Marriott International has signed an agreement with Baraka Lodges to enter the safari segment in Africa. JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge will be located within the Mara National Reserve, one of the continent’s most renowned wildlife conservation and wilderness regions.
Offering discerning travellers an unparalleled setting, the elegant retreat expects to welcome guests in 2023.
Overlooking the famed banks of the River Talek and on the edge of the reserve, JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge’s prime location will offer guests a distinctively elevated camp from which to discover the Masai Mara National Reserve, its stunning vistas, abundant wildlife and endless plains.
Plans for the new-build lodge feature 20 private tents, including one presidential canvas-topped pavilion and two interconnecting canopied suites, ideal for families, each with a private terrace overlooking the river.
Shared spaces will include a restaurant, lounge bar, spa and a large outdoor terrace with fire pits that will play host to traditional Masai dance performances in the evening.
The untamed landscape will offer guests the opportunity to observe the “Big Five” that Masai Mara is home to: lions, leopards, buffalos, rhinoceros and elephants. Between June and September, the reserve is also host to the annual great wildebeest migration, when more than 10 million animals travel 1,800 miles from the Serengeti in neighbouring Tanzania.
Conservation of the land and its inhabitants will be at the heart of JW Marriott Masai Mara. The safari lodge aims to employ up to 50 locals from the Masai community and will offer learning opportunities for guests looking to immersive themselves in the destination.