Why We Prefer Private Conservancies Over the Main Reserves

Most first-time Africa travellers book safaris in the famous national parks — the Masai Mara main reserve, the Serengeti, Kruger. These are extraordinary places. But they share something that the best safari operators have quietly moved away from: crowding at big sightings.

When a leopard is spotted in the main Mara, it is not uncommon to have twenty or thirty vehicles gathered around it. This is legal, permitted, and widely accepted. It is also, in our view, not a great wildlife experience.

Private conservancies — the Mara North Conservancy, Olare Motorogi, Naboisho — sit adjacent to the main reserve but operate under different rules. Fewer camps, fewer vehicles, and exclusive areas mean that the same leopard sighting involves three vehicles at most. Sometimes just yours.

The cost difference between a main-reserve camp and a private conservancy camp is not always as large as clients expect. For a meaningful safari — particularly for photography, for families with older children, or for anyone who has been on safari before — we always recommend the conservancy approach.

Not every client needs this. For a first safari on a shorter trip, the main reserves deliver extraordinary wildlife. But if this is a once-in-a-decade journey, or if game viewing quality is the primary priority, the conservancies are the right choice.