keen safari traveler himself limits this effect.
Dining Options in Mahali Mzuri
The food service at Mahali Mzuri is usually very high quality. During safari tours, tour operators serve meals in different ways. Sometimes, managers and guides host a single large dining table, while at other times, the restaurant follows conventional style with separate tables. Additionally, private tables and special meals can usually be accommodated.
It might be worth noting that there is a free bar, unusually including champagne and premium brands. Bush meals, picnics, and sundowner drinks are also a possibility. Special diets such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, kosher, and other variations should not be a problem, so long as you let us know at the time of booking.
Vehicle Safari in Mahali Mzuri
The guides primarily focus on vehicle safari as their guided activity, taking advantage of the rich wildlife in the local area. Drives usually head out early morning and mid-afternoon and last for 3 to 4 hours. This is a low-traffic area, it is only accessible by guests staying at the handful of small camps, so you really can go slowly and enjoy yourselves, making the most of sightings without the worry of other vehicles. Much of the landscape on Olare Motorogi is very attractive, with open plains and grassy domed hills interspersed with ribbons of riverine forest.
It is also possible to go out for an all-day drive with a picnic lunch, usually heading south into the main Maasai Mara reserve, where there is some more gorgeous scenery and very rich wildlife, as well as the potential for migration river crossings Jul-Oct. Any additional park fees may not be included. Compared with the blissful quietness of the conservancies, you may encounter a good deal of vehicle traffic down in the main reserve, especially during that migration season, but we think it is still a trip worth doing.
Walking Safari in Mahali Mzuri
A walking safari is offered in the company of a guide and an armed ranger. These are usually more like interpretative nature walks looking at various plants and smaller animals. They are unlikely to include deliberate approaches to potentially dangerous wildlife such as lions and elephants, but anything can happen out in the bush.
Cultural Interaction
Local Maasai villages offer cultural interaction to visitors, and they may ask you to make a modest contribution to the community. We have not yet been on one of these excursions so cannot vouch for the quality or authenticity of the interaction.
Night Vehicle Safari in Mahali Mzuri
On a night vehicle safari, a guide or specialist spotter uses high-powered torches to find animals. It is a good chance to see some of the nocturnal animals in the area, including bush babies, genets, civets, and porcupines. These drives can often be long and relatively fruitless, but if you hit the jackpot and find lions, hyenas, or a leopard out on the hunt, then the experience can become truly extraordinary.
The guides here use red-light torches to conduct night vehicle safaris and minimize the shock to the wildlife. However, they have to finish by 10.30 pm, which is a shame because most of the hunting activity usually happens after midnight.
Well well well. The budget for Mahali Mzuri might be quite high but it is a worthy cause of place to visit in your lifetime- just to see how nature, beauty, and relaxation meet On the horizon, quite literally!
