Thankfully, the following day Nancy had a solution. Instead of staying in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, where my camp was based, she drove me into the neighbouring Mara North Conservancy, a privatised area neighbouring the Reserve. While it was still part of the same Mara ecosystem, there was one major difference: it was open to only a very small fraction of visitors – which luckily includes guests of Mara Toto Tree Camp. The contrast on that day couldn’t have been more striking: instead of one big cat and 10 cars, it was 10 big cats (this time lions) to one car (mine). And that was just the beginning.
That safari taught me a few invaluable lessons. First: always book through a knowledgeable operator, because you don’t know what you don’t know (for example, I had no idea it would be so busy in the off-season). And second: always ask this one crucial question before you commit: does this camp have access to a private concession?
That question, it turns out, leads us to one of the most important distinctions in safari planning: whether a camp has access to a private area of land, known as a concession or conservancy, like Mara North, or just a very public, often busy national park or reserve.
“Private concessions offer a more exclusive and flexible wildlife experience compared to national parks,” explains Tessa Dancer, Africa & Asia Travel Specialist at Timbuktu Travel, whom I reached out to plan my next safari trip, this time to Zambia and Zimbabwe. “Guest numbers and vehicles are limited, sightings are quieter, and guides are often allowed to drive off-road to follow animals through the bush.” Night drives are also sometimes permitted, as in Mara North (whereas the Reserve has strict daylight-only hours).
Crucially, you’re not sacrificing experiences for exclusivity: “It’s important to note that wildlife moves freely between many concessions and the national parks they border,” says Dancer. “Guests are seeing the same ecosystems and animals as they would in a national park, but with far fewer vehicles around them.”
Camps can arrange access for their guests or may be located within the private concession or conservancy itself, though Dancer notes that these camps can come at a higher price point, as they tend to be smaller, more remote, and operate under strict limits on guest numbers. “But that higher cost reflects a low-density tourism model, designed to protect both the environment and the quality of the safari experience,” she adds.
