About This Property
Porini Mara Camp is a small, intimate eco-camp of just six luxury tents, set among large trees on the banks of the Laetoli, a natural spring in the exclusive Ol Kinyei Conservancy. The conservancy belongs to the local Maasai community, who set the land aside as a wildlife sanctuary, and it is reserved for Porini guests.
This is classic East African country: open savannahs, pockets of forest, natural springs and rivers, and wide views across the Serengeti–Mara ecosystem. Ol Kinyei covers 18,700 acres and is one of only a handful of sites in Kenya on the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas. Every tent helps secure 700 acres, with tourist vehicles limited to one per 1,400 acres.
Game viewing is the heart of the stay. Morning, afternoon and evening drives run in custom-built safari vehicles with expert Maasai driver-guides and spotters, and night drives and walking safaris are possible here — activities that are not allowed inside the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Guests also game-drive in neighbouring Naboisho Conservancy.
Wildlife in Ol Kinyei includes resident lion prides, leopard, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, Cape buffalo and a wealth of plains game. The conservancy is the northern calving ground for the Loita wildebeest migration (typically February–March), and day trips into the Maasai Mara National Reserve can be arranged during the Great Migration season.
The tents are spacious and comfortably appointed, each with double and single beds, solar electric lights and an en-suite bathroom with a flush toilet and safari shower. One of the six is a family unit. There is no permanent concrete footprint: the camp is solar-powered and Gold Eco-rated by Ecotourism Kenya.
Meals are simple and freshly prepared, served in the mess dining tent or as picnic lunches out on drive. All meals come with mineral water, sodas, gin and tonic, beers and house wines. Evenings often end with a sundowner at a scenic viewpoint before a night drive back to camp.
The camp is staffed by members of the local Maasai community, and guest stays support land-lease payments and the Porini Wildlife Habitat Trust. Optional extras include hot-air ballooning and a visit to a Maasai village.
Why We Love It
We love how small this camp is: six tents on a natural spring, in a Maasai-owned conservancy that is reserved for Porini guests. There are no other tourist vehicles in Ol Kinyei, and the limit of one vehicle per 1,400 acres is the opposite of a crowded Mara Reserve sighting.
Night drives and walking safaris are part of the stay here — two things you simply cannot do inside the National Reserve. Combine that with access to neighbouring Naboisho, and you get a wider patch of the Mara ecosystem without leaving a conservancy model that pays the community to keep the land for wildlife.
Ol Kinyei is on the IUCN Green List, the camp is Gold Eco-rated and fully solar-powered, and every tent helps lease 700 acres. The Loita wildebeest still calve on these plains in February and March. That combination of low impact, big cats and a genuine community conservancy is why this little camp sits on our list.
It is all-inclusive in the old-fashioned safari sense: meals, house drinks, shared drives and the airstrip transfer. Ballooning and a village visit cost extra, which we prefer to see stated clearly rather than wrapped into a vague luxury price.
Rooms & Details
Standard Tent
Six luxury tents sit on the banks of the Laetoli spring, shaded by large trees. Each has double and single beds, solar electric lights, a writing desk, charging sockets, and an en-suite bathroom with a flush toilet and safari shower. Five of the six tents are double tents.
Family Unit
One of the six tents is a family unit. Children aged over 8 may share with adults or, for older children, occupy their own tent. Official maximum occupancy is 14 guests plus children.
Mess tent and fire pit
Meals are served in the main mess tent, which includes a lounge, or as picnic lunches on game drives. There is an outside dining table and a stone-ringed fire pit under the acacias. Free Wi-Fi and board games are in the public areas; the camp runs on solar power.
Ol Kinyei Conservancy sits in the greater Mara, a short hop from hilltop stays such as Angama Mara and Mahali Mzuri, or a mobile option at Angama Safari Camp.
Amenities & Features
Photo Gallery
Rates
Prices start from $599 per night. Final pricing depends on season, room type, and availability. Check current rates on our booking partner's site for the most accurate pricing.
Rates are per person sharing and all-inclusive (game package). Go2Africa published range USD 599–961 per person sharing. Single supplements may apply. Afternoon departure after the 10:00 check-out is available at extra cost.
What's Included
- All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), freshly prepared by the camp chef
- Picnic lunches and bush breakfasts served out on game drives
- House drinks: mineral water, sodas, gin and tonic, beers and house wines
- Sundowner drinks at a scenic viewpoint
- Shared day game drives in Ol Kinyei and neighbouring Naboisho Conservancy (max six guests per 4x4)
- Night game drives in Ol Kinyei Conservancy
- Maasai-led escorted nature and bird walks
- Morning, afternoon and evening game drives in custom-built safari vehicles
- Sundowners at a scenic viewpoint
- Picnic breakfasts and bush lunches
- Bird watching
- Complimentary transfers to and from Ol Seki Airstrip
All-inclusive game package: all meals, picnic lunches, selected house drinks (mineral water, sodas, gin and tonic, beers, house wines), shared day and night game drives, Maasai-led walks, sundowners, Ol Kinyei and Naboisho conservancy fees, and return Ol Seki airstrip transfers. Porini Wildlife Habitat Trust payment is included on official packages. Hot-air ballooning and Maasai village visits are extra.
Location
How to Get There
From Nairobi (Wilson Airport)
Schedule a flight from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport to Ol Seki Airstrip. Porini Mara Camp staff meet guests at the airstrip and transfer them to camp (complimentary). The camp is 250 kilometres (155 miles) from Nairobi; the road journey to Ol Kinyei Conservancy takes about four hours.
From Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
A private charter can be organised from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Ol Seki Airstrip, with the same complimentary camp transfer.
Day trips to the Maasai Mara National Reserve
Guests can take a full-day safari into the Maasai Mara National Reserve with a picnic lunch (extra reserve fees apply outside the 1 July–30 September window when one day’s park entry is included on Porini’s published packages).
Nearby Attractions
Ol Kinyei Conservancy (camp location; Loita wildebeest migration calving grounds), Naboisho Conservancy (included game-drive access), Maasai Mara National Reserve (day trips; about a one-hour drive according to a Go2Africa guest review), local Maasai village and school (optional visits)
Things to Do
At the property
The camp is built around game viewing. Morning, afternoon and evening drives use custom-built open-sided 4x4s (maximum six guests, so everyone has a window seat). Night drives in Ol Kinyei look for nocturnal species such as aardvark, bat-eared fox and bushbaby. Escorted nature and bird walks with Maasai guides cover the smaller details of the bush. Sundowners are taken at scenic viewpoints. Picnic breakfasts and bush lunches are included. Star gazing and educational talks about the community conservation model are listed among camp activities.
In the area
Ol Kinyei Conservancy — 18,700 acres leased from a Maasai community — is reserved for Porini guests, with no other tourist vehicles. Neighbouring Naboisho Conservancy is included for game drives. Wildlife includes two resident lion prides, leopard, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and the Loita wildebeest migration, which calves in the conservancy around February and March.
Day trips
Full-day safaris into the Maasai Mara National Reserve can be arranged, with a picnic lunch (extra reserve fees apply except on published high-season packages that include one day’s park entry from 1 July to 30 September). Optional extras include hot-air ballooning with a champagne breakfast, a visit to an authentic Maasai village, and a visit to a local school.
Good to Know
Child policy: Official Porini factsheet: children aged over 8 years are welcome and may share a tent with adults or, for older children, stay in their own tent. Go2Africa lists children under 12 as welcome.Capacity: Six tents (five double tents and one family unit). Official maximum 14 guests plus children.Power & lighting: The camp is fully solar-powered, with solar electric lights in the tents and charging sockets in guest tents. No hairdryers.Connectivity: Free Wi-Fi in public areas (mess/lounge tent). No credit-card payments on site.Drinks included: Mineral water, sodas, gin and tonic, beers and house wines with meals.At extra cost: Hot-air ballooning (with champagne breakfast), Maasai village visit, afternoon departure after check-out.Conservancy rules: Ol Kinyei is reserved for Porini guests; no other tourist vehicles. Vehicle limit of one per 1,400 acres. Off-road driving and night drives are permitted in the conservancy (unlike the Mara Reserve).Seasons: Open all year; closed for one month during the rainy season (which month is not stated on the factsheet).Languages: English and Swahili.Guide accommodation: Available for guides accompanying guests.
Who It's For
Couples, honeymooners and small families (children aged over 8 on the official child policy) who want an intimate, all-inclusive conservancy safari rather than a busy Mara Reserve lodge. Porini lists a honeymoon offer (bride saves 50% on 4+ nights except August–September, when the discount is 25%; proof of wedding required). The family unit suits parents travelling with older children.
Best Time to Visit
Open year-round except one month in the rainy season (month not specified). Loita wildebeest calving typically February–March in the conservancy; Great Migration day trips to the Maasai Mara National Reserve generally July–October.
