Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp

Two words: authentic luxury. Since our travel agent made our reservations, we had absolutely no idea what to expect as we drove 45 minutes from the tiny Mara airstrip deep into the bush. You can do three game rides a day: morning, afternoon, and evening. Each animal lives on its own schedule, so I encourage you to take advantage of as many rides as you can handle. The add-ons are also incredible; we went to the market and village, did a bush breakfast, and a ‘sundowner’. I recommend all of them! Even if you don’t have a chance to go to the market or visit a Maasai village, just being in the presence of the land and the staff immerses you in the local culture. We learned so much from just Joshua and Jonah, our waitstaff. We are so grateful how much the entirety of the staff shared with us about their lives. The natural scenery, friendly staff, delicious meals, and serene ambiance made this a luxurious experience. The otherworldly stories, the legendary animals, and both the casual and deep conversations made this a raw, meaningful, and unforgettable one. We are leaving after four nights with lifelong memories. My mom was in tears as we said goodbye. We can’t wait to go back, and I hope we’ll see you there! P.S. if you’re brave enough, try leaving the shades open overnight ;).

Our stay at Elephant Pepper Camp was truly unforgettable. The moment we arrived, we were told, "This is your second home away from home," and we it genuinely felt like it. The camp is truly a hidden gem. Not only was it designed to have a minimal impact on the environment, but it also supporting the local community, which made our stay feel even more meaningful. What really made the experience special was the warm and attentive staff, who treated us like family from the very start. They thought of every little detail, from placing hot water bottles in our beds at night to ensure we stayed cozy, to serving the most delicious, freshly crafted meals. Each dish was a wonderful surprise, perfectly complementing the magical atmosphere of the camp. For the game drives, our guide was incredible, with an almost 6th sense for finding wildlife. Every game drive felt like a new adventure, thanks to his deep knowledge and intuition. We left feeling not only connected to the landscape but also to the wonderful people who make this camp feel like home, and we can't wait to return!

We just had an amazing 4 nights here. Every single member of the staff made us feel so welcome and special. The chef is fantastic and the food was 5 stars. I would especially like to thank Moses, Rinka, Emanuel, Amos and Dickson who took such good care of us. They even planned a private dinner for us on our last night that was so romantic! Thank you to everyone — we will be back.

This was our 2nd camp on our 16 night safari of Kenya and Tanzania. We stayed 3 nights. It is a completely different style from the other Elewana camps we stayed at - more of a true tented camp. Not better or worse - just different. It was a great experience across the board and the game viewing was incredible. It had rained a lot prior to our stay and we were afraid that maybe the game viewing would be impacted. If it was, we certainly didn't notice. Once again, we had a terrific guide. As we learned the hard way after this, the guide will make or break the safari experience. While we certainly appreciated our guide at the time, we do even more so in hindsight. We also did the Masai village tour which we enjoyed as well, except for the hard sell at the end. Well worth the investment of time and $20. The visit to the village provided us with a foundation to understand more about the Masai culture. Here and at subsequent camps we talked with our guides about the impacts of the modern world (both good and bad) on the Masai. Almost everyone we spoke to in our camps were proud of their culture and wanted to share.

From the moment you are greeted at Elephant Pepper camp you are treated as family. Moses, the manager, has a phenomenal staff that creates a wonderful, pampered atmosphere for each guest. The property is serene with a beautiful vista where animals come and graze in front of you! The luxury tents are fantastic and have all amenities needed for your stay. The chefs prepare a diverse menu with excellent cuisine. So appreciated them accommodating a gluten free diet. Our waiter was attentive and kind. The guides are personable and knowledgeable. The bush sundowner and breakfast were amazing. What topped our stay off was a special anniversary dinner, a delightful surprise that was wonderful. The small touches and service was fabulous. Would highly recommend and love to go back.

If you’re debating between Elewana Sand River and Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp, you might consider that Elephant Pepper is in the private Mara North Conservancy, not the National Reserve. This means that there is a five vehicle limit during game drives and you won’t be faced with forty vehicles surrounding one cheetah. Additionally, Mara North Conservancy is one of the best examples of community conservation in the world. It was created when about 900 Masai families chose to donate their land to form the Conservancy. It is managed cooperatively to keep traditional pastoral ways of living alive and maximize habitat for wildlife. This was our second visit to Elephant Pepper Camp and it was as lovely as the first. The camp is unfenced which means you need to be escorted to and from your tent when it’s not bright daylight - you’ll understand why when you see the elephant dung on the path and hear the hippos munching loudly next to your tent at night. But we always felt safe with the fantastic camp security who kindly point out all of the wildlife activity that is happening nearby. The tents are beautifully furnished and surprisingly insect free (no gnarly spiders!) and our room steward Ronald kept it squeaky clean. We loved the early morning fire circle with coffee, tea and biscuits before game drives - and also the same fire at night upon our return for drinks before dinner. The camp has a beautiful main tent which serves as a lounge, dining room and bar. There’s also a separate library tent with games and a little shop cabinet with locally made crafts and essentials. The chefs Peter, Kifetu, and John Mark at Elephant Pepper Camp are incredible - we were always stuffed but had to taste everything - it was all so good! Our butler Robert was so kind and we were thrilled to see him again! He continued teaching us more words in Swahili which we loved. Leperes was our guide and we loved learning about his connection to the land as his family is part of the cooperative that manages Mara North Conservancy. Leperes gave us lessons in spotting wildlife, explained the symbiotic relationship between grazing the land with livestock and creating suitable habitat for wildlife, and had a lively energy that made our game drives fun and engaging. He also has a great photographer’s eye and we took some of the most gorgeous photos during our trip. We also felt privileged to experience the Masai market, only on Thursdays, in the village of Aitong. We met our market guide David who explained how the bustling market worked and also helped us navigate the vendors where we purchased some beautiful cloth and beaded jewelry directly from the makers. Mara North Conservancy is a magical place and Elephant Pepper Camp is the perfect place to experience the magic. Big thanks to Zed the manager for making us feel so at home!