Tucked away in the far southeastern corner of Kenya’s Greater Masai Mara ecosystem lies one of East Africa’s best-kept secrets — a stretch of wild, unhurried savanna where the crowds simply do not reach.
A Wilderness at the Edge of the World
Nestled on the border between Kenya and Tanzania, deep in the far southeast of the Mara region, right at the border with the world-renowned Serengeti, lies the Olderkesi Conservancy — an area spanning approximately 80 square kilometres, teeming with elephants, big cats and giraffes.
It is, by every measure, one of the least-visited and most ecologically significant corners of the entire Mara ecosystem. Situated between the Masai Mara National Reserve and the Loita Hills along the southeastern border of the reserve, the conservancy was formed when the Olderkesi Group Ranch set aside 24,700 acres of land in one of the most remote areas of the Masai Mara ecosystem.
This remoteness is not an accident — it is a deliberate consequence of a land-use philosophy that prioritises wildlife corridors, ecological restoration, and Maasai cultural heritage over mass tourism. The result is a landscape that feels genuinely wild: unfenced, unhurried, and alive.
The Conservation Story Behind Olderkesi
The conservancy’s origins lie in a remarkable collaboration between local Maasai landowners and conservation-minded operators. Established in 2016, the conservancy belongs to 6,500 landowners who rent it out to the Cottar’s Wildlife Conservation Trust, agreeing to limit settlements, farming, and grazing to certain zones only — leaving these areas free from human activity vital for wildlife roaming as they search for food, water, and breeding grounds every season.
This is community-led conservation at its most meaningful. The local Maasai community benefits from conservation practices and agreed to no longer allow their cattle to graze in the area in exchange for monthly community charges. In practice, this has allowed the land to regenerate and rewild at a remarkable rate. The Maasai’s decision to lease their land for conservation purposes plays a crucial role in preserving vital wildlife corridors for the Great Migration between the Mara and Serengeti ecosystems, attracting thousands of visitors every year from July to November.
The conservancy is managed through a formal partnership between two trusts: the Cottar’s Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Olderkesi Wildlife Community Trust, working together to protect the area from poaching and prevent agricultural fragmentation. Enforcement is taken seriously — in the event that an individual is caught poaching or allowing cattle to graze in the conservancy illegally, an amount is deducted from the monthly lease payments. Maasai elders then impose further sanctions, with any fines redirected into a community fund for development and conservation.
Wildlife Without Boundaries
The ecological benefits of this approach are strikingly visible on the ground. Since the conservancy was introduced, wildlife populations have increased. The most common sightings are big cats — lions, leopards and cheetahs — as well as elephants, which are frequently encountered throughout the area. Although more elusive, African wild dogs and rhinos have also been logged in Olderkesi.
The Olderkesi Wildlife Conservancy is vitally important to the greater Serengeti and Mara ecosystems and comprises multiple types of habitats, including grasslands, riverine valleys, forests, and woodlands. This habitat diversity explains why wildlife density here is so high. The area’s Poleleti plains are even used by wildebeest as a calving site during the annual migration — one of the most intimate and dramatic spectacles the Mara ecosystem can offer.
For those visiting between July and October, the Great Migration passes through the ecosystem, with vast herds flowing across the Mara-Serengeti plains, drawing predators in their wake. But Olderkesi’s resident wildlife ensures outstanding game-viewing year-round, regardless of the season.
Why Enkewa Camp Stands Apart
Understanding Olderkesi’s character makes it possible to properly appreciate what Enkewa Camp — found at enkewa.com — represents within it.
Enkewa Camp is a small, exclusive, luxury tented camp located in a private concession within the Olderkesi Community Wildlife Conservation on the southeastern border of Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve, close to the Siana Conservation area and on the border of Serengeti National Park. With just five guest tents set across a private 36-hectare property, the camp occupies a sheltered valley on the slopes of Mount Kalema, overlooking the sweeping savanna of the Mara and Siana — a small stream running through the property year-round, giving it the feel of a true oasis.
Enkewa is an owner-run camp based on an eco-responsible philosophy, designed for an authentic, comfortable, and immersive adventure. This is not a corporate lodge or a large-scale operation. The camp runs on solar energy, serves personalised menus prepared from organic produce — no buffets, no impersonal service — and employs a team composed almost entirely of local Maasai from the surrounding Olderkesi community. Guiding is conducted by expert Maasai trackers and spotters whose knowledge of this landscape and its wildlife is without equal.
With their philosophy of tracking and searching for their own wildlife sightings far away from the transited areas, Enkewa’s safari experience ranks amongst the best in the Masai Mara. The camp is located in superb Big Five country, with access to four different lion prides within minutes of camp, as well as the best leopard territory inside the reserve. Black rhino density in the area is the highest in the entire Masai Mara-Serengeti ecosystem.
Location as a Statement of Intent
In safari travel, location is everything — and Enkewa’s position within Olderkesi is a deliberate statement of values.
Unlike the Masai Mara National Reserve itself, conservancies limit the number of camps and vehicles, ensuring a more exclusive and low-impact experience for visitors, while preserving habitats and wildlife corridors. Within Olderkesi, one of the most private of all the Mara conservancies, the density of tourism is kept deliberately minimal. The conservancy has a maximum of 20 rooms in total across its member accommodations, equating to roughly one room per 1,200 acres of land.
Staying in a conservancy also unlocks experiences that are simply unavailable inside the National Reserve itself: game drives with no other vehicles in sight, off-road driving, night safaris, walking safaris, sundowners around the campfire, and stargazing — all activities that are forbidden within the main reserve.
Enkewa’s location near the Siana Conservation area and adjacent to the Serengeti border means guests have access to some of the most biologically rich and least-disturbed terrain in East Africa. The camp’s corner of Olderkesi sits in what may well be the most remote and least-trafficked sector of the entire Mara ecosystem — a detail that will matter enormously to travellers seeking genuine immersion rather than a curated spectacle.
Maasai Culture at the Heart of the Experience
One of the most compelling aspects of staying within Olderkesi is the depth of cultural connection available to guests. The Maasai of this community have maintained their traditions more intact than in areas subjected to heavier tourist activity. The camp is situated within the Olderkesi community, inhabited by the Maasai people, who in accordance with their convictions still preserve their culture and many of their ancestral activities — in part due to the low level of tourist activity that takes place in this area.
The Enkewa team is deeply respectful of and fascinated by Maasai culture, and guests are given the opportunity to engage with local people who share their traditions, oral history, rituals, and ancient knowledge. Guided walks, village visits, and campfire conversations with Maasai staff offer the kind of authentic cultural exchange that has become increasingly rare as safari tourism has grown.
A Place Worth Seeking Out
For the discerning traveller — one who values authenticity over convenience, depth over spectacle, and genuine wilderness over polished infrastructure — the Olderkesi Conservancy represents one of the finest safari destinations on the African continent.
Enkewa Camp, with its intimate scale, owner-run ethos, Maasai-led guiding, and privileged position within this extraordinary protected landscape, is a direct expression of everything that makes Olderkesi special. It is, in the truest sense, a place in harmony with its surroundings — small enough to tread lightly, experienced enough to show guests something real.
To explore availability you can always write an e-mail to Jose, founder of Enkewa.
