Two family tents linked by a shared deck under acacia trees, with an open-fronted bedroom, tripod lamp and director's chairs on a cloudy day.

Kandili Camp

Maasai Mara, Kenya

Colonial Canvas on the Edge of the Mara

On the northern edge of the Maasai Mara, the private Leopard Gorge Conservancy looks out across the plains of the national reserve to the long wall of the Olololo Escarpment. Kandili Camp is the only camp with access to this land, which lies a short drive from Musiara Gate and takes its name from the gorge below, renowned for its leopards.

Independently owned and run with a personal touch, Kandili favours the traditional over the showy. Canvas, timber and earthy shades of ochre and red set a mood that recalls the early days of safari, while solar power keeps the camp’s footprint light.

Tents stand on raised platforms, each with a private veranda turned west towards the sunset. Superior tents look directly over the gorge, two family tents are joined by a spacious shared lounge, and the suites add a sitting room with a small library, a large terrace for private meals and a fire of their own. Giraffe and elephant often wander past in full view.

An unhurried pattern, balancing reserve and conservancy, presents new choices each day. Game drives head into the Mara for big cats and plains game, while the conservancy offers walking safaris, night drives, bush picnics, birdwatching and visits to a Maasai village. As evening approaches, sundowners are served at a viewpoint as the sun slips behind the escarpment, before dinner and conversation around the campfire.

Four-wheel drive raising a cloud of golden dust at sunset as herons take flight from the grass, with woodland and plains beyond.

You will love

Sole camp in its conservancy
Sunsets over the Olololo Escarpment
Wildlife wandering past the tents
Night drives & guided walks
Independently owned & personally run

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Cheetah mother and three cubs resting on a grassy mound beside an open game drive vehicle, with Kandili Camp's tents behind.

Kandili Camp lounge with a cream sofa, yellow and red cushions and a terracotta planter, open to acacia-dotted plains and distant hills.

Guest reading in a hammock strung between acacias, watching an African elephant feed in the grassland beyond, Naboisho Conservancy.

Staff member in a red shuka and beaded jewellery setting a table on the lawn while zebras graze between the tents behind.

Guests dining outdoors at Kandili Camp in golden evening light, a staff member serving drinks beside a smouldering campfire under acacias.

Striped hot air balloon drifting low over acacia scrub as Thomson's gazelles graze in the grass below, near Kandili Camp, Kenya.

Open game drive vehicle crossing golden grassland beside a lone acacia in hazy early light, with an escarpment on the horizon, Maasai Mara.

Adult cheetah lying in long grass with its head raised, dappled sunlight across its spotted coat, seen on a game drive from Kandili Camp.

Bush breakfast set on folding tables beneath a lone acacia, beside an open-sided four-wheel drive on the wide grass plains of the Maasai Mara.

Aerial view of Kandili Camp's tents in a line along acacia scrub, with a striped hot air balloon floating over the plains and an escarpment beyond.

View from the bed across a superior tent at Kandili Camp, with a tripod floor lamp, sitting area and open sides onto green Maasai Mara plains.

Superior tent lounge in late afternoon sun, with a wooden sofa and armchair inside and director's chairs on the veranda facing the bush, Kenya.

Superior tent interior with a writing desk and green banker's lamp, director's chair and sofa facing an open front onto acacia grassland.

Superior double tent at Kandili Camp in golden light, with a mosquito net, tripod floor lamp and hurricane lantern beside the bed.

Side of a superior tent with timber guy poles and a stone-lined path running past acacias towards distant hills, Maasai Mara.

View from the bed in a family tent at Kandili Camp, past a canvas trunk and armchair to acacia trees and plains as the sun breaks through.

Guide in a red shuka watching Masai giraffes on a grassy ridge during a walking safari in the Naboisho Conservancy.

Stone-edged path leading through acacia trees to Kandili Camp's dining tent, with a shaded wooden deck and seating at the entrance.

Superior tent veranda with two director's chairs looking out over acacia scrub and open plains in late afternoon light, Maasai Mara, Kenya.

Family tent bedroom seen from the deck, with a mosquito net over the bed, red cushions, woven pendant lights and tripod floor lamps.

Superior double tent at Kandili Camp with a ramp up to the deck, its open canvas front showing the bed, sofa, armchairs and director's chairs.

Cheetah mother yawning beside three cubs on a grassy mound, with Kandili Camp's tents in the acacia woodland behind, Naboisho Conservancy.

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