Raising the bar on group and family travel in Naboisho

The opportunity to travel with a group of friends, or as a family, provides a unique experience to bond outside of our daily environment and connect on a more meaningful basis. The Naboisho Conservancy provides the perfect wilderness environment in which to accomplish this connection, whilst also offering a unique connection to both the people and the land.

Spectacular sunsets deserve to be celebrated.

The beginning

The Naboisho Conservancy is one of Africa’s finest examples of tourism, community and conservation working in partnership. The conservancy was founded in 2010, after 500 landowners reached an agreement to combine their land for the sustainable use of tourism and conservation. The land could then be leased to tourism partners, providing the landowners with a secure income, whilst simultaneously protecting the natural environment of the landscape. A formal land management plan was researched and implemented, with dedicated space for rotational grazing, boreholes determined for settlements, and proposed campsites for tourism partners. Asilia was there at the beginning, participating in the discussions, involved in the research, and contributing to the future of the conservancy. Naboisho Camp opened its doors in June 2011 – a canvas tented safari camp, traditional but stylish, beautifully furnished with an attention to detail and service far beyond expectations. Now, 12 years later, Naboisho Camp is on the rise, undergoing an extensive rebuild, creating an elevated feeling of luxury, quality, and experience.

A lone elephant checks a scent whilst meandering through the conservancy.

Family suites

The logistics of planning travel for a group can be a daunting proposition. Without the proper support, it can be a struggle to find spaces specifically designed to meet the group’s requirements, creating limitations on options, and compromising the experience. The new purpose-built Family Suites at Naboisho Camp have been specifically designed to meet this need, providing an exclusive space for families and friends to get the most out of their safari experience.

Each of the guest tents in Naboisho Camp have been completely reimagined, rebuilt to be spacious and light, thoughtfully designed to enhance and maximise the views through the length of the tent to the Naboisho valley beyond. However, it is the Family Suites that have seen the most dramatic enhancements. The shared bathroom and smaller second bedroom have been upgraded to offer two full size bedrooms, each en-suite and complete with side-by-side outdoor showers as well as an indoor shower.  Between the two bedrooms, a spacious shared use lounge and dining room spills out onto a wooden veranda running the full length of the suite, creating an indoor-outdoor living feel throughout.

Each bedroom in the Family Suite features a full bathroom, complete with indoor and outdoor plumbed showers.

At night, glass sliding doors seal off the suite, shutting out the night-time creatures and cool evening air, but allowing a perfectly clear view of the night sky and any visiting wildlife. Off the front of the veranda, steps lead down to the grass and a private firepit, providing an exclusive sundowner location for the end of the day. Naboisho features two Family Suites, both located on a secluded side of camp, far enough apart from each other to offer each suite privacy, but close enough together for a larger group, or multigenerational family, to occupy both suites. Meals can be enjoyed privately within the suite or in a variety of locations around camp, including the poolside lounge or al fresco under the trees.

The poolside lounge at Naboisho offers a private dining location with views over the surrounding plains.

Creating flexibility

A crucial ingredient in any family or group safari, is the use of a private vehicle. For families with children, this is especially recommended as it creates an exceptional level of flexibility to the day, both in terms of when to go on a game drive, as well as how long the drive lasts. More than that, it offers the space for children to ask their questions, engage with their guide, and feed their fascination with the environment they are experiencing.

A lioness casually passes a family on safari in a private vehicle.

The use of a private vehicle also allows you full control over the priorities of your game drive experience. If your sole aim is to spend the day with a herd of elephant, then this can be accomplished without impacting the viewing preferences of other guests in a shared vehicle. If there’s a spectacular sunset and the sundowners in the bush are too good to rush, a private vehicle coupled with the flexibility of your private dining space in the family suite, allows you to enjoy the moment without the pressure of needing to hurry back to camp by a certain time. Instead, your guide will liaise with the camp via radio and ensure that timings are altered as necessary to ensure the best possible experience.

Private sundowners have never looked this good, complete with a fire and Naboisho's customised Refreshment Ranger.

The Retreats

Over the border, in Tanzania, The Retreats at Sayari and Namiri provide the perfect option for a two country stay. Offering a similar design and layout to the Naboisho Family Suites, The Retreats come with the advantage of a private guide and vehicle, and a dedicated chef included in the price of the unit. The inclusion of a dedicated chef further enhances the flexibility of the experience, simplifying mealtimes where young children are involved.

A rendering of one of the two new Sayari Retreats.

If you are considering a family safari, or would like to explore East Africa with a group of friends, consider the Naboisho Family Suites for a safari experience that is tailored towards your needs, whilst simultaneously contributing to the needs of the local community, the wildlife, and the environment of the Mara Naboisho Conservancy.