Mara Toto Tree Camp

Insider’s Review of Mara Toto Tree Camp

Imagine your dream safari treehouse. Is it tucked among the branches of a riverside grove, where ebony and fig trees grow? Perhaps you can hear the gentle murmurings of the Ntiakitiak River, as zebra and wildebeest bow their heads to drink.

Mara Toto Tree Camp, a beloved project by wildlife photography and conservation luminaries Derek and Beverly Joubert, of Great Plains Conservation, is indeed such a place. Almost completely hidden from sight, this abode is accessed by a walkway that slopes up from the ground into a leafy canopy—and there, a comfortable sanctuary awaits. With our Micato Safari Director by our side, we become fully immersed into the wild beauty of Kenya’s Maasai Mara.

Accommodations at Mara Toto Tree Camp

“Toto” means “baby” in Swahili—and that name gives a playful nod to this Great Plains Conservation camp’s intimate size. It comprises just four treetop tented suites, each a spacious aerie with smooth wooden floors, skilfully carved, leaf-shaped benches, memory-foam, king-sized beds, and baths with granite double vanity sinks and deep copper tubs. Screened canvas walls open onto the sound of branches rustling in the breeze, and birdsong and hippos splashing below. Your private veranda has both a lounge area and, should you be fitness-inclined, a stationary bike, yoga mat, and light weights. The suites connect to a communal gathering space, where leather sofas, a book-filled library, and a wide outdoor dining deck with a fire pit invite lingering over meals, drinks, and stories of the day’s adventures.