Mahali Mzuri: Our full report
Mahali Mzuri, which means ‘beautiful place’, is a very upmarket property which opened in 2013.
It is part of the Virgin Limited Edition range – built and owned by Richard Branson and located in the 133km² Olare Motorogi Conservancy.Before visiting, we were a bit dubious about Mahali Mzuri, having heard rumors of a vast, decadent eyesore on the Mara's pristine landscape. In the building of permanent structures, such as a swimming pool and extraordinary main areas and rooms, it has indeed gone much further than almost any other camp in the region, and it won't be to everyone's taste. However we were very taken with the camp's ethical approach and found it to be unusual architecturally, but very stylish.
It is to the owners' credit that they have built Mahali Mzuri in one of the more remote parts of the Mara, in an area that had struggled with cattle overgrazing. This area has now been combined with Olare Orok to form the larger Olare Motorogi Conservancy and – over the five years since Mahali Mzuri has been in development – has now turned a corner. Guests still have to travel a short way to get to areas with good predators, but the immediate area around camp is improving rapidly: a real success for conservation.
Mahali Mzuri's main areas are set on a big wooden deck overlooking a deep valley. Between the dining and the lounge tents is an outside deck, with a long sofa-bench looking across the firepit. The views from here are stunning. Tables and chairs are set here for alfresco dining: simple and modern in style, resulting in a clean, minimalist look. Steel-cable railings protect guests at the edge of the decking.
To one side is the modestly sized lounge and bar, under canvas, but very funky and unlike anything we have seen in Kenya. High leather bar stools complement the wooden bar, and there is usually a member of staff to offer you a cocktail or artisan coffee.
Perhaps a little more in keeping with the surroundings are the simpler leather sofas, cowhide rugs and velvet armchairs that furnish the rest of the lounge area. There is a spotting telescope in the corner, and binoculars for people who want to watch game from camp. Tucked away in a hidden cabinet there is also a satellite TV and a selection of DVDs. WiFi is available throughout the camp. We got the impression that Mahali Mzuri doesn't mind having a bit of the Western world here, something that smaller camps and safari purists shy away from. But it will suit those who want to be on safari without feeling that they have to compromise on hotel-standard facilities.
In a separate tent on the other side of the outside deck, the dining area is fitted out with modern furniture and a long glass table that feel a world away from the African bush – until you notice the beaded placemats, wooden light fittings and African fabrics hanging from the walls.
Steps from the main deck lead down to the long, narrow (and heated, unusually!) swimming pool, which is perfect for swimming lengths. There are chairs and loungers at each end, while close by is Mahali Mzuri's spa, totally open to the view at the front and stocked with locally made products. A variety of massages and treatments are on offer here, at extra cost.
The 12 tented suites at Mahali Mzuri are in themselves highly unusual. Designed to look like masaai shields, each has a gigantic steel frame embedded in huge blocks of concrete on a heavily landscaped slope strewn with quarried rock. This frame supports a vast synthetic-canvas roof, suspended from a seven-metre pole topped by a lightning rod, and designed to make the most of the natural breeze. The canvas tents beneath are smaller than you might expect, raised on wooden platforms and with something of the feel of a hotel room. In the bedroom you'll find carpeted floors, a large comfortable bed and a leather sofa , and each tent is equipped with a fridge, tea and coffee station, white bathrobes and a dark wooden writing desk with information booklets. The tents have charging facilities, but the camp's reliance on its generator means that the electricity is normally off for a few hours during the night. The camps had solar panels installed in 2023.
The en-suite bathrooms are stylish, with lots of dark wood and contemporary fittings, incuding twin ceramic washbasins, walk-in showers and claw-foot baths. The towels are delightfully soft and locally made toiletries are provided.
Two of these tents are slightly larger than the others, and designed for families, with a separate lounge area that can accommodate two children on pull-out sofas.
The activities at Mahali Mzuri include morning and afternoon game drives, or full-day drives on the Olare Motorogi Conservancy. It is also possible to organize game drives into the main Masaai Mara Reserve (park fees payable separately). Uncommercial village visits, timed to meet or send off the cattle, are also available. Activities are led by the experienced guide team, which has a number of silver certified guides amongst its ranks.
Our view
Mahali Mzuri is a very luxurious, high-quality camp, offering smooth service from a team of experienced managers and caterers. It is certainly opulent, but too smart and hotel-like to retain much feeling of the Kenyan bush. Nevertheless, for those seeking facilities and comfort before anything else this could make the perfect safari base.
Kenya expert
Geographics
- Location
- Maasai Mara Conservancies, Kenya
- Ideal length of stay
- 3 nights or more.
- Directions
- The flight from Nairobi into the Maasai Mara’s Mara North airstrip takes about 70 minutes. From here, it’s a 45-minute transfer (or longer if your turn it into a game drive) back to camp.
- Accessible by
- Fly-and-Transfer
Food & drink
- Usual board basis
- Full Board & Activities
- Food quality
- We didn’t have time for a meal when we stopped at Mahali Mzuri, but it was described to us as quite modern with a lot of Asian fusion influence. The head chef is John Maina Edison. They have a garden for fresh salads and herbs and are happy to accommodate any dietary requests.
- Dining style
- Individual Tables
- Dining locations
- Indoor and Outdoor Dining
- Further dining info, including room service
- Room service available.
- Drinks included
- All drinks are included at Mahali Mzuri.
Special interests
- Luxury
- If you’re familiar with Richard Branson’s Virgin Limited Edition resorts, the features at his ultra-modern Mahali Mzuri will come as no surprise. The huge glass table in the dining area, the smart swimming pool and the spa tent are only a few of Mahali Mzuri’s luxurious facilities.
- See ideas for Luxury in Kenya
Children
- Attitude towards children
- Mahali Mzuri welcome children of eight years or over.
- Property’s age restrictions
- The minimum age is 6.
- Special activities & services
- Mahali Mzuri has kites, bows and arrows, and spears so that children can learn to be Maasai warriors with the help of their guides.
- Equipment
- None
- Generally recommended for children
- Mahali Mzuri is not really suitable for younger children. It has quite an adult atmosphere and is unfenced. It is also located on a steep hill with drops from the front of most of the main areas and rooms – though there are rails. However even the swimming pool is designed for swimming lanes rather than playing.
- Notes
- Children must be supervised by their parents at all times.
Please note: some of the rooms at Mahali Mzuri are not suitable for young children because of balconies with high drop-offs and limited protection.
Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Mahali Mzuri
Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Mahali Mzuri 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
100% success
50% success
50% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
Communications
- Power supply notes
- Generator.
Lights and charging facilities in the rooms and main areas operate all day and night. - Communications
- WiFi is available throughout Mahali Mzuri and they also have iPads that guests can borrow. The internet is so fast here that live streaming and Skype is not a problem. There is good cellphone reception too.
- TV & radio
- There is a satellite TV in the central lounge.
- Water supply
- Borehole
- Water supply notes
- Mahali Mzuri uses a high-tech purification system to clean the water from the borehole for washing and drinking. As a result they can largely avoid plastic bottles.
Health & safety
- Malarial protection recommended
- Yes
- Medical care
- There is an on-site nurse at Mahali Mzuri and 25% of the staff are first-aid trained. There are first-aid kits on site and in each vehicle. There is a heli- pad by the lodge and a private airstrip 10 minutes away for use in an emergency.
- Dangerous animals
- High Risk
- Security measures
- Askaris (local guards) are on patrol 24 hours a day.
- Fire safety
- Mahali Mzuri has fire extinguishers and fire hoses in all the main areas and in each tent. They even have fire detectors! The camp conducts regular fire-safety briefings and there are information cards in the suites.
Activities
4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Cultural excursion
Fly-camping
Guided walking safari
Hot air ballooning
Night drive
Extras
- Disabled access
- On Request
- Laundry facilities
- Laundry is included at Mahali Mzuri. As it is machine-washed and line-dried, underwear is included.
- Money
- No foreign exchange is available.
- Accepted payment on location
- Mahali Mzuri accepts all major currencies as well as MasterCard, Visa and Amex with no surcharge.
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.
Hemingways Ol Seki
Magnificently located tented lodge on a bluff looking south across the Naboisho Conservancy toward the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
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.
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.
Basecamp Mara Houses
Basecamp Mara Houses consists of three private houses located in the northernmost part of the Mara North Conservancy.
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.
