About Saruni Mara
A boutique villa-lodge tucked into a wooded valley — Italian design sensibility, a wellness space, and Mara North’s cats on the doorstep.
The area: Mara North Conservancy
A 320 km² community conservancy formed in 2009 by around 800 Maasai landowners, directly north of the reserve. Leopard Gorge — made famous by the BBC’s Big Cat Diary — and the Lemek Hills sit inside its borders.
What it's like
One of the strongest big-cat areas in the ecosystem, with strict member-camp vehicle caps, off-road tracking, night drives and walking safaris that the reserve cannot offer.
Getting there & fees
Mara North airstrip or by road through Aitong from Narok. Conservancy fees (roughly US$100–150 per adult per night) are bundled into camp rates and fund landowner leases.
Conservancy fees (typically US$100–150 per adult per night) are bundled into camp rates here and paid to Maasai landowning families; reserve entry fees apply only on days you cross into the reserve itself.