Hemingways Ol Seki Mara Camp

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Bordering the magnificent and game-rich Masai Mara in Kenya, Ol Seki Hemingways Mara offers a luxury tented camp experience.

Accommodations at the camp consist of ten luxury canvas tents for a maximum of twenty people. The six domed Nina tents and two expansive suites – Simba and Chui all sit on a private-vantage point up on the rocky escarpment and are decorated in safari-chic muted tones of vanilla and taupe. Each tent has an en suite bathroom featuring hot running water blasting through rain shower-heads and dainty flush toilets. The Nina tents are perfect for couples and come with double beds decked in fine lines. A private wooden veranda is the perfect spot to unwind or enjoy a private diner. The Simba Suite is a self-contained pent-house in the bush with a private driveway. It’s perfect for families and includes a kitchen, dining room, living area which connects two enormous double bedrooms. The Chui suite is great for groups as it affords more privacy as the two double bedrooms are separated by the living area.

The lodge is situated within the 124 mile Naboisho Conservancy, a private reserve bordering the Masai Mara. The conservancy is home to a large number of big cats with roughly 100 lions living in the vicinity. It is also a great place to view herds of elephant, giraffe, wild dogs as well as migrating wildebeest and zebras. Unlike its neighbor, the Masai Mara National Reserve, this private conservancy strictly monitors the number of tourists who enter the area, reducing the number of vehicles and the human impact on the environment and wildlife.

There are plenty of activities offered from the camp. Daily game drives conducted by expert rangers enjoy the limited number of tourists allowed in the area. It is rare to encounter another vehicle but common to spot an abundance of predators, grazing herbivores, and a host of diverse bird life. For an aerial view, hot air balloon rides provide the ideal, panoramic view of the savanna and the millions of herds of migrating wildebeest below. Cultural tours take in the local Koyaki community of Paya where guests can buy locally crafted souvenirs knowing their money helps fund the community and the local children’s education. Other activities include hikes, visits to an N’dorobo cave, bird watching, and bush dinners.

The main camp area includes a library tent, dining tent, and deck. The library tent is stocked full of Africana books from fiction to educational guides, all of which can be perused in a comfortable chair to the warm glow of a paraffin light with the sound of bird songs floating over the Koyaki plains. Below the library tent, the deck where the evening camp fire blazes and guests exchange pleasantries and stories as they sit in traditional, canvas safari chairs. The dining tent offers up delicious chef-prepared cuisine on fine china in an open-air tent furnishing magnificent views of the acacia scrub.