Stretched along the Tanzanian border adjacent to the Serengeti, Masai Mara National Reserve is one of Kenya’s oldest and most beloved safari destinations. An expanse of nearly 600 square miles where the wildebeest migration makes its U-turn every fall.

Mara Plains Camp is set within the Olare Motorogi Conservancy, a private reserve on the edge of Masai Mara that covers 35,000 wild acres. Guests have easy access not only to Masai Mara, but to 100,000 acres of protected land where the wildlife is plentiful and other safari vehicles are few and far between.

This is the land of the Maasai, an ancient pastoralist culture known for their warriors, who were once expected to kill a lion to prove its strength and manhood. Recognizable for their red robes and beaded jewelry, the Maasai follow their cattle herds, moving their settlements as they search for water sources and new pastureland.