T+L’s Lodge Assessment of andBeyond Bateleur Camp in Kenya

Our keep at andBeyond Bateleur Camp started the second our propeller aircraft touched down at Kichwa Tembo Airstrip, in southwestern Kenya’s iconic Masai Mara Nationwide Reserve. Ready in entrance of the plane was our andBeyond safari information, Isaac Kimani; a couple of yards behind him was the glossy safari automobile my household and I’d spend the subsequent three days exploring the park in.

No sooner had we set off towards Bateleur Camp than the safari began. “There, a hippo!” Kimani mentioned, chopping the engine so we might observe the creature because it sank slowly into the creek we have been crossing, till solely its eyes have been seen above the water. As we rounded the subsequent nook, baggage bouncing round behind us, we got here throughout a herd of zebras grazing in a leafy glade. In entrance of them, warthogs snuffled round within the grass. On a hill to our proper, a gaggle of giraffes peeked up over the tree line. All this, earlier than we’d even checked in.

It was solely after we entered Bateleur Camp, although, that we bought a way of the size and drama of the Masai Mara itself. The property sits on the foot of the Oloololo escarpment, which varieties a pure boundary to the northwestern fringe of the 580-square-mile park. The principle constructing and many of the 18 visitor tents have 180-degree views of the plain, stretching so far as the attention can see.

As my husband, our two youngsters, and I gazed on the view from the deck of the primary constructing, the all-Kenyan employees got here to introduce themselves: Grace Mwaisaka, the unflappable visitor relations supervisor; chef “Magic” Jackson Mutuku in his tall white hat; our unfailingly gracious waiter, Joel Kariuki.

It’s an oft-used journey writing cliché to say {that a} resort appears like staying in any person’s house, however by no means has it felt extra relevant than at Bateleur Camp. As a lot as 70 p.c of the employees are recruited from the encircling Masai group, and plenty of have labored on the lodge for many years. (The primary half of Bateleur Camp opened in 2000; the second in 2007.) You’ll always hear the Swahili phrases “karibu sana”, or “you’re very welcome” and “hakuna matata,” which, as The Lion King guarantees, means “no worries.”

Company are invited to tailor their very own day by day schedules; a key level of distinction from the extra inflexible itineraries at some bigger safari lodges. Don’t really feel like getting up at daybreak to go on a sport drive? Go after breakfast as a substitute. Need to do a hot-air balloon trip tomorrow morning? Not an issue. No matter time we felt like setting out on an journey, Kimani was prepared, his jeep stocked with blankets, Swarovski binoculars, well-thumbed area guides, and a cooler of ice-cold drinks.

For all of the delights of the lodge, at Bateleur Camp, the Masai Mara itself is the undisputed star of the present. Throughout our late-March keep the park was bristling with wildlife, together with a new child child elephant being sheltered by its mom, a coalition of cheetahs racing throughout the plain, and a pleasure of lions asleep beneath a tree. Mixed with the lodge’s next-level service and spectacular location, it was abundantly clear why T+L readers voted it the No. 1 resort on the earth in our 2025 World’s Finest Awards.

Learn on for my evaluate of andBeyond Bateleur Camp.

The Rooms

Bateleur Camp’s 18 Luxurious Tents are unfold over a north and south location, however all overlook the plains of the Masai Mara. There’s additionally one Luxurious Household Tent—basically two tents joined collectively by a further dwelling house.

Each tent has a canopied outside deck with an upholstered seating space, plus a desk and chairs. Although it’s uncommon for predators to come back shut, wildlife is free to cross in entrance of the camp. (As we sat out on our deck one afternoon, we watched a gaggle of giraffes stroll by a couple of 100 yards away.)

Inside, all of the tents are embellished in traditional marketing campaign fashion: suppose trunks, leather-based furnishings, and brass lighting fixtures. On the entrance there are two rollaway canvas screens with mosquito netting that may be lowered or left open at night time, relying on whether or not you need to be woken by the rising solar.

Bogs are giant and opulent: there are Jack-and-Jill sinks, plus a walled bathroom and indoor bathe. In the back of the tent is a big, roll-topped brass tub, which our butler would draw—and fill with bubbles—forward of our return to camp after every afternoon safari. Behind the tent is a big outside bathe.

There’s additionally a writing desk and a bar space, stocked with native beer and spirits, South African wines and my favourite, Kenya’s traditional Amarula liquor.

Meals and Drink

Given its small dimension, it is no shock company at Bateleur Camp eat most of their meals within the eating space of the primary lodge. That’s to not say the eating choices get repetitive, although.

Chef “Magic” Jackson and his kitchen offered a brand new menu at lunch and dinner each day: Jackson involves verify in with company after breakfast to speak via their selections. The meals is imaginative, recent, and all the time wonderful. From a rooster shawarma “board” with recent pita bread and dips served in little glass jars to fish tacos, steak or duck confit, every little thing tasted wholesome and flavorful.

For our children, the chef was completely happy to arrange nearly something they requested for, from pizza and cheeseburgers to the traditional spaghetti al pomodoro.

One spotlight of our keep was a dinner ready and served in a lamp-lit clearing within the woods surrounding the camp. Right here, Jackson and his crew had roasted lamb on a spit and ready native dishes of greens, rice, and beans.

For all of the culinary bells and whistles at Bateleur, our favourite food and drinks second was the best: the pots of piping-hot tea and occasional delivered by our butler via a hatch along side our tent within the pre-dawn darkness, to wake us up in time for a safari.

Actions and Experiences

Bateleur Camp has an infinity-edged pool with views of the Masa Mara, plus a health club and a “therapeutic massage sala,” or small home, the place spa therapies are carried out. A brief stroll away is a second, bigger andBeyond lodge referred to as Kitchwa Tembo: right here you’ll discover a bigger pool and a boutique stocked with covetable, safari-appropriate clothes and handmade items from the Masai Mara and past.

Interactions with the Masai group are sensitively dealt with at Bateleur. The camp has a full-time Influence and Group Officer, who acts as a liaison with the Masai villages across the camp. Track and dance performances are laid on for company at common intervals: throughout our keep, one was arrange round a campfire throughout a sundowner on the plain, and one other befell within the eating space of the lodge.

Afterward, Masai villagers offered handmade beadwork, textiles, and wood-carvings. There was nothing pressured or unduly performative about any of those encounters; as a substitute, my household and I left them feeling enriched and impressed. The Influence and Group Officer, Alex Oloonkishu, additionally conducts strolling safaris across the camp—a pleasant technique to stretch vehicle-weary legs and be taught extra about Masai tradition.

A number of corporations supply early-morning hot-air balloon rides over the Masai Mara. Bataleur works with Governor’s Balloon Safaris, and can prepare transfers to Governor’s Safari Camp, the place the rides depart.

Household-friendly Choices

andBeyond’s WILDChild program is obtainable in any respect the corporate’s safari lodges, and every is tailor-made to mirror the encircling tradition. At Bateleur, my youngsters, ages eight and 11, realized to make fireplace utilizing dry wooden, the best way Masai bushmen have performed for generations. One other day Oloonkishu confirmed them use a home made bow and arrow and helped them make a Masai-style beaded bracelet. Although not normally followers of children’ golf equipment, they liked every of those experiences.

Typically, we discovered the employees at Bateleur to be exceptionally heat and cozy with youngsters. When my husband and I made a decision we wished to do a hot-air balloon safari (which concerned waking up at 4:30 a.m.—one thing our children weren’t eager to do) the employees supplied to wake them up, deliver hot-chocolate to their room, and drive them to fulfill us for a bush breakfast after we landed.

Accessibility and Sustainability

The three founding ideas of andBeyond’s influence mannequin are Care of Land, Care of Wildlife, and Care of Individuals. For over 30 years, the corporate has had a partnership with a improvement group referred to as Wild Influence. In that point, &Past has established a world-wide fame for its efforts in wildlife conservation and social and environmental sustainability, and has been chargeable for immediately conserving over a million acres of land, most of it in Africa.

Within the space round Bateleur, andBeyond and Wild Influence have established a number of faculties for Masai youngsters. The biggest of those is now primarily based on a three-month boarding mannequin with a purpose to cater to youngsters whose properties are farther away, and at this time educates near 600 youngsters. Conservation classes are taught in all of its faculties.

andBeyond and Wild Influence have supported medical amenities within the space round Bateleur for the reason that camp opened in 2007, and now companion with the Kenyan authorities to run a close-by hospital, which opened a maternity ward in August 2024. After we visited in March 2025, 61 infants had already been delivered there. The lodge additionally helps a craft middle with a small store.

Deforestation is one other situation affecting the area. andBeyond and Wild Influence lately shaped a conservation belief to revive degraded forest round a number of close by Masai villages. This has concerned putting in cameras within the forest to guard present timber and establishing a nursery that now accommodates near 35,000 seedlings of indigenous tree species.

Company on the lodge are inspired to go to, and donate to, some or all of those tasks.

Rooms at Bateleur usually are not ADA compliant, although some rooms are wheelchair accessible with help.

Location

Bateleur Camp is a 15-minute drive from the Kichwa Tembo Airstrip within the Masai Mara Nationwide Reserve. Company can fly to the airstrip from Nairobi. It is an hour-long flight, which spares company the six-hour drive.

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Nightly charges at andBeyond Bateleur Camp begin from $1,210, all-inclusive.

Each T+L resort evaluate is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed on the property, and every resort chosen aligns with our core values.