OFFBEAT NDOTO – MARA NORTH CONSERVANCY – MASIA MARA

Offbeat Ndoto is a small, traditional safari camp situated within the Mara North Conservancy. The area is full of wildlife yet far from any other camp or lodge and the conservancy is only open to member camps and has a strict policy on game viewing etiquette.

Maro North Conservancy offers exceptional year-round game viewing with impressive big cat populations and the annual wildebeest migration from July to October.  The camp is family friendly with two family tents and offers child friendly activities.

Enjoy 4 x 4 game drives with Masai guides who have earned their silver rated Kenya Professional Safari Guide Association qualifications, bush walks, and learn about the fascinating Maasai tribespeople and their traditional way of life on a cultural visit to a Masai Boma.

LOCATION

Offbeat Ndoto is located in the Mara North Conservancy in the Masai Mara.  Access is via a light aircraft flight to Mara North Airstrip and the camp is around an hour’s drive or longer if via a game drive.

LODGE

Each of Offbeat Ndoto’s four luxury safari tents offer stunning views over the Offbeat Valley. The tents are raised on natural rock bases built from locally sourced river rock and have a large outside veranda perfect for watching the wildlife that strolls through the valley.

Morning tea and coffee is served on the veranda. Inside you have your own sitting room with a day bed and safari chairs for relaxing, private dining or reading a book. Your bedroom has a super king-sized bed, a desk and armchair.

The bathroom is well appointed with “rain shower”, flush toilet, double wash basin and wardrobe. Power for charging cameras and batteries is available 24 hours a day.

The beautifully designed Mess Tent has a lounge area with comfy sofas and regs and the dining area offers delicious homemade delights, plenty of ice-cold drinks and there is a campfire for storytelling and star watching. Down on the secret island lunches can be enjoyed under the shade of ancient Sycamore Fig trees next to the Olare Orok River.

ACTIVITIES AND WILDLIFE

The wildlife in this area is extraordinary with huge numbers of plains game and all the big cats.  Certain prides of lion in our area have become world famous thanks to the Big Cat Diary, and local pride, known as the Offbeat Pride, are seen often.  The guides know every member of the pride and all the history that goes with them over the past 14 years.  From July to October you can experience the annual wildebeest migration, and the Secret Season from January to March has clear skies, short grass and the Loita wildebeest migration coming to Mara North Conservancy.

Game drives – unlimited game drives in 4×4 safari vehicles with open sides, camera stands and roof hatches. These vehicles are designed to optimise game viewing and photography.  Drives can be arranged at any time and there are no time constraints.

Usually you will head out around 6.30am for a morning drive with a picnic breakfast and for those wanting to go out for a full day, a picnic lunch can also be carried. Afternoon drives tend to start around 4pm after a cup of tea and slice of cake and often cars do not return to camp until after dark.  Being in the exclusive Mara North Conservancy you can also head out after dinner (until 10pm) with filtered spot lights.

Guides are highly qualified silver rated guides and groups of four or more will always have their own vehicle.

Walking Safaris – experience the Mara from foot – you will be escorted by a local Masai guide who grew up on the land herding cattle and knows it intimately. The small five and other interesting facts will be revealed that you often miss in the vehicle. Often an excuse to burn off some calories from the delicious food in camp!

Bush meals – picnic breakfasts and lunches are often carried in the vehicles so you have the flexibility to stop where you like and enjoy your meal in stunning surroundings.  Bush dinners are also a highlight of your stay.

Sundowners – a famous safari tradition is sundowners in the bush…..after a full day of game viewing there is nothing more refreshing than evening drinks as the sun sets over the horizon, listening to the sounds of Africa.

Private Charter and Helicopter Safaris – go for a day expedition by helicopter at extra cost.

Cultural visits – the Maasai people are a fascinating and beautiful tribe who are proud of their traditions and love share their way of life. Offbeat Mara Camp work very closely with the local community and visiting these villages is a morning or afternoon well spent. There is a small charge to visit a Maasai village.

Hot Air Balloon Safaris – the camp can arrange hot air balloon safaris across the Masai Mara…a truly spectacular way to view the wildlife and scenery!

Running with the Maasai – for those wanting some exercise and to burn off the calories running in the bush with our Maasai staff is great fun.

Koiyaki Guiding School – all the camp’s guides are graduates from the Koiyaki Guiding School, which is a training ground for some of Kenya’s top guides. You can visit this school to learn more about the work done there.

Family Friendly Activities – with wo spacious family tents the camp is very child friendly. During July, August and Christmas and New Year the camp has lots of families staying.

The team of Masai guides are more than happy to entertain the little ones – be it learning to fire a Masai bow and arrow or throw a spear, beading with some of the ladies from the community, fishing or even baking a cake for afternoon tea, there is plenty to keep children entertained between drives and walks.

Special or early meals can easily be arranged and if your children want to go to bed early, a Masai guard will sit outside their tent until you return – and radio the main mess tent if they wake up – so you can enjoy your dinner in peace!

GIVING BACK

Sister property Offbeat Mara was one of the founding members of the Mara North Conservancy in 2009. In early 2021 with the Conservancy under threat due to the pressures on tourism income due to Covid, we stepped in. We believe in this area, we love this area and would do all we can to protect the people and wildlife who live here. As such the opportunity to expand arose and the long-held ambition of our owner to build this camp was finally realised.

We are committed to helping preserve this 74,000 acre piece of the Masai Mara eco-system and by you staying at Offbeat Ndoto you are massively helping too. The Conservancy paved the way for our Masai landlords to be rewarded fairly and equally for protecting their land and the wildlife on it.  As a result, this area has improved dramatically as a wildlife conservancy, with long term benefits to those with the foresight to keep protecting it.

OFFBEAT NDOTO IS OPEN ALL YEAR ROUND

THE CAMP WELCOMES FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN OF ALL AGES BUT 8 YEARS+ IS RECOMMENDED. THE CAMP IS UNFENCED AND CHILDREN SHOULD BE SUPERVISED AT ALL TIMES.