Mara Bushtops

Mara Bushtops - accommodation in Mara conservancy

Hugging the brow of a hill in its own private game sanctuary, Mara Bushtops is an exclusive, hotel-style, tented lodge a few kilometres outside the Maasai Mara National Reserve’s busiest gate. Based around the former home of Mara hunting and safari legend Glen Cottar, it features personal butlers and a well-stocked wine cellar.

Opened in 2007 as Mara Bushtops, the lodge was previously Cottars Mara Camp and before that a family home. It stands sentinel over a 26km² private game sanctuary on Siana Group Ranch, northeast of Sekenani Gate. In theory, the whole of Siana is a conservancy, but local tourism operators and the Siana Maasai community have yet to agree a comprehensive plan for limiting grazing and sharing the proceeds from visitors. By making its concession exclusive, Bushtops has preserved a small patch of land and ensured that its guests can have first-class wildlife experiences just minutes from the lodge.