Mara Bushtops has been called the best camp in Kenya, by people who know the difference between wild claims and the real thing. It boasts a sensational location, perched on the side of a hill, with a scenic valley to one side. Set amid our Bushtops Conservancy, a private ranch bordering the Masai Mara, we are less than five kilometres from the main gate into the Mara National Park. Nearby airstrips at Siana Springs and Keekorok bring Mara Bushtops within easy range of daily direct flights from Nairobi, Loisaba, Lewa Downs, Samburu, Malindi, Mombasa and Diani. This makes Mara Bushtops ideally placed to deliver the world’s best game drives, enjoyed from Africa’s most sophisticated game-viewing vehicles.

Mara Bushtops has been designed to blend into its surroundings, minimising our visual and environmental impact, whilst providing every comfort to our guests. 12 spacious and fabulously appointed luxury tents (think of a 5-star hotel room, under canvas) can be found by following private paths from a shared space, to secluded havens of privacy and calm. Every fixture, fitting, texture, surface, material and ornament has been chosen carefully by talented architects and designers.

Mara Bushtops comprises 12 luxury tented en suites. None of the tents are overlooked, but all look over our private conservancy and its teeming wildlife. Each tent is named after one of the animals that might saunter past its private viewing deck. Leopard is a family suite, with two double bedrooms linked by a sumptuous lounge of its own.

Each of Mara Bushtops’ spacious and fabulously appointed luxury tents into a perfect haven of comfort. Each opens on three sides to create a unique view of distant plains and the Siana hills, with nothing to spoil perfect panoramic views. Every tent at Mara Bushtops is bounded by a private wooden deck of more than a hundred square metres. This provides ample room to wander at leisure, sink into a deck lounger, soak in your private hot tub or use the telescope provided to spot distant wildlife.

Most guests, however, will find it hard to tear their attention away from the superb cuisine. Being presented with a choice of sumptuous a la carte dishes may seem paradoxical in the heart of the wilderness, yet the trained, friendly service staff make it a nightly pleasure.

Mara Bushtops sits on the hillside inside Isaaten Conservancy, 15,000 acres of protected, exclusive use, wildlife conservancy, with many of the same animal species found in the bordering Maasai Mara Game Reserve – from giraffe to kudu – only without the crowds of vehicles.

This allows you to enjoy truly exclusive game drives, viewing wildlife we protect in close cooperation with local tribes. As a result, Masai herds cohabit with a greater number of predators and prey, whilst our guests enjoy the delights of a truly private corner of Kenya.

The huge advantage of the latter is that you can watch our local carnival of the animals whilst reclining on your tent bed, peering through your deck telescope or sitting at our restaurant overlooking the salt lick. Whatever you see and however it is encountered, one thing is likely to remain a constant: the happy smile, plastered across your face.

The Masai are a proud semi-nomadic cattle-rearing people with a fascinating culture, divided into a number of sub-tribes some of which share the Mara region. The Masai are an ever-present reminder of the history and cultural heritage of this sublime and enigmatic landscape, and will surely leave a lasting impression for all.

Guests revel in the constants of the Bush: gazelles feeding in skittish flocks; lions coughing round the camp; hippos bathing in the rivers; topis gazing and grazing from kopje high points; giraffe billowing across the horizon; or simply a porcupine shuffling about its business.

With some 450 bird species to spot, the chance to see a Paradise Flycatcher or Purple Grenadier is matched by endless possibilities. The crocodiles have been with us since the age of the dinosaurs, so we can guarantee they’re heating up on a bank near you. Sometimes it is the smaller sights which bring the greatest delight: a family of dwarf mongoose; a bright green chameleon crossing in front of a leopard tortoise; or even a dung beetle taking on the challenge left by an elephant!