From
$3,118
Luxury Lodge · Maasai Mara, Kenya
Saruni Mara
Seven themed cottages and villas in Mara North, with Italian-heritage cuisine and a Warriors Academy teaching Maasai survival skills.
The Mara North Conservancy is 69,000 acres of private wildlife land that borders the Maasai Mara National Reserve from the north — the corridor through which the Great Migration enters Kenya from the Serengeti each year, and the conservancy that holds the highest recorded predator density of any equivalent area in the ecosystem. Access is restricted to a small number of member camps, which enforces the low vehicle pressure at sightings that makes game viewing in Mara North consistently different in quality from the national reserve experience. Night drives and off-road driving are permitted throughout. The conservancy’s northern highlands — where Saruni Mara is positioned — carry a character distinct from the open savannah camps further south: indigenous forest pressing against a forested hillside to the north, open grassland plains rolling to the south, and a hidden valley setting that gives the lodge a seclusion unavailable to properties positioned directly on the Mara River or the main migration corridor.
Saruni Mara was built into that valley to exact environmental standards, by founders with Italian roots whose culinary sensibility became the lodge’s most unexpected competitive advantage. The cuisine — built on family recipes, a kitchen garden, and locally sourced organic produce — is cited in independent reviews with the kind of specificity that indicates genuine quality rather than managed expectations: specific dishes, specific guides, and the particular quality of a small Italian-owned property that considers cooking a serious matter regardless of the latitude. That founding character persists through the lodge’s refurbishment: the five themed cottages carry colonial antiques, Persian carpets, and African artifacts that give each room an individual personality; the main lounge has an open fireplace and a library; the dining room has a mezzanine for private dinners and a deck for meals taken outdoors in the evening.
The maximum occupancy of 18 guests makes Saruni Mara genuinely intimate in a way that many properties describe but fewer achieve. Seven guests per accommodation unit, at most, share the conservancy, the guides, and the drive programme on any given day — a density that makes the Warriors Academy feel like a personal education rather than a group activity, and that makes the evening around the fire a conversation rather than a crowd.
The smallest permanent lodge in the Mara at 18 guests, with five themed cottages, a Family Villa, and a private villa in Mara North. Italian-heritage cuisine, night drives, bush walks, and a Warriors Academy teaching Maasai survival skills.
Why Stay Here
- The smallest permanent lodge in the Mara, maximum 18 guests across 7 individually themed cottages and villas.
- Italian-heritage cuisine from family recipes and a kitchen garden, among the most distinctive cooking in the Kenyan bush
- Warriors Academy: guests learn Maasai tracking, beadwork, and survival skills from the guides themselves.
- Drive to Kilileoni, the Mara-Serengeti's highest peak,with views to the Tanzanian border and rare high-altitude antelope
- Night drives and off-road driving in Mara North, with one complimentary massage per room per stay.
- Ecotourism Kenya Gold rating, solar power, 96% waste recycling, and Koiyaki Guiding School support.
Our Commitment to Conservation
Saruni Mara holds Ecotourism Kenya's Gold rating, operates on solar power with 96% waste recycling, and sources kitchen supplies locally. Land lease fees go directly to Maasai landowner families, and a school game drive programme introduces local children to conservation as a career.
Rooms & Accommodation
Five thatched cottages are built against the forested hillside, each styled to a named individual theme — the Observatory, the Love Shack, the Artist Studio, and further rooms with literary and photographic themes. Every cottage has polished hardwood floors, colonial-era antiques, Persian carpets, and African art; an Italian-specification bathroom with hot and cold running water and a canvas front that opens to give an outdoor shower with an unobstructed view of the Mara plains; a large private veranda facing the valley; and in-room tea and coffee service. The sitting areas are comfortable and specific — the brass telescope in the Observatory is a functional instrument, not a prop; the Love Shack is positioned for the best valley sightlines and the most complete privacy from the other cottages. The main lodge’s open fireplace, library, and dining deck give the guest experience between drives the warmth of a private house rather than the neutrality of a hotel common area. The Family Villa and Private Villa extend the cottage character into configurations that work for families and private groups who want the Mara North experience on an exclusive basis.
No image
Themed Safari Cottage
Five thatched cottages individually styled to named themes: the Observatory, Love Shack, Artist Studio, and literary and photography rooms. Each furnished with colonial antiques, Persian carpets, and African art. Italian-specification bathrooms open fully to an outdoor shower with plains views, and large verandas face the valley and Mara grasslands beyond.
King or twin beds · Private valley-facing veranda · Italian-style en-suite bathroom · Indoor and outdoor shower with canvas opening · Polished hardwood floors · Tea and coffee service · USB charging · Complimentary Wi-Fi
No image
Family Villa — Natural History Suite
The Natural History Suite is a freestanding family villa with two en-suite bedrooms, a lounge with an open fireplace, shared veranda, and private dining. Decorated with vintage natural history prints and safari-era artifacts, the fireplace is the feature guests mention most consistently ,evenings here are genuinely convivial rather than formally arranged.
Two en-suite bedrooms · Open fireplace lounge · Shared veranda with Mara views · Private dining area · Full cottage amenities · Tea and coffee service · Complimentary Wi-Fi
No image
Private Villa — Nyati House
Nyati House is a standalone private villa in its own valley five minutes from the main lodge, available exclusively with a dedicated vehicle and guide. Two en-suite bedrooms face the Mara plains, with a fireplace sitting room, private dining room, and large deck. The full Mara North safari programme runs entirely around the guests' schedule.
Two en-suite bedrooms · Private lounge with fireplace · Full dining room · Large deck with plains view · Dedicated private vehicle and guide · Full board included · Complimentary Wi-Fi
Experiences & Activities
Every moment at Saruni Mara is crafted to immerse you deeper in the wild.
Ready to plan your stay?
Our specialists are available 24 hours, 7 days a week.
Dining
The kitchen at Saruni Mara runs on a founding principle that is less common than it sounds in the East African luxury circuit: the food is treated as seriously as the game viewing. The Italian heritage of the lodge’s original ownership survives in recipes that have been used since the property opened, in a kitchen garden that supplies organic produce for daily menus, and in a standard of cooking that independent travellers and operators cite with specificity rather than generality. Breakfast can be taken at the main lodge’s communal table, on individual cottage verandas, or as a bush breakfast on the banks of the Mara River — the guide selects the location and the kitchen prepares accordingly. Lunches and dinners are served at long communal wooden tables in the dining room or on the outdoor deck; the mezzanine level is available for private dinners for couples or families who want the meal to be entirely their own. Bush dinners under the stars in a location chosen for the evening are a regular feature of the programme. One complimentary 30-minute back and neck massage per room per stay is included in the rate — the Maasai Wellbeing Space is positioned within the lodge’s natural surroundings with the same care applied to the dining experience.
Gallery
Best Time to Visit
Saruni Mara is open year-round. July through October is the Great Migration period in Mara North: the wildebeest columns enter Kenya from the Serengeti through the conservancy’s southern grasslands in late June, moving north and building through July before the main crossing period peaks in August and September. The lodge’s position in the northern part of Mara North means that guests wanting to prioritise river crossing action are best paired with a camp positioned closer to the Mara River for part of their stay; the team will discuss itinerary options at enquiry stage. January through March is the conservancy’s most concentrated period for resident big cat viewing outside the migration: the Mara North predator population — one of the densest in the ecosystem — operates in an undistracted landscape with lighter visitor numbers. June offers excellent general game viewing as the dry season begins and wildlife consolidates around water sources. November and December bring the short rains and the calving season, when predator-prey interactions are at their most frequent. The Kilileoni peak drive and Warriors Academy are available year-round and are particularly well-suited to the longer days of the dry season.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Location & Getting Here
Destination
Maasai Mara, Kenya
Conservation Area
Mara North Conservancy
Nearest Airstrip
Mara North Airstrip
Transfer Time
Short game drive from Mara North Airstrip / approx. 45 minutes by light aircraft from Nairobi's Wilson Airport
Getting Here
Saruni Mara is reached by a 45-minute flight from Wilson Airport to Mara North Airstrip, followed by a short game drive transfer included in the rate. Its position pairs naturally with Saruni Samburu or Saruni Eagle View for guests building a multi-conservancy itinerary.
Safaris That Include This Lodge
Explore handcrafted itineraries where Saruni Mara forms part of the journey.
