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Mara Porini Camp is a small, exclusive camp situated on the Maasai-owned Ol Kinyei Wildlife Conservancy. Additionally Porini Camp is involved in the running of the conservancy and through this partnership the local community receives a funds from the profits. The conservancy is pristine wilderness with open savannah plains, riverine forest, springs, streams and rolling hills with spectacular views across the Masai Mara. Porini Camp consists of only six tents primarily to avoid it having a detrimental impact on the wildlife and ecology. Porini literally means ‘in the wilds’ and that is exactly the aim rather than trying fence it out, big lodge style. Porini is an open camp meaning that it is not uncommon for them to have nightly visits from grazing buffalo and elephants. Consequently Maasai guides accompany guests to their tents, ensuring their safety.
Porini Camp’s six tents are spaciously situated in the shade of yellow barked Acacia trees along the banks of the Laetoli, a permanently flowing brook within Ol Kinyei. The large safari tents are tastefully furnished with comfortable rustic-looking beds and are equipped with solar lighting and en suite bathrooms with flush toilet and safari shower. They aim to provide a real camping experience in the bush but with all the comforts required by discerning travellers. Overlooking the camp is the lounge area where clients can relax with a drink as the sun sets over the Maasai Mara.
Guests have a wide variety of options for game viewing. These include game drives in the conservancy, where the animals are less accustomed to vehicles and tend to behave more naturally than those in the parks. Guests may be lucky enough to see the large resident pride of lions in addition to the wide variety of grazing animals and predators that are resident in the area. It is also possible to take day long game drives in the National Reserve which is just 17km away. Night drives can give clients the opportunity to see nocturnal animals such as the aardvark, aardwolf and leopard, with there being a greater chance of such sightings outside of the reserve. Early morning ethno-botanical walks give the local Maasai guides an opportunity to explore the flora and fauna in more detail with guests.
The Porini Camp team pride themselves on providing a safari experience with the personal touch and the camp manager personally ensures that all guests are enjoying their stay. Food is excellent with home-baked bread, fresh salads and high quality meals prepared by the chef all served by the hospitable Maasai staff. Dining is normally outdoors with the sounds of the plains animals mixing with the aromas of the meal.
Fair Trade / Responsible Travel:
The aim of Porini camps is to assist the community in utilising the land and wildlife as a resource, receiving economic benefits as a result of conserving wildlife and the natural habitat (such as income and employment opportunities). To this end of the 20 employees at Mara Porini Camp only three are non-Maasai. Funds generated from the reserve are used to fund community projects such as schools and water supplies. Additionally the community are involved in developments as much as possible.