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Mara Bush House

Mara Bush Houses

Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Acacia House and Mara House are colonial-style homes in the far north of the Mara Conservation Area in the Mara North Conservancy. Each three-bedroom house is fully staffed and designed for families or groups who want the privacy of their own home in the bush.

Inside you’ll find polished stone floors, whitewashed walls, and smooth wooden furniture. Each area has been designed to be cozy and comfortable, so the atmosphere is very unfussy and unpretentious. Mara House is slightly larger, but both options are nicely spacious and can be booked individually or in combination. There is a shared pool and garden area between the two.

The idea is to make these houses your own, they are a place to come to relax in and explore from. This is very much your home in the bush and offers you total privacy in the wilderness.

The houses come with their own staff, and you have a vehicle and guide to explore the Mara with, as you wish. There is a chef who cooks delicious meals each day, and if you don't fancy going out on a game drive, you can take a dip in the pool or enjoy long, lazy lunches on the veranda overlooking the waterhole.

OUR OPINION:

We love the location and exclusivity of the Mara Bush Houses — for those looking for a totally personal and tailor-made safari in the Masai Mara, they're the ideal choice.

OUR RATING: First Class

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who's been there
Audley specialist Abigail

Start planning your tailor-made trip by contacting one of our Kenya specialists

Rooms

Acacia House has two large bedrooms, both with en suite bathrooms, and a small loft room that's a perfect hideaway for children, and shares the bathroom of the second bedroom.

Mara House offers three en suite double bedrooms.

Both houses have a large private outdoor veranda area as well as open-plan living and dining areas and a shared communal pool.

The decor is comfortable and understated, offering the feel of a home away from home in the heat of the bush. Each house comes with a full team, including a chef, house manager, and your own private guide.

Location

Northwest of the Masai Mara National Reserve, the Mara North Conservancy is a quieter alternative that still demonstrates the diversity and concentration of the area’s wildlife. With only a handful of camps and lodges located here, the Mara North Conservancy is excellent for game viewing and has some of the best established game out of all the private conservancies within the Mara.

More than just a haven for wildlife, the conservancy was set up as a partnership between hundreds of Maasai landowners and several camps and lodges to create a conservation area that also benefits local communities. The conservancy leases land from the Maasai, who therefore receive a direct income from wildlife conservation and tourism.

You might encounter a huge bull elephant looking for a female herd, twitchy herds of zebra, impala and Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles keeping a look-out for hidden predators, and lounging in the shade, a pride of lion spanning various ages, from tufty-maned adolescent males to well-respected mothers and golden-spotted cubs.

The small number of guests in the conservancy means you’ll see far fewer vehicles than in the national reserve and with strict rules on the number of vehicles permitted at each sighting, you can get closer to the animals without disturbing them or feeling like you’re part of a crowd battling for the best view.

Food and drink

Each house has its own private chef who will prepare meals using produce from the local area and Nairobi. Having your own chef means meals can easily be fit around your plans for the day. Opt for a quick early morning snack as you head out for a sunrise game drive and return for a long and relaxing brunch by the pool. Alternatively, grab a full packed lunch for an extended day of game viewing within the conservancy and beyond. All dietary requirements can be catered for with advance warning.

Facilities and activities

Each day you can enjoy morning and afternoon game viewing activities with your own dedicated safari guide and vehicle. Activities include game drives (off-road driving is permitted in the conservancy to allow closer viewing of wildlife sightings), guided walks and visits to the local community. From Mara and Acacia House you can also enjoy night game drives, bush breakfasts and sundowner drinks. Each house has its own private vehicle and driver, allowing you to tailor your game drives to your preferred schedule.

Tour ideas in Masai Mara National Reserve

Our itineraries are there to spark ideas for how you could include a stay at Mara Bush Houses as part of your trip. Treat them simply as suggestions, because every aspect of the trip we create for you will be yours to define.

Location & places nearby

Places & hotels on the map

    Alternative places to stay nearby

    Where possible, we like to offer a range of accommodation for each stop of your trip, chosen by our specialists as some of their favorite places to stay. To help you make the right choice, we give each property a rating based on its facilities and service, but we also look for hotels with distinct character or a location that can't be bettered.

    Experiences while staying here

    The following activities are designed to give you the most authentic experiences of the area where you're staying. We work with local guides, who use their knowledge and often a resident's eye to show you the main sights and more out-of-the-way attractions. Our specialists can also suggest outdoor pursuits and activities, such as cooking classes, that will introduce you to the traditions of the area's inhabitants.

    • Hot Air Balloon Flight in the Masai Mara
      Hot Air Balloon over the Masai Mara

      Hot Air Balloon Flight in the Masai Mara

      Hot Air Balloon Flight in the Masai Mara

      Watch out for the giraffe hiding in the trees, antelope on the plains and roosting birds. As the sun comes up the views are superb — one of the most beautiful sights in Africa.

      View details

    Masai Mara National Reserve and nearby places