Luxury safari accommodation in Kenya comes in four forms: the lodge, the permanent tented camp, the mobile camp and the exclusive-use camp. They differ far more in how they feel than in how they look in photographs, and the one that suits you depends on how close to the bush you want to sleep, who you are travelling with and how much of the day you want to spend on game drives. This page explains each type, what you should expect inside a luxury tent, and how we have set up our two camps in the southern Masai Mara.
The four types of luxury safari accommodation
Lodge. Solid walls, often stone and thatch, usually twenty to sixty rooms, a pool and a fenced boundary. Comfortable and predictable; the trade-off is distance from the wildlife and more guests sharing the same vehicles and the same sightings.
Permanent tented camp. Canvas rooms on raised wooden decks with en-suite bathrooms, proper beds, hot water and electricity, set in the bush with no fence. The sound of lion at night and the view from the veranda are the whole point. This is what both of our camps are.
Mobile camp. A camp that moves with the Great Migration, with simpler tents and bucket showers. Wonderful for purists in July and August; not what most people picture when they say luxury.
Exclusive-use camp. A small camp booked in its entirety by one family or group, with its own guide, vehicle, chef and timetable. Little Enkewa, with five tents, is available this way.
What is inside a luxury safari tent
The word tent puts some people off. A luxury safari tent is a room with canvas walls, not a camping tent. At Little Enkewa each one has a super king extra-length bed that can be made up as a double or twin, an en-suite bathroom with twin basins, an indoor shower and a second shower outside under the sky, a writing desk, charging points, a lounge area and a private veranda with 180-degree views over the plains. At Enkewa Camp the double tents follow the same idea, and the family tent adds a second bedroom and a central lounge so that parents and children each have their own space. There is Wi-Fi in the tents and common areas, laundry comes back the same day and massages can be arranged in your tent.
Beyond the tent: what the rest of the camp should give you
A good camp is built around the hours you are not on a game drive. Ours have an open dining area facing the plains, a lounge with an outdoor fireplace, a campfire for sundowners and, at Enkewa Camp, an organic garden that supplies the kitchen. Meals are not fixed to a dining room: breakfast is often served in the bush half way through the morning drive, and dinner can be a table under the stars. We cater for special diets with notice. You can read about the food on our dining page.
Where the camp sits matters more than the furniture
Two camps can have identical tents and give completely different safaris. The one next to a busy gate shares every sighting with a line of vehicles; the one in a remote corner has them to itself. Both of our camps are in a low-use area of the southern Masai Mara near the Sand River, inside the territories of four lion prides and within reach of the reserve’s black rhino country. Our guests see wildlife from their verandas and rarely meet another car on a morning drive. We wrote about why that matters in why remote locations are the ultimate luxury in Kenya and in luxury without the gold leaf.
Which of our camps is right for you
- Couples and honeymooners: Little Enkewa, for the outdoor showers, the privacy and the quiet. Our honeymoon guide has more.
- Families with children: Enkewa Camp, for the two-bedroom family tent, the garden and activities for younger guests. Little Enkewa welcomes guests from sixteen.
- Groups of friends: an exclusive-use booking of Little Enkewa, with the whole camp and its vehicles to yourselves.
- Photographers: either camp; both run photographic safaris in vehicles adapted for long lenses.
Write to us with your dates and who is travelling, and we will tell you honestly which camp fits.