Basecamp Wilderness

Kenya is where safari began, and the refurbished Basecamp Wilderness deftly channels the style and ambience of yesteryear.

Perhaps more than any of the other Masai Mara camps, Basecamp Wilderness pays homage to the safari pioneers of a bygone era. At the same time, its unique location within the Naboisho Conservancy allows for a very modern approach to responsible tourism.

Offering an exceptional degree of exclusivity to guests looking to enjoy a safari in the Masai Mara, this Kenya safari tented camp benefits from being sited in a wildlife conservancy away from busier parts of the reserve. Basecamp Wilderness offers incredible views – especially at at dawn as the sun begins to rise– and also invaluable glimpses of the lives and times of Kenya’s legendary early explorers.

Time spent under canvas at Basecamp Wilderness – or exploring the surrounding Naboisho Conservancy on a Masai Mara safari – is the perfect antidote to the hustle, bustle and artifice of modern life. In essence, this is the way safari was meant to be – for couples, solo travellers and multi-generational family travel.

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Accommodation

Basecamp Wilderness has five tents, all strategically placed around the Saddle Valley rim in Mara Naibosho Conservancy to allow for complete privacy and ultimate views of the savannah. Each tent has comfortable double beds fitted with white linen and plush duvets, a separate bathroom unit with bio-flush toilets and a traditional “bucket shower”, which will be heated at your request and a private seating area overlooking the Masai Mara landscape.

Guest Tents

The five guest tents at Basecamp Wilderness are strategically sited around the rim of the valley to offer both seclusion and sweeping Naboisho Conservancy views. Newly refurbished for superb, authentic safari comfort, each tent offers either a king-size or twin beds, while the separate bathroom tent features eco-friendly bio-flush toilets and the opportunity to experience one of the all-time classic Masai Mara safari experiences, a bucket shower with the water heated on request. Further opportunities to gaze out over the plains are provided by the seating area on the perfect terrace – there is nowhere finer to recline with a book and a pair of binoculars to hand.

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Setting new standards for Kenya tented safari camps, the dining tent at Basecamp Wilderness exudes the romance of times past.

Comfortable leather chairs and superb safari cuisine transform each meal into an unforgettable experience. Al fresco dining under shady trees by day, or a starry sky by night, offers more ways to experience the very best of safari hospitality and ambience.

Facilites

  • Communal lounge & dining area
  • Communal fireplace

Amenities

  • Indoor ‘bucket shower’
  • Private verandah & living area
  • Solar electricity

Hidden deep within the evocatively named Saddle Valley, Basecamp Wilderness offers stunning sunrise views and abundant wildlife.

Effortlessly blending tradition with a fresh, modern feel, the ambience here is one of adventure and closeness to nature. This is a place where you can experience quintessential Kenya wilderness moments, and learn more about the local Maasai culture – and about yourself. The addition of an authentic cultural element rounds out this safari in the Masai Mara, and underscores the importance of responsible tourism.

Discover where our other Saruni Basecamp Properties are in Kenya

Basecamp Wilderness is a founding member of Naibosho Conservancy.

It is an important community-owned wildlife area in the Masai Mara ecosystem whose success has helped changing the story of tourism and conservation in the Masai Mara, improving the livelihoods of people and extending the size of protected land where fauna and flora thrive.

Tourism directly supports conservation through daily fees. This means that by visiting Saruni, our guests are directly giving back to the community who protect this beautiful land, improving their quality of life, whilst at the same time encouraging the purpose for conservation.

For Basecamp Wilderness sustainability starts at home: more than 80% of the staff come the community of landowners. They proudly wear the traditional Maasai attire and they share their culture and heritage with our guests. To provide jobs, income, training and guidance for the local Maasai people is one of our main missions. We encourage the training of senior female staff, too.

Our guests are encouraged to participate in our reforestation work. The way it works is simple: we throw the seedballs into degraded areas during our game drive. A seed, encased in a fertile charcoal crust, will germinate and soon these areas will be covered once again with indigenous trees and shrubs. We have partnered with a company called Seedballs Kenya to help re- green our parts of the country.

Our day to day practices reflect our ethos. We harvest rain water, we compost kitchen waste, we generate electricity mostly by solar panels, we recycle 96% of our general waste, we use biodegradable detergents and source supplies locally as much as we can.

Rates from US$300

See our 2024 Saruni Basecamp Rates and Terms & Conditions – simply click on the view/download button below.

Please contact us for Resident Rates applicable to residents of Kenya & East Africa.

View or download the Basecamp Wilderness rates
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Activities & Experiences

  • Guided, shared day & night game drives
  • Picnics, bush meals & sundowners
  • Young Explorers Club – family activity
  • Guided walking safari
  • Tribal Story-Telling & Fireside Chats
  • Traditional ceremonies and blessings
  • Migration River Crossings
  • Local Maasai Village & Manyatta Visit
  • Hot Air Balloon Safari
  • Birdwatching

Reasons to Visit Basecamp Wilderness

There are many reasons to visit Basecamp Wilderness and we have selected the six main ones to make it easier for you to feel the uniqueness of this safari lodge, where nature, wildlife and people connect in a special way.

Prime Location

Located deep inside the tranquil Saddle Valley in the Mara Naboisho Conservancy, Basecamp Wilderness offers ultimate seclusion and stunning sunrises, plus exceptional views of the night skies thanks to the total absence of light pollution. The area is renowned for lion sightings, while grazing antelope pass through the camp and are seen in abundance.

The Mara of your dreams

Surrounded by fifty thousand acres of pristine, untouched wilderness, Basecamp Wilderness has the most classic Masai Mara setting. It’s the ideal way to get closer to Nature, and to indulge your sense of adventure.

Exclusive experiences

Enjoy exclusive wildlife viewing when on game drives, with only a limited number of vehicles allowed in the conservancy at any one time. You can also experience the thrill of a night game drive in search of elusive nocturnal creatures – the Mara is a very different world after dark.

The old and the new

Basecamp Wilderness channels the authentic spirit and design of traditional East African tented safari camps. The camp combines the best of contemporary creature comforts with a genuine sense of yesteryear for a refreshing twist on the safari experience. Few experiences can beat sipping your first coffee of the day whilst gazing out over the endless savannah from your private deck, as the sun rises over the plains.

Positive impacts

We provide consistent support to over 500 families in the area through funds paid in the form of land-lease fees, employment and sustainability projects that are helping to improve the quality of life for many families in the Naboisho community.

Preserving a key ecosystem   

Tourism directly supports conservation through daily ‘park’ fees – this revenue
is the main source of commercial income for the community, used not only to run the conservancy but to provide members with support in areas like health and education. It also provides them with a powerful financial incentive to keep community land undeveloped and in its natural state dedicated exclusively to tourism activity, ensuring the wildlife can traverse freely and safely throughout.

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