stylish seasonal tented camp
Guide Price: From: $680 To: $830
Ol Seki is immediately striking, with its white circular and immaculately designed canvas tents, set on a low ridge at the northern end of the Mara Conservation Area.
In June 2008, Sue sold Ol Seki to the Giovando family. Nico Giovando, born in Nyeri, holds Kenya close to his heart. Since the changeover Nico has brought in his sister Cathy Giovando. Cathy has been in Kenya all her life and she is so happy to back in her “favourite place on earthî the Masai Mara. She now manages the camp with her son Kiko. Their shared passion for Africa and vibrant personas provide guests with a warm and knowledgeable host team.
Ol Seki is set in the eastern part of the Koiyaki conservation area, an area populated with Maasai, but also home to good game, particularly when the Loita migration comes in from the north east. Between June and July the Aitong plains to the north and west team with migrating wildebeest and Zebra and, of course, numerous predators. For the rest of the year, resident game is ever present, although not in such large numbers as in the Mara National Reserve.
Don't be mislead by the amazing photos of Ol Seki into thinking it's a spa hotel, this is a wonderful bush home. As well as being an excellent place to come for game viewing, Ol Seki is a great place to kick back and enjoy just being in the bush.
This is still a seasonal camp and as such retains the 'mobile feel' that permanent camps can quickly lose. Decoration, though beautiful, feels natural and uncontrived - in many ways this defines what the Kenyan safari experience is about. Few other countries manage this easy style. While you're here, you might like to take a short walk from camp - more of a leg stretcher than a game experience, then finish up with a drink watching the sun set and the stars come out. The pace here is relaxed, the team are fantastic.
As well as the six spacious standard tents, Ol Seki has recently added two large 'suite tents', perfect for families in particular or even two couples travelling together. Each of these suites has two Nina sleeping tents (each with both a double and single bed) with their own ensuite bathrooms, joined together by a shared sitting and dining area where the group can retain complete privacy within the camp.
6 standard tents and 2 huge new suites
From: 680 To: 830
stylish seasonal tented camp
Incl. FB, soft drinks, beer, house wine & spirits, laundry, game drives, airstrip transfer. Excl. Guided walks, cultural visits, Balloon trips, Lake Victoria Fishing excursions, cellar wine, champagne & premium spirits, Beauty treatments, Visits
The Mara Conservation Area surrounds the main Masai Mara Reserve. This land is owned by a series of different Maasai communities (although mmuch of it falls under conservation partnership ageements with the private camp-owners), and differs from the main reserve in a couple of important ways. First, the Maasai to whom this is home are allowed to use this area to graze their cattle. Second, because it lies outside the main reserve, walking is allowed in this area. While many of the camps located here - the likes of Kicheche Mara Camp, Ol Seki Mara Camp, Richards Camp and Elephant Pepper Camp are within relatively easy reach of the main reserve, we would council against using this area simply as a dormitory for visiting the main park. Like Loliondo in northern Tanzania the Conservation Area really offers another side of the Mara ecosystem. It's probably worth recognising that the game viewing may not be quite on the scale of the main park - and that for the major river crossings you'll need to make the journey. However, in our experience, game viewing here rarely disappoints and the added dimension of the Maasai involvement makes this an excellent place to spend a few days. Read more?
Kenya is the most established safari country, and consequently you have to step a little off the conventional route to find real wilderness, but it’s certainly there. Kenya also has much going for it as a family destination, and also a good number of very individual safari camps and lodges with a personal approach that makes your experience very special. Kenya also has a particularly diverse ecology which ranges from snowy mountains to true desert, rolling grassy plains filled with wildlife to craggy scrub intersected with dry riverbeds, sparkling beaches and volcanic ranges. Read more?
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Vanessa's 16 years in travel has seen her knowledge develop from sub-Saharan Africa into North Africa, Central and Southern America and the Galapagos. Consequently, she’s a veritable encyclopaedia of travel information and exceptionally cool, calm and collected in the face of the greatest planning demands.
At Natural High, we've had long experience putting together trips in Africa that really work. Whether it's intimate bushcamps in out of the way places, or a private lodge in one of Africa's top-billing wildlife areas, light mobile camping or remote island escapes, we know there is a lot to choose from. We're absolutely confident that we can recommend the right places for you.
