Hemingways Ol Seki Mara: Our full report
A designer tented lodge in a stunning location, Ol Seki perches at the end of a ridge in the Naboisho Conserva...
... ncy, northeast of the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Built in 2005, it was bought in 2011 by the Hemingways hotel group.On an arrow-shaped bluff pointing south, with a 270-degree panorama, Ol Seki, named after the sandpaper tree – symbolising peace and harmony in Maasai culture – offers mind-cleansing views and spectacular sunrises and sunsets.
The innovative architecture at Ol Seki echoes the panoramic views, with the spacious, breezy, wood-floored dining and lounge tents, furnished with big, soft, comfy armchairs and sofas, following the same expansive, bird's eye theme, accentuated by a vintage telescope. The leather furniture, woven rugs and large trunks used as coffee tables lend an old colonial feel to the camp. Down some steps a little below the lounge tents, there is a decked area with a fire pit and directors' chairs – perfect for sundowners or pre-dinner drinks.
The ten unusual tents at Ol Seki (six standard tents and two family suites consisting of two tents each) are 12-sided, with huge fly sheets protecting the canvas tent bodies and polished wood decking laid with chunky rugs and rush mats. The design gives an exotic and graceful appearance, accentuated by their spaciousness and attractive furnishings – gathered drapes hanging in front of the mosquito screen 'windows' and pale covers over the large and comfortable beds. The bathrooms are a little bit on the small side, with a single basin, a shelf of Hemingways branded toiletries and glass water bottles provided, though the shower areas are reasonably spacious.
The six standard (dubbed 'luxury') tents are named 'Nina', after the architect's daughter. Ol Seki's suite tents are 'Chui' and 'Simba' and are each an arrangement of two luxury tents, surrounded, like all the tents, by rustic flagstone paving, which also forms all paths in the camp. Simba is particularly well suited to families with small children as the two bedroom tents are interconnected with the central lounge. Chui has a similar arrangement, with two bedroom tents and a central lounge tent, however each of the tents is separate rather than being interconnected. A room steward is assigned to each suite. Using the kitchen area in the suite, he serves drinks, finishes the cooking of guests' meals and waits on them for as long as required. We don't believe this arrangement will necessarily be a huge inducement for many of our guests but it's certainly convenient if you want to be self-contained and very private.
Ol Seki's swimming pool was finished in 2019, nestled between the rocks and surrounded by a stone terrace with a sunken seating area and a fire pit.
The most important activities at Ol Seki are the morning and evening game drives in Naboisho Conservancy, the community-linked conservancy that is shared by just five small camps and harbours large numbers of big cats, elephants, giraffe and other wildlife. At present Ol Seki’s guides hold either a bronze or silver Kenyan guiding qualification and we found them to be conscientious, well-trained spotters, knowledgeable about the species you will encounter and dedicated to safeguarding their local eco-system. On our most recent stay in February 2019 we enjoyed some wonderful sightings, which included a cheetah hunting with her four cubs and also a large pride of lions.
If you want to go into the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Ol Seki will organise a full-day game drive, with picnic lunch. Guests usually eat breakfast at the camp before departure at 7am. This would normally be arranged in advance and included in the total cost of your trip, but if done in person, the camp charges a supplementary $130 per person for a day in the reserve.
In common with all properties in the Mara, early-morning balloon safaris can be booked. These last approximately one hour, followed by a bush breakfast with sparkling wine and then a game drive, arriving back at camp around mid-morning. There are several launch areas and you can expect to be woken as early as 4.00am.
Night drives are included in the cost of your stay. Village visits are also available, and can give a fascinating insight into Maasai culture and a number of the staff come from the village. Cultural visits can be an attraction for many guests, and for the most part this is a genuine experience, however keep in mind that visitors will often be encouraged to buy items of jewellery and other souvenirs before leaving.
The camp can offer bush walks with a Maasai guide, however these are not accompanied by an armed ranger, so we do not book them, and strongly advise against going on them.
Back in camp, there is a trained masseuse who does massages in guests' tents. There are also plans to build a small spa tent in the near future – chat to us for the latest information.
Our view
The name Ol Seki – 'sandpaper tree' – says it all: this is a peaceful retreat where the stresses of a busy life can be smoothed away by a combination of the inspiring location, good service, and where you have a chance to connect with a more grounded, elemental environment.
Kenya expert
Geographics
- Location
- Maasai Mara Conservancies, Kenya
- Ideal length of stay
- 3 nights
- Directions
- The Ol Seki-Naboisho airstrip is around a ten-minute drive away.
- Accessible by
- Fly-and-Transfer
Food & drink
- Usual board basis
- Full Board & Activities
- Food quality
- Ol Seki focuses on international cuisine, with local Kenyan meals an option if requested. Everything is freshly prepared, using as much local produce as possible. We really enjoyed the food when we stayed in February 2019 and found it inventive, plentiful and very tasty.
Breakfast, often after a early-morning game drive, is served at around 9.00am. Guests can expect a selection of fruit, cereal, pastries and pancakes as well as cooked options to order. For those going on a longer game drive a packed breakfast can be arranged.
Lunch, about 1.00pm, is normally two courses. We tucked in to beef lasagna accompanied by a fresh avocado salad; this was followed by a desert of watermelon balls and mint.
Tea and biscuits are at about 4.00pm before the evening game drive.
Dinner is the most lavish meal of the day, often consisting of three courses. On our recent visit we started with bruschetta with a balsamic drizzle, this was followed by a light vegetable soup and then a creamy chicken and Portobello mushroom risotto for the main course. We rounded up our meal with caramelised banana. - Dining style
- Group Meals
- Dining locations
- Indoor Dining
- Further dining info, including room service
- Yes. The Chui and Simba tents have their own kitchen areas where staff finish the cooking and presentation of their meals for those guests, before serving them privately. Private dining can be arranged in request.
- Drinks included
- With the exception of premium wines and spirits, all drinks are included.
Children
- Attitude towards children
- Ol Seki recommends the camp only for three years and above.
- Property’s age restrictions
- There are no age restrictions in the suite tents, but a minimum age of 12 years in the main camp.
- Special activities & services
- Hemingways can arrange a number of child friendly activities such as making bows and arrows, finding wildlife tracks and signs and going on short nature walks around the camp. There a small swimming pool, which is likely to keep children entertained.
- Equipment
- Hemingways can provide cots and highchairs.
- Generally recommended for children
- Not really; Ol Seki is quite a sophisticated, adult sort of camp, and there's nowhere for children to let off steam.
- Notes
- The many drop-offs and fall points would be a problem for very young children, who would need 24-hour supervision.
Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Hemingways Ol Seki
Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Hemingways Ol Seki Mara have kindly recorded their wildlife sightings and shared them with us. The results are below. Click an animal to see more, and here to see more on our methodology.
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
86% success
86% success
83% success
40% success
20% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
Communications
- Power supply notes
- There is 24-hour power. the camp operates on solar power with back up generator.
- Communications
- WiFi reaches most bedroom tents but it is not available in the main areas. Cellphone coverage, especially Safaricom, is usually good.
- TV & radio
- None
- Water supply
- Borehole
- Water supply notes
- The bathrooms are plumbed in with flush toilets. Plastic water bottles are provided for drinking.
Health & safety
- Malarial protection recommended
- Yes
- Medical care
- All driver/guides have had first-aid training. There's a doctor at Nkoilale and a district hospital at Narok both about a 90-minute drive from camp. The camp also has links with a flying doctors service.
Bush Walks: The Naboisho area around Ol Seki is home to a high concentration of dangerous wildlife. While bush walks with a Maasai guide are available, they are not accompanied by an armed ranger. Therefore, for your safety, we recommend opting for other activities and strongly advise against participating in the bush walks. - Dangerous animals
- High Risk
- Security measures
- There are askaris on duty day and night. The camp is not fenced so guests are escorted around camp during hours of darkness. There is a lockable trunk in the tents.
- Fire safety
- Each tent has a fire extinguisher and there are fire drills for staff and any guests present.
Activities
4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Cultural excursion
Fly-camping
Hot air ballooning
Night drive
Extras
- Disabled access
- On Request
- Laundry facilities
- Included, except for ladies' underwear, but soap powder is provided. Items are collected in the morning, machine washed, and usually returned in the evening.
- Money
- There is no currency exchange.
- Accepted payment on location
- Cash payments may be made in US dollars, euros, pounds sterling or Kenyan shillings. Visa and MasterCard are accepted with no surcharge. Village visits must be paid for in cash.
Other lodges in Maasai Mara Conservancies
Alternative places to stay in this same area.
Kicheche Bush Camp
Kicheche Bush Camp is a smart and intimate tented camp with a relaxed atmosphere and the perfect base in the Mara for keen photographers.
Kicheche Mara
Kicheche Mara Camp has just ten tents and a rustic and comfortable feel. It is set by a stream in a pretty area of the Mara ecosystem's Mara North Conservancy.
Kicheche Valley
Kicheche Valley is a boutique tented camp in a wooded district of the Mara ecosystem's Naboisho Conservancy, with plenty of wildlife in the area.
Naboisho Camp
Naboisho Camp is one of the most luxurious of the handful of camps in the Naboisho Conservancy. It offers day and night game drives, game walks and full creature comforts in the bush.
Offbeat Mara
Offbeat Mara is a small traditional camp that appeals to safari traditionalists, located in one of the Maasai Mara’s quiet conservancies.
Encounter Mara
Encounter Mara is located in the private Naboisho Conservancy – a game-rich area of the Mara ecosystem – and offers a contemporary take on the traditional, low-impact luxury safari camp.
Elephant Pepper Camp
Elephant Pepper Camp is a small 10-tent bush camp, put together in the traditional "campaign" style, and including a large honeymoon/family tent.
Serian
Serian is a luxury tented camp on the east bank of the Mara River in the Mara North Conservancy. It is the sister camp of Ngare Serian, on the west bank.
Mara Plains Camp
Mara Plains is one of the very best camps in the Mara ecosystem. Located in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy, just outside the Mara reserve, it has access to three wildlife-viewing areas.
Kicheche Fly Camp
Kicheche Walking Wilderness Fly Camp is a temporaray dome tent camp set up for participants in Kicheche's two-day walking safari between Kicheche Valley and Kicheche Bush Camp.
Basecamp Eagle View
Basecamp Eagle View is a community-focused safari camp in the Naboisho Conservancy, with a strong emphasis on responsible tourism and a spectacular location.
Saruni Wild
Saruni Wild is a rustic and traditional safari camp in the Lemek Conservancy, with just three tents and limited electricity.
Porini Lion Camp
Porini Lion Camp is a pioneering, community focused eco-camp, with excellent guides and game viewing, in the predator-rich, Olare Motorogi Conservancy.
Offbeat Ndoto
Small and intimate, Offbeat Mara is set in a valley above the (often dry) Olare Orok River within the Mara North Conservancy.
Porini Mara Camp
Porini Mara Camp is a small, pioneering eco-camp in the first private conservancy in the Mara region, with comfortable accommodation and a range of activities.
Ngare Serian
The luxurious Ngare Serian and its sister camp Serian face each other across the Mara River on the western side of the Mara North Conservancy
Basecamp Leopard Hill
With six beautiful tents, Basecamp Leopard Hill is a smart safari camp in the Naboisho Conservancy in the Maasai Mara ecosystem.
Karen Blixen Camp
Karen Blixen Camp sits on a meander of the Mara River in the Mara North Conservancy, just beyond the northern boundary of the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
Cottars 1920s Camp
Cottar's 1920s Camp is a classic, luxury tented camp with a 1920s safari theme, located in its own conservancy on the southeast border of the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
Leleshwa
Leleshwa was a delightful, boutique safari camp on the picturesque banks of a tributary of the Talek, with an extensive, little visited game area on its doorstep.
Mahali Mzuri
Mahali Mzuri is a strikingly modern tented camp in the Virgin Limited Edition group, in a remote part of the Mara ecosytem's Olare Motorogi Conservancy. It has lovely views and all the luxuries of a five-star hotel.
Saruni Mara
Saruni Mara is a luxurious permanent lodge, on the remote northern edge of the Mara North Conservancy, with stunning views, good guiding and very private and comfortable rooms.
Mara Nyika
Mara Nyika is one of the newer additions to the Naboisho Conservancy and offers a luxurious and exclusive safari.
Basecamp Wilderness
Basecamp Wilderness Camp is a simple, traditional tented camp, set in a remote valley in the Naboisho Conservancy in the Mara ecoystem.
Mara Bushtops
Mara Bushtops is a luxury safari hotel on a private concession, outside the Maasai Mara National Reserve, with the emphasis on comfort, relaxation and good food and wine.
Mara Toto Tree Camp
Mara Toto Tree Camp is located on a wooded bend of the Ntiakatek River, 1km south (as the pied crow flies) from its sister camp, Mara Plains. It's the offspring of the original "Mara Toto" which was swept away in floods.
Cottars Private House
Cottar's Private House is one of the few truly luxurious, modern private houses in the Mara ecosystem, spoiling its guests with first-rate staff, a swimming pool and wonderful views.
Entumoto
Entumoto is a high-end tented camp, with a swimming pool, situated in a very pretty location on the east side of the Maasai Mara ecosystem.
