Instinct of the Mara Lodge is an intimate tented lodge located southeast of the Masai Mara Park, Kenya, right next to the border with Tanzania. Instinct of Mara Lodge sits close to the boundary of the Masai Mara National Park inside the Olderkesi Conservancy, which is one of the Masai Mara conservancies around the edge of the main Maasai Mara National Reserve. There are fourteen Masai Mara conservancies but the four with high tourism densities ones are Mara North Conservancy, Naboisho Conservancy, Ol Kinyei Conservancy, and Olare Motorogi Conservancy. Olderkes conservancy in contrast, is very new, little known and barely visited by tourists with low tourism densities meaning that if you go there, you’ll probably get the wildlife all to yourself! But if you’re unfamiliar with Masai Mara you might be wondering what is the difference between the Masai Mara National Reserve and a Masai mara conservancies. Unlike the main Masai Mara National Reserve, which is run by the Kws And the government and open to everyone, the Masai Mara conservancies are community-owned and privately managed areas of land around the edges. These Masai Mara conservancies are part of a model where local Masai landowners lease their land to Masai Mara safari operators and safari camps plus lodge companies for wildlife conservation and tourism. The local community earn money from their land, the animals are protected, and visitors get pristine wilderness and incredible wildlife viewing opportunities., the other main difference is that in the Masai Mara there is a $200 a day entrance fee and strict rules about where you can go and what you can do.  It can also get very crowded – you might have seen pictures of the infamous ‘Mara traffic jams’ crowding round a big cat sighting. Meanwhile in the Masai Mara conservancies there are fewer rules, fewer cars and while there are Masai Mara conservation fees to pay, they tend to be less and all the money goes directly to the local community. Instinct of the Mara Camp is one of only two lodges in the Olderkesi Conservancy. Instinct of the Mara was founded just before the pandemic and then put on hold (obviously!), finally opening in 2022. Unlike some lodges in Masai Mara that are run by big hotel chain companies, Instinct of the Mara is a family-run company that puts the environment, conservation and community at the heart of everything they do. For them, luxury is about experiences, privacy, service, and the personal touch, while at the same time making a positive impact on the people and places you’re visiting. Lots of safari companies claim to ‘give back’ and ‘support local communities’ – though how much they actually do that can vary from safari company to safari company. At Instinct of the Mara, they really put their money and their hearts behind this claim. Alongside the Instinct of the Mara, we also run the Africa Wildlife and Conservation Trust, which funds and manages community projects in the areas around their properties, this includes providing key infrastructure like water sources, paying for school fees, providing medical care or food in times of hardship, training locals in trades so they can earn a living, and much more. When you stay at one of our lodges you pay a conservation fee which funds this vital work – so you can feel happy in the knowledge that not only are you having an amazing Kenya holiday, you’re also directly helping people. One of the things our Trust is currently funding is the creation of new conservancy land in the Masai Mara. The conservancy model in Kenya has been a huge success. Leasing the land from the local Maasai people gives them an income and creates jobs, and it also protects vital habitats and wildlife corridors for animals to live and roam in. So, the team at Instinct of the Mara has been working over the past couple of years, negotiating with the local landowners to lease the area around Instinct of the Mara, and expand the size of the Olderkesi Conservancy. This is brand new land for wildlife conservation, the first to be created in Kenya for many years! Engage in up close encounters with the wildlife in our Open game viewing land cruisers. All our guides are knowledgeable and will share with you intimate details of the Mara's Fauna and Flora. You will be captivated by the vast beauty of the Maasai Mara Savannah with its rolling hills and indefinite horizon famous for its abundance of wildlife. Game drives allow you to get up close and personal with wildlife and the nature and are really the essence of a safari to Masai Mara. Every day on safaris in Masai Mara provides you with a unique set of wildlife experiences and sightings, no day is the same. Due to the unique location of Instincts Mara lodge our game drives are largely a private affair as in our conservancy there are no other vehicles. At Instincts Mara Camp Masai Mara from your arrival, until your departure, you will have your own private vehicle, safari guide and spotter to help you explore the incredible wilderness. Together you can plan your safari in Masai Mara and make the most of your time. So, whether you want to be out for a few hours or for the whole day with a picnic breakfast, picnic lunch and sundowners, we are happy to oblige. Thanks to an incredible team of guides and spotters, we are happy to find our own game and work our own areas staying away from the crowds. Our game drive vehicles are specially designed and built to give you the best game viewing experience and comfort while on game drives. Fridges, winches, camera stands, inverters and electric charging sockets, upgraded suspensions are just some of the features in our open game viewing vehicles. Walk with our Maasai guides, track animals, go on game drives, visit a Maasai village, horse ride and bird watch. When you’ve relaxed into the slow pace of ‘Africa Time’ and have your animal-spotting eyes in focus. The main activity at Instinct of the Mara is, of course, safari wildlife watching. Olderkesi Conservancy shares a border with the Masai Mara National Reserve, so it’s easy enough to hop in the Safari vehicle with your guide and spotter, drive out of the conservancy, and through the Sand River Gate into the Masai Mara Park. Since it’s quite a long way, we recommend you take a packed breakfast and lunch and make a full day of it, leaving at around 6 am and returning just before sunset at about 6 pm. It’s a long day but will allow you to explore far and wide and take your time with any incredible animals you may see. Note that the Maasai Mara National Reserve charges $200 a day park fees, so if you want to go there every day of your trip, it will add a fair bit to the cost of your holiday. If you want to explore the Masai Mara conservancy (and save money) then you can also do game drives closer to home, there’s no extra charge for this, and since you’re closer to the camp, you can do the more relaxing morning and afternoon drives, with some time to chill out and have lunch at the lodge during the hottest part of the day. Note that the terrain around the Masai Mara conservancy can be more overgrown with bushes and shrubs, making it harder to see and photograph animals than on the open plans further north and west in the Masai Mara. The good news is that in the Masai Mara conservancy you can drive off the road (where possible), something that is banned in the Masai Mara Park. Another activity you can do in the Masai Mara conservancy that’s banned in the Masai Mara are walking safaris. Apart from to use the bathroom or when you stop for lunch in a safe place, getting out of your safari vehicle in Masai Mara Park is strictly prohibited, But in the private Olderkesi Mara conservancy, that’s not a problem! If you’re interested in birds, you can do a birdwatching walk with Henry, who is also an expert ornithologist. Instinct of the Mara sundowner experience involves taking you to a viewpoint and setting up comfortable seating around a campfire (another thing that’s definitely not allowed inside the park!). You’ll learn how the Maasai guides make fire from scratch by rubbing two sticks together and using elephant dung as kindling. When the fire is going, they’ll roast a whole leg of lamb over the flames and then slice and serve it with mint sauce as a little pre-dinner snack, alongside your wine, beer or G&T. You can stay and enjoy the sounds of the bush long after the sun has set, as the fire slowly dies and the stars come out. The activities don’t end after it gets dark. As with the late sundowners and walking safaris, you’re free to do more in the Masai Mara conservancy, so grab a warm jacket and head out after dinner for a night safari drive. Many African animals are nocturnal so if you’re lucky there are plenty of creatures you won’t see during the day, like aardvarks, genet cats, bush babies or maybe even leopards. Another great thing to do during your stay at Instinct of the Mara is a visit to the nearby Maasai community. All the staff at the Instinct of the Mara lodge are employed from the surrounding villages, and as well as chatting and getting to know them while you’re in camp, you can also take a trip to see where they grew up. The best way to get to Instinct of the Mara in Kenya is to fly. You can get there on one of the many little bush planes that fly between Nairobi or Mombasa and the Masai Mara. The nearest Mara airstrip to Instinct of the Mara is Keekorok. A driver will be sent to meet you, and from there it’s about a two-hour drive back through the Maasai Mara and the conservancy to the lodge – or longer if you stop to look at wildlife. Get to Instinct of the Mara via Keekorok Airstrip - Note that if you haven’t paid park fees that day, you have to take a pretty direct route out of the park, or you may be charged. However, if you do spot wildlife on the way and stop to look, that’s OK. Once you’re inside the conservancy, of course you can go anywhere you like. After your stay at Instinct of the Mara, you’ll be dropped back at Keekorok airstrip, from where you can head back to Nairobi, fly to another National Park like Tsavo or Ambroseli, or go to Mombasa to spend some time relaxing on the beach.