The crowd-free way to go on safari in the Masai Mara

Proudly striding across the plains, his neck flushed bright pink with hormones and tail feathers plumped like a dancer from the Folies Bergère, the world’s largest flightless bird takes centre stage.

Rotating his wings as part of an elaborate mating ritual, this ostrich has become the unlikely star of my late-afternoon game drive.

Without a single female in sight, his efforts are wasted. But for us, being the only audience members in this theatre of wildlife is a highlight of a stay in one of Kenya’s most ambitious new safari destinations.

Launched in June this year, the 22,000-acre Ripoi Conservancy is the latest addition to the Masai Mara, a wildlife viewing area twice the size of London, encompassing a government-managed national reserve and 24 areas of community-owned land (known as conservancies).

These pieces of land are leased to private camps and lodges for the exclusive use of their guests, and represent some of the last pockets of wilderness available in an area increasingly under threat from development. Along with giving the Masai people a financial incentive to preserve their land for wildlife, the model also benefits guests, allowing greater freedom to drive off-road and fewer vehicles at sightings.

Only three safari camps have been granted leases to operate in Ripoi — Porini Giraffe, Mara Siana and Lalashe Ripoi. All are new and either owned or managed by black Kenyan former guides.

Previously a private safari playground for billionaires — including the Microsoft magnate Paul Allen, who had shares in a private lodge there — the Ripoi area has been inaccessible to the public for many years.

Porini Giraffe camp

GAMEWATCHERS SAFARIS

Then, in 2012, a conservancy called Olarro was formed there, with a tourist camp, Olarro Lodge (olarrokenya.com), but after a series of disagreements between several community landowners and the lodge’s owners, the southern section broke away and was closed to tourism. This would later become Ripoi.

“For the last three years, there were no tourists here,” explains Jimmy Lemara, a former guide who now manages Porini Giraffe camp, in the north of Ripoi.

“Pastoralists from surrounding settlements grazed the land while it was empty, causing some disruption to wildlife, but slowly the animals are starting to come back now landowners have agreed to minimise their activity.”

When I arrive at the eight-tent camp, hidden within a riverine yellow-bark acacia forest, heavy with the scent of leleshwa (African wild sage), women are herding donkeys to a stream. The Ripole River, a tributary to the Talek River where the wildebeest migration is in full swing during my August visit, is one of the only local water sources at a time of extreme drought. (Months later, the rains have since returned.)

Set at the end of the pathway a decent distance from the main area, my tent has a bucket shower along with a solar battery for light but no other electricity. At a time when so many camps are rushing to modernise, it’s simple, silent, bush bliss.

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Porini was a conservation tourism pioneer, in 2005 launching a camp in the Masai Mara’s first conservancy, Ol Kinyei, which neighbours Ripoi in the north.

Guests at its newer Porini Giraffe can take game drives in both areas, and in the next conservancy further north, Naboisho, making it possible to track animals across an area of more than 96,000 acres.

But I encounter wildlife within metres of setting out on a dawn walking safari with the Masai guide David Nchoe. Monkeys raise anyone still sleeping with their alarm calls, indicating that a leopard is probably nearby. Stepping onto the plains, we immediately find two hyenas devouring a newborn wildebeest, its fresh entrails still steaming with body heat. Oblivious to our presence, the feasting predators only bolt when a motorbike roars past.

Closer to camp we discover mattresses made of twigs that were recently used by Masai boys during a period of initiation as they transitioned into warriors, a reminder that this land is shared by people and animals.

You can sleep to the sound of roaring lions at Lalashe Mara Ripoi

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At Mara Siana, the second camp I visit, staff have a deep-rooted respect for nearby communities — largely because many of them have been directly employed from the local area. Amos Taparia, a young landowner in his twenties, is training to be a guide. Despite having no experience in tourism, he’s learning quickly from one of the best in the business.

“This land belongs to the Masai,” explains his mentor, Salaash Morompi, as we sit around a fireplace in a thatched, open-fronted dining area, where views of the plains stretch ahead. “Even without a single cent in their pockets, they kept this place going for three years [when tourism was paused]. These are pastoralists who have given up their space for conservation, so they should be rightfully rewarded.”

Along with fellow Masai guides Jackson Looseyia, who found international fame in the BBC’s Big Cat Diary series, and Fred Ronko, Morompi has partnered with three American women to open his high-end four-tent camp this year, using funds and expertise earned from years of private guiding. Members of surrounding Masai manyattas (communities of huts made from ash, mud and dung) on the fringes of the conservancy were employed in the construction; from the wooden bedsteads to toilet-roll holders fashioned from fallen branches, the elegant interiors were crafted by local carpenters beneath the shade of an acacia tree.

Morompi admits there’s a need to reduce the movement of people who live nearby into Ripoi, which is causing a disturbance to wildlife, but he believes the key is sensitive and patient education.

“We want to make sure Ripoi becomes a world-class safari destination and that can only happen if we have a solid connection with the local community,” he says.

With more ranger patrols and increased protection of wildlife from human activity and poaching, he believes Ripoi has the potential for unbelievable game viewing and is confident it could become one of the Mara’s top destinations. Eager to prove his point, the accomplished guide takes me on a drive.

Morompi’s passion for the outdoors is spirited and uplifting. Searching for elephants is thrilling, even if we fail to find anything more than tracks. People have forgotten about the true meaning of safari, he tells me as we sit on one of Ripoi’s many hilltops, watching a fiery sun melt into the horizon.

“A safari should be a journey, an adventure, not knowing where you’re going or what you might find.”

We certainly have that here, striking gold — spotted gold — the next morning. Striding across the plains, two cheetahs send wildebeest flying like pins in a bowling alley, their terrified eyes as shiny as marbles. In its heyday, Ripoi was packed with big cats, according to a local Masai I meet who once worked for Olarro.

That night, I fall asleep listening to roaring lions, most likely gathering at a man-made waterhole built next to Ripoi’s third and most luxurious camp, Lalashe Mara Ripoi. Curving along the slopes of a granite-strewn valley grazed by a parade of wildebeest and zebras, its five tented suites have access to private plunge pools, TVs live streaming wildlife webcams and a communal games room showing sports events on a big screen.

A bedroom at Mara Siana camp

This camp occupies a plot that the safari giant Great Plains Conservation (which operates 15 camps across Kenya, Botswana and Zimbabwe) was apparently eager to lease, but is owned by an independent businessman, Alfred Korir, who claims to have the Mara’s only 100 per cent black Kenyan-owned portfolio of camps. He says he was lured by the sheer amount of space.

“Here, a cheetah with four cubs will have a maximum of five vehicles watching; in the main reserve a cheetah with four cubs attracts 60 vehicles,” he explains when I join him for a champagne brunch below the camp’s sparkling chandeliers.

Admittedly, high-profile sightings are few and far between, but Korir insists progress is being made by habituating wildlife to daily game drives (familiarising animals with the sound of engines so they don’t run away).

There have been reports of wild dogs passing through — a rarity in the Mara — and recently, a pangolin spent a full day roaming the lodge grounds.

“It takes time,” he says, admitting he’s not expecting to make a profit for at least three years. “Ripoi is still waiting to be known.”

Reflecting on the interior design of the camp, which he masterminded, the entrepreneurial 36-year-old guide (formerly of the A-list Singita Grumeti lodges in Tanzania) describes the look as modern luxury, a shift away from the nostalgic but clichéd decorative spears and stone walls of an outmoded era that now feel uncomfortably archaic. In particular, he says it appeals to a younger audience along with Kenyans and African-Americans seeking a new style of decolonised safari.

One of Africa’s few black camp owners, Korir exemplifies a new direction for the industry. But he stresses it hasn’t been easy.

“Being black and owning a camp is hard,” he admits. “It’s difficult when you’re a local person for someone to trust you with their money. I understand. In the past there have been camps that have collapsed.”

Korir puts his success down to commitment and frugal living. Starting with a two-room set-up in 2016, he now has five camps and ploughs every penny back into the business. “I have no loans, no car, no house, no friends. In the last two years, I’ve seen my mum for one hour,” he confesses.

It’s a huge sacrifice, motivated largely by a desperation to succeed where others have failed. Like all of Ripoi’s camp owners, guides and managers, Korir is under no illusion the next few years will be easy. But being part of a new project is exhilarating and refreshing, a reminder of what safari in its essence is all about.

If Korir, Morompi and Lemara continue to do things properly — and a little differently — they could have a playground worth more than any billionaire’s bank account.

1. Angama Amboseli

Angama Amboseli lies in community-owned Kimana Sanctuary

BRIAN SIAMBI

Bedside views of Africa’s highest peak, Kilimanjaro, are the highlight of a stay at this new luxury camp set close to the border with Tanzania. Ten canvas suites lie in the community-owned Kimana Sanctuary, run in partnership with the Big Life NGO. A 45-minute drive from Amboseli National Park, the land is part of an important wildlife corridor for elephants migrating vast distances. They are some of Africa’s last few big tuskers, once targeted for their ivory, and can often be seen wandering through an idyllic fever tree forest that surrounds the camp.Details Seven nights’ full board from £8,000pp, including transfers, safari and flights (mahlatini.com)

2. Kicheche Mara North Camp

The Mara’s largest conservancy is also its prettiest. Located in a wildlife-rich area of Mara North, in a secluded acacia valley, Kicheche’s excellent camp offers some of the best opportunities for game viewing. Leopards, lions and cheetahs are frequently seen close to the ten tents, which include a spacious family option. The guiding here is some of the best on the continent, combining an ability to position vehicles for documentary-style sightings while acting responsibly towards wildlife. Co-owner Paul Goldstein, an award-winning photographer, leads group tours throughout the year.Details Five nights’ full board from £3,170pp including safari and transfers (expertafrica.com). Fly to Nairobi

3. Tambarare, Ol Pejeta

Ol Pejeta is home to white rhinos

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Famous as the home of the world’s last two northern white rhinos, Ol Pejeta conservation area also provides a safe haven for many other species. The subject of Channel 4 reality TV show Secret Safari, this northern conservancy is one of Kenya’s leading projects. Along with game drives, guests can get a behind-the-scenes look at how wildlife is managed. Join rangers for a 5km jog in the morning, visit the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary or arrange a meet and greet with habituated A-list rhinos, Najin and Fatu. The high-end Tambarare Camp occupies one of the area’s most secluded locations. Details Five nights’ full board from £4,999pp including safari, transfers and flights (abercrombiekent.co.uk)

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