What defines Angama Mara from other safari lodges is its location on a site almost without equal. Every tented suite shares a 180° view of the Mara below, possibly the best-known game reserve in the world, and one which consistently delivers extraordinary viewing of all Africa’s great mammals, and The Great Migration from July to October each year. Angama Mara guests descend a private track directly from the lodge to the most beautiful, least visited and best-managed part of the reserve – The Mara Triangle. The Out of Africa back-story adds romance and nostalgia to the guest experience – when they arrive at the lodge guests will feel as if they have been there before. And where else in Africa can you wake up to the sight of balloons floating gently by at the foot of your bed in the very heart of Maasailand?
Renowned in the industry for their involvement in some of the world’s finest safari lodges, Steve and Nicky Fitzgerald have kept their best for last. After building and operating over 60 &Beyond luxury lodges across Africa and India, and delighting top-end travellers for over 30 years, the beauty of this site has drawn them out of retirement.
Angama Mara’s owner-managed approach to taking care of guests has been developed, tried, tested and constantly reinvented over many years. Here, days are crafted around what our guests want to do, not what we think they should be doing. Flexibility and creativity are our driving forces. We understand that guests are seeking a quiet place, one where they can reconnect with the world again. Our guests’ privacy is strictly guarded. However, Angama Mara is also a place that is fun and filled with the unexpected. What we do is always authentic, honest and mindful that less is often so much more.
Guests are welcomed with arms open wide, and Karen Blixen’s words “I am better at hello than goodbye” reverberates through every action of Angama Mara staff.
Here, at Angama Mara, guests’ happiness is everybody’s’ business and nothing is too much trouble. Our staff is chosen because, above all, they love being of service to others – Kenyans have this deep in their DNA. At Angama Mara, the staff village has been built from scratch with the same attention to detail as the guest accommodation; we take care of our staff; they take care of our guests. The staff village includes a community-owned duka (shop) and clinic.
The making of Angama is in the hands of a remarkable team of African experts. Architects Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens – of Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, North Island and Mombo fame – have designed Angama Mara to be a lodge quite unlike any other. Each tented suite literally hangs onto the edge of the escarpment, with views that go on and on. Annemarie Meintjes, peerless African stylista, has crafted the lodge’s interiors with a totally fresh, disarming, uncluttered and humourous approach. Kenya’s foremost canvas master and maverick bush builder, Jan Allan, crafted the guests’ tents. This dynamic creative combination has been driven by two guiding principles: building Angama Mara to last; and recognising Kenya as the home of the African safari. Our inspiration is drawn from the classic safari; romance, canvas, just the right amount of everything, an elegant simplicity and the desire to always be authentic.
