Regarded as one of the best lodges in the Maasai Mara, Saruni Mara has now been reimagined as part of an extensive refurbishment designed to ensure it retains its status as a reputed luxury eco-lodge.
Nestled amidst rolling hills and surrounded by indigenous forest, Saruni Mara offers a serene and luxurious retreat. The lodge seamlessly blends traditional charm with elegant comfort, while its thoughtful design captures inspiring views of the savannah. As a premier luxury safari lodge in the Mara North Conservancy, Saruni Mara provides the perfect setting for an unforgettable family safari experience.
Accommodation
Saruni Mara, a classic luxury lodge in the Maasai Mara, offers three distinct accommodation styles: five beautifully upgraded safari cottages, a dedicated family villa, and an exclusive-use private villa. Each option has been extensively refurbished to deliver the exceptional comfort and luxury expected from one of the Masai Mara’s finest lodges.
The elegant, thatched roofs lend an authentic safari ambiance to each accommodation, striking a perfect balance between charm and comfort, elegance and simplicity. Enhanced furnishings and upgraded amenities complement the rustic setting, creating warm, inviting retreats in the heart of this beautiful wildlife conservancy.
Family Villa
The presence of the refurbished Family Villa makes Saruni Mara the ideal setting for a luxury family safari in the Masai Mara. Achieving a perfect blend of comfort and intimacy, the heart of the Family Villa is the spacious lounge area that’s ideal for reading, games or simply spending quality time together as a family.
Stepping into the spacious and welcoming main area, guests immediately gain a sense of what it means to stay in a Masai Mara luxury lodge.
The views out over the surrounding wildlife conservancy are a reminder that Saruni Mara is effectively supporting innovative wildlife and community programmes, at the same time as providing a luxurious home away from home for guests visiting one of Africa’s most essential wildlife-viewing areas. On cooler or wetter evenings, the warmth of the roaring fire beckons everyone closer, and transforms everyone around it into a master storyteller as memories of Masai Mara holidays are shared. As this space is conveniently close to the bar, guests in the lounge area always have easy access to refreshments.
Mealtimes are an important part of the safari day, and that is especially true during a luxury family safari in the Masai Mara.
The all-new dining rom at Saruni Mara has been remodelled to optimise privacy and warmth, with a second fireplace contributing to the warm, convivial atmosphere. Warm and inviting, the dining area achieves a perfect balance between traditional safari styling and modern elegance. Dining options at Saruni Mara include al fresco spaces for starlit meals, while the new mezzanine dining area offers the degree of seclusion required for the perfect private dinner. This magical, romantic setting ensures that each night is as memorable as the safari day that preceded it – as are the stunning views from every dining setting.
The complimentary 30-minute massage treatment (one per room per stay) offers the perfect introduction to the benefits of combining the adventure of being on safari with moments of deep relaxation.
The trained Maasai therapists draw on traditional herbal knowledge to deliver rejuvenating and revitalising treatments that combine ancient wisdom with the latest scientific understanding. The Maasai Wellbeing Space provides a serene and calming environment where stress falls away, and the effects of each therapy are enhanced by the experience of being at Saruni Mara, in the heart of the Kenyan wilderness.
Facilites
- Maasai Wellbeing Space – massages & treatments
- Gift shop – supporting community groups & projects
- Communal lounge, dining area & fireplace
Amenities
- Complimentary in-room Wi-Fi
- Indoor shower
- Bottled drinking water in rooms
- Private verandah
- Private living area (Family Villa & Private Villa)
- In-room safe
- Solar electricity
Saruni Mara is located in Mara North Conservancy, Masai Mara
Discover where our other Saruni Basecamp Properties are in Kenya
Saruni Mara is a founding member of Mara North Conservancy and, through its sister property Saruni Wild, a key partner of Lemek Conservancy.
Both are important community-owned wildlife areas in the Masai Mara ecosystem and their 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 Saruni Mara 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. In fact, our general manager is a lady!
Our guests are encouraged to participate in our reforestation work. The wayt 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 generate electricity mostly by solar panels, we recycle 96% of or waste, we offer game drives to school children to acquaint them with tourism, safaris and conservation. We use biodegradable detergents and source supplies locally as much as we can.
All this is why Ecotourism Kenya has awarded Saruni Mara its coveted Gold eco-rating, a recognition that makes us very proud.
Rates from US$500
See our 2026 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 2026 Saruni Mara rates
Activities & Experiences
- Guided, shared day & night game drives
- Picnics, bush meals & sundowners
- Maasai Wellbeing Space
- Guided bush walks
- Warriors Academy – family activity
- Visit to local weekly village market
- Tribal Story-Telling through song & dance
- Drive atop Mount Kilileoni
- Ol Chorro Rhino Sanctuary visit
- Migration River Crossings
- Birdwatching
- Seedballs throwing
- Traditional Ceremonies & Blessings
- Hot Air Balloon Safari
Reasons to Visit Saruni Mara
There are many reasons to visit Saruni Mara 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.
Exclusive Location
Saruni Mara is nestled into the secluded hills of the 69 000-acre Mara North Conservancy, with wide-open plains to the south and forests to the north. Explore the world-renowned Mara-Serengeti ecosystem in complete, uninterrupted exclusivity during your stay in this private and protected conservancy.
Wildlife Encounters
Mara North Conservancy is teeming with wildlife. The Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, of which Mara North is part, has the highest density of predators and plains game of any wilderness in the world. Saruni Mara game drives are action-packed, with unforgettable wildlife encounters and remarkable moments.
Elegant cottages
Saruni Mara is the only small luxury lodge in the area. Each cottage is beautifully designed and stylishly furnished with different themes including the family and the private villa. While here you can also discover the Maasai Wellbeing Space, and feel rejuvenated and revitalised.
Maasai-guided safari
One of the most remarkable aspects of any Saruni Mara safari is the fantastic guiding experience. The Maasai warriors guides eagerly share their ancient customs and in-depth knowledge of the landscape and wildlife. In addition to holding professional guiding qualifications, our guides are the proud custodians of this incredible wilderness, and whose ancestors have known this area as their home for centuries.
Unique warrior programme
Our ‘Warriors Academy’ experience gives you the chance to spend a few days learning the survival skills of the renowned Maasai warriors. They will share this knowledge with you in much the same way that they would teach a junior warrior, and you will learn to track animals and craft tools on the plains of the Masai Mara. This immersive experience is a particularly exciting activity for families with children.
Community-focused
Saruni Mara is a founding member of the Mara North Conservancy, which provides jobs, income, training and guidance for the local Maasai. Saruni Basecamp’s ecotourism model directly supports conservation - by visiting Saruni Mara, you are directly giving back to the community that protects this beautiful land, improving their quality of life, and giving new meaning and purpose to conservation initiatives.
Saruni Mara Awards
