Great Plains has opened Zamara Private, a six-suite residence built into a hillside forest above Kenya’s Maasai Mara Reserve.
It’s the group’s sixth Kenyan property and joins its Réserve-Collection of exclusive-use safari camps.
Whole-villa buyouts have become the default request from Great Plains‘ higher-spending clientele, including multi-generational families and small groups who want the Mara’s wildlife without sharing a lodge with other parties.
Zamara Private answers that directly: it sleeps up to 12 adults across six suites, each with a natural grass-planted roof designed to disappear into the landscape, and can be booked only as a full residence rather than by individual room.
The design leans on Wabi Sabi principles, with elevated wooden walkways, earth tones, open-plan living around a central lounge and fireplace. Two of the six suites are configured as master suites, each with its own living room, private lap pool, his-and-hers wardrobes, indoor bathtub and an adjoining single room for a guest’s personal assistant. In addition, four suites can convert to triple occupancy for children aged six and up.
Shared spaces include a 15m x 5m infinity pool, a fully equipped gym, sauna and steam room, a dedicated wine room stocked with more than 47 bottles (65% South African), and a rooftop terrace for stargazing dinners.
For Asia-based travellers, the Mara remains a long-haul add-on — routed via Nairobi with a light-aircraft transfer into the reserve — but it’s increasingly paired with Cape Town or the Seychelles on a single itinerary rather than treated as a standalone trip.
A private, whole-villa base changes the calculation for families weighing that distance: one buyout covers daily game drives in customized, photographer-rigged Land Cruisers, a hot air balloon option over the Mara, and access to Great Plains Foundation activities, including a community bridge visit, a partner school, tree planting through Conservation Roots, or time with a local Maasai women’s beading collective.
All meals and beverages are included, prepared by an in-house culinary team, with dining options ranging from the main deck to in-suite private dining on request.
Zamara Private joins other properties operated by Great Plains, the eco-tourism company founded by National Geographic explorer-filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert, including Mara Expedition, Mara Nyika, Mara Plains and the recently opened Mara Toto Tree Camp in the Maasai Mara, alongside Ol Donyo Lodge in the Chyulu Hills.
If you’re contemplating a luxury safari, check out our guides to the best luxury safari camps in the Masai Mara, Serengeti, Namibia, the Okavango Delta and Chobe in Botswana, as well as our guide to safari cruises on the Zambezi, South Africa’s best safari destinations, packing for safari and the best wildlife photography tips.
