Serian was the first of Alex’s camps, and it perfectly captures the essence of its name: meaning ‘peaceful, calm, serene’ in the Masai language, it was designed to be a retreat from the bustle of contemporary life, and a chance to experience untamed Africa in traditional tented splendor.
It lies in the private Mara North Conservancy, and the beauty of this location is that only 10 other camps have access to it – so the feeling of having your own personal piece of Africa is a luxury that we have in spades.
The premise is that you spend the days walking, and the nights sleeping out in light weight tents, in a makeshift camp that moves each day – the end of each day’s walk brings you to your new site for the night.
Flycamping can easily be incorporated into your stay with us, with some nights spent in our main camp before and after – and in fact, we can’t recommend it enough. It can add a whole new dimension to your experience, and a taste of the wilderness that few others ever encounter.
While our camps can already be considered remote, walking takes you further off the beaten track, and off any track entirely… The luxury lies in getting away from cars, people, and any sign of any other humans at all.
In the company of Specialist Walking Guides Alex, Chris, John or Adrian, as well as your guide and spotter, you are in the best possible hands to have this magical terrain and all its hidden meanings unveiled to you. ‘Book’ knowledge – Latin names, scientific explanations, details taught in courses – interweaves seamlessly with the inherent bush lore of your guides, who have lived this land and learned its ways over centuries. As you walk deeper into the wilderness, these two layers of meaning meld to lay open the secrets of your environment.
The key is in the gradual nature of your exploration: a progressive immersion where time is marked not by a ticking watch but by the sun’s lazy arc across the sky takes you to a more immediate connection with your surrounds. Your senses thrum to life, widening your perceptive capacities to their fullest function, accentuated by the deep peace and silence of wide open spaces.
For those concerned that hiking sounds like hard work, the pace is set by you, and is punctuated by plenty of stops along the way to discover, learn and marvel at the infinite fascinations you will chance upon. And at the day’s end, creature comforts await: cosy beds, warm bucket showers, and a hearty meal around the campfire as you gaze up at the stars.
Climbing up the escarpment gives beautiful expansive views over the MNC, and you walk in the company of scouts who patrol the area every day and who can share their intimate knowledge with you. Follow them as they react to the bush signals that will dictate the nature of your walk. Stop at ‘The Nest’, our tree house, for a picnic…
Traditional Hadzabe hunter-gatherers will teach you to track animals, make bows and arrows, identify medicinal plants, traditional folklore, and see through their eyes. Flycamp for just 1 night, or make a 2-3 day adventure of it: rove the spectacular countryside, climb rocky kopjes and sleep under the stars next to the 3,000ft rift that forms Lake Eyasi.
6-7
KG EATEN PER DAY
7
VERTEBRAE IN A GIRAFFES NECK
5000
MUSCLES IN AN ELEPHANT’S TRUNK
80000
ACRES MARA NORTH CONSERVANCY
80%
WILDEBEEST COWS ARE IMPREGNATED