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.
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.
Accommodation
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
The Mara of your dreams
Exclusive experiences
The old and the new
Positive impacts
Preserving a key ecosystem
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.