Elephant Pepper Camp is tucked away under a grove of elephant pepper trees, from which the camp drives its name. In the same location for over 20 years, Elephant Pepper Camp is one of the original very small and exclusive tented camps, offering its clients an authentic wildlife experience.
The 8 light and spacious canvas tents and the honeymoon tent are comfortably furnished, featuring en-suite dressing rooms, bathrooms with eco-friendly flush toilets and traditional safari showers filled with hot water on request. With a maximum of 22 guests at a time, clients at Elephant Pepper can expect complete privacy and an intimate safari experience.
Each tent provides spectacular views across the plains, meaning guests can look on in awe as the annual wildebeest migration thunders past seeking new grazing in the lush savannahs of the greater Masai Mara ecosystem.
The camp is seasonal with no permanent structures, no generator, no traffic - just the sights and sounds of the African bush. Animals are able to roam freely through the camp, making the night time guard escort especially reassuring.
The camp is situated in the Mara North Conservancy, just outside the National Reserve, which ensures a more flexible range of game viewing including night game drives in open-sided vehicles and guided bush walks which explore easily ignored and less obvious wildlife flora and fauna. Guests are assigned a personal guide for the duration of their stay providing a personal service. Also available are bush breakfasts and bush sundowners, which invariably provide a spectacular backdrop to your drinks and meals.
The staff are friendly and welcoming, making camp arrivals something of a homecoming. The appetising food is prepared by chefs trained by the owner's family using traditional North Italian recipes mixed with international and local favourites. The chef uses local produce where possible. Barbecues by the campfire, dinner in the mess tent, or a bush breakfast on the open plains all make meal times memorable events. Meal are generally communal with guests sharing their adventures and experiences although more private dining can be accommodated.
Activities include day and night (pre-dinner) game drives in brand new, open-sided 4x4 landcruisers, specifically designed for comfort and photography, guided bush walks, stunning sundowners, delicious bush meals as well as cultural visits. There is a small shop selling fleeces, caps, kikoys and wildlife guide books.
Accolades for Elephant Pepper Camp
The camp has won many awards including gold eco-rating certification from Ecotourism Kenya 2011-2012 in recognition of its very high level of environmental responsibility and being judged 'Best for Authentic Camping Experience' in Travel Weekly Magazine in October 2005.
Fair Trade / Responsible Tourism:
Elephant Pepper is an original bush camp, which places emphasis on being eco-friendly and committed to finding a way of life that does not harm the wilderness. It leaves a minimal footprint and is completely removable, leaving a virgin site. It relies entirely on solar power and disposes of rubbish responsibly. Elephant Pepper Camp has been the driving force in creating the Mara North Conservancy, maintaining the land solely for wildlife conservation thus guaranteeing its 750 Masai landowners stable revenue and preserving the balance between wildlife and traditional pastoralism. Additionally revenue from the camp goes back to the local community to aid local projects while 80 percent of camp staff are from the local community.
