Line of giraffe wading across a river in warm light

Nobu / Kenya

Mara North Conservancy.

The great Mara laid out beneath the escarpment — vast, quiet, and entirely your own.

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YOUR AFRICA, BEAUTIFULLY TOLD.

Travel stylePrivate & tailor-made

Start withYour dates and interests

Suggested paceFewer stops, more time

Your next stepA conversation with Nobu

The Nobu perspective

Mara North Conservancy,
at your pace.

Mara North is a large private conservancy on the Maasai Mara's northwestern edge, beneath the Oloololo escarpment. Community partnership, capped camp numbers and expansive grassland deliver classic Mara wildlife with fewer vehicles and broader safari freedom.

Maasai landowners lease and steward the conservancy, limiting beds and vehicles while protecting open grazing country. The result is spacious predator viewing and golden plains that retain the visual character of the adjoining national reserve.

Walking, night drives and off-road viewing may be permitted within the conservancy, subject to current rules. Full-day drives can reach Mara River crossings in season, but herd movement, crossings and all wildlife sightings remain unguaranteed.

MARA NORTH CONSERVANCY

What to experience

Things to do here

An elephant beneath an acacia in Mara North Conservancy

Wildlife

Game drives

Morning and late-afternoon drives across open plains beneath the escarpment, with capped vehicle numbers at every sighting.

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Walkers with a Maasai guide on a forest-edge trail in Mara North

On foot

Walking safaris

On foot with an armed Maasai guide, permitted in the conservancy where it is not in the reserve. Availability remains subject to the current rules for the specific park, reserve, conservancy or community land.

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Wildlife

Night drives

After-dark drives for leopard, hyena and nocturnal species, a conservancy privilege

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A safari vehicle driving through a muddy river crossing in Mara North

Culture

Off-road driving

Leaving the track to reach a sighting, allowed here and not in the national reserve. Availability remains subject to the current rules for the specific park, reserve, conservancy or community land.

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Guests with binoculars beside Maasai guides in Mara North

Culture

Maasai cultural visits

Genuine encounters with the landowning communities whose partnership makes the conservancy possible.

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Wildebeest running across the plains during the migration in Mara North

Wildlife

Migration crossings

Full-day drives to the Mara River crossing points on the adjoining reserve in season. Wildlife movement and sightings are not guaranteed; planning follows seasonal patterns and current reports.

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When to go

Best time to visit

Start with the season that suits the journey you want, then confirm conditions for your exact route.

A closer look at Mara North Conservancy

Jul / Individual planning

Your dates, your route

Start with your preferred month. Your designer will help match the season, chosen stays and connections to your route, interests and preferred pace.

July to October

The drier seasons

July to October is the headline migration period, when wildebeest may move through the ecosystem and Mara River crossings can be reached from the conservancy. It is also the busiest window, and wildlife movement or crossings cannot be guaranteed.

January–February

The greener months

January and February are dry and bright, with resident game on shorter grass. November to June is broadly greener, bringing lush landscapes, newborn animals and fewer guests; exact rainfall, access and wildlife distribution vary each year.

3 places to stay

Where to stay

Compare the selection by style.

3 stays · All stays

Elevated
Mara North Conservancy / Kenya
Kicheche Mara Camp
tented camp · private conservancy
From USD 500per person per night · indicative
Discover the stay
Elevated
Mara North Conservancy / Kenya
Saruni Mara
lodge · private conservancy
From USD 500per person per night · indicative
Discover the stay
Private Collection
Mara North Conservancy / Kenya
JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge
tented camp · private conservancy
From USD 1,000per person per night · indicative
Discover the stay

Good to know

Know before you go

Getting there

Road and air connections depend on the wider route and current operations. Nobu confirms the suitable connection for your dates before approval.

Fees and permissions

Park, conservancy, community, activity or permit rules may apply. Nobu confirms the operative permissions and current fees in the approved quote.

Time and pace

The right stay depends on season, interests and onward routing. Nobu will recommend a pace for the individual journey rather than promise a fixed transfer or duration.

Mara North Conservancy fees and entry rules

Good questions. Straight answers.

How big is Mara North Conservancy?

It is one of the largest of the Maasai Mara's private conservancies, running across tens of thousands of acres on the reserve's north-western edge up to the Oloololo escarpment — scale is a large part of what gives it its sense of space and solitude.

What is the difference between Mara North and the other Mara conservancies?

All the conservancies cap vehicles and allow walking, night and off-road drives, but Mara North's signature is its scale and its escarpment landscape, plus a southern boundary shared with the national reserve that puts the migration crossings within reach. Activity rules can change and differ by reserve, park, conservancy or community land; Nobu will confirm the current permission and operator arrangement before approval.

Can you see the migration crossings from Mara North?

The crossings happen on the Mara River within the national reserve, which adjoins the conservancy; from a Mara North camp you reach them on a full day's drive in season, roughly July to October.

Is Mara North good for walking safaris?

Yes. As a private conservancy it permits guided walking with an armed Maasai guide, alongside night and off-road drives that the national reserve does not allow. Activity rules can change and differ by reserve, park, conservancy or community land; Nobu will confirm the current permission and operator arrangement before approval.

How is Mara North connected to the Maasai community?

The conservancy is a partnership with the Maasai landowners whose land it comprises; conservancy fees and a capped camp model channel tourism income back to those communities.

Suggested Mara North Conservancy journeys