Beyond Cruising: Africa’s Great Plains Tree Camp Launches in Kenya’s Maasai Mar

 Great Plains, the iconic eco-tourism company founded by National Geographic explorer-filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert, is delighted to announce the launch of Mara Toto Tree Camp. Unveiled on 15th July 2024 in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, the newest offering from Great Plains forms part of its exclusive Réserve-Collection safari camps.

One of Great Plains’ most astonishing camps to date, Mara Toto Tree Camp is located within a forest canopy and accommodates up to eight adults in four luxurious tented suites. Enjoying a stunning and secluded location overlooking the Ntiakitiak River within the 150,000-hectare Maasai Mara National Reserve with private access to the 26,000-hectare Mara North Conservancy, the romantic safari era-inspired camp provides the ultimate base for those looking to discover this region and its bountiful pristine wildlife in style.

Great Plains Mara Toto Tree Camp Guest Suite

Mara Toto Tree Camp offers guests a choice of four light and airy, spacious canvas tree canopy tented suites, each with en-suite bathrooms complete with double vanity basins, ceramic baths with brushed steel and huge safari showers. A central lounge and dining room offers ample space to unwind and enjoy fine dining following a day spent on the plains, while an outdoor seated fire area is just the spot for enjoying a sundowner and swapping stories from the day’s adventure.

Great Plains Mara Toto Tree Camp

The camp’s stunning interior design and interiors were done by Dereck and Beverly Joubert themselves, with extreme care to create a space that reflects, compliments and respects the beauty of its environs. A soft scheme of airy greys and touches of teal seen across the soft furnishings balances perfectly with the natural light wood reflecting the ‘in the trees’ theme. The majority of fabrics have been sourced locally and a statement sculpture of leaves shimmers over the dining table, amongst hanging seedpod lights made from the Baobab trees of Kilifi, on Kenya’s coast.

Great Plains Mara Toto Tree Camp


Touches of life in the trees are seen in every detail throughout the camp, from the woodpecker doorknobs for those early morning wake-up calls and lightbulb-grasping monkey statement lamps, to the hanging weaver nest chairs on each suite deck. Elevated walkways between the main areas and suites wind between tree trunks and are bursting with wildlife, providing endless opportunities to spot species long after the day’s safari drive is over.

Great Plains Mara Toto Tree Camp Guest Suite

As with all Great Plains camps, meticulous thought has been given to sustainability, with much of the furniture and structure crafted bespoke for Mara Toto Tree Camp using recycled wood, including from old sailing dhows off the Kenyan coast. Owing to a directive from the founders that no tree be cut or harmed in the creation of the camp, a truly creative design sees bathrooms built around ebony trees – providing totally unique guest accommodations – and a main decking area that wraps around the branches of another.

Those in search of some post-adventure rest and relaxation can book a spoiling in-room spa treatment, the ideal way to unwind while listening to the sounds of the bush all around.

Just a few kilometers from Great Plains sister camps are Mara Plains Camp and Mara Expedition Camp. The new Mara Toto Tree Camp pairs perfectly with the Mara Nyika Camp in the private Naboisho Conservancy, as well as ol Donyo Lodge in the Chyulu Hills for a complete Kenyan safari experience with Great Plains.

Nightly rates at Great Plains’ Mara Toto Tree Camp start from $1,445 per person per night on an all-inclusive basis. For more information or to contact, visit https://greatplainsconservation.com/safari/mara-toto-tree-camp/