andBeyond Bateleur Camp

Each of the Tented Suites is positioned along the edge of the forest, where guests can enjoy the respite of the shady trees. The tents are raised on hardwood decking and face out onto a private verandah with seating, where guests can relax and enjoy stunning views of the Mara plains. The spacious rooms feature double or two twin beds, comfortable armchairs, and elegant furnishings.

An extra bed can be added for children under the age of 16 to make the room a triple. The open plan room leads to an en-suite bathroom with double basins, a toilet, shower, and a large bathtub. Each room also has an outside area with an outdoor shower. Enjoy a relaxing stay here while surrounded by picturesque views and Kenya’s amazing wildlife, while your private butler ensures that you have all that you need.

The Family Tent is made up of two tents that connect to a homely lounge area via canvas corridors. This can be easily opened and closed when the individual rooms want some privacy. Each of the two bedrooms in the family tent features either double or twin beds, individual en-suite bathrooms and their own private deck.

The en-suite bathrooms consist of a toilet, double basins, shower and a large bath. Outside, guests will find an outdoor shower and small courtyard space. The front of each room leads out to a private verandah with outdoor seating. The two verandahs of the family tent point in opposite directions, providing guests with some extra privacy and uninterrupted views of the Mara plains. There are two family suites at Bateleur, both situated in the Northern half of the camp.

Guests can look forward to three delicious meals a day, all freshly prepared by the camp’s chefs. Guests can enjoy dining out on the viewing deck, overlooking the sweeping plains, or even have breakfast beside the Mara River or on the Oloololo Escarpment.

Meals can also be brought to your tent if you fancy a private, romantic meal with your significant other. In the evenings, dine out under the stars and enjoy succulent meals cooked over a fire at the camp’s boma. Finish off the evening with a nightcap from the camp’s fully stocked bar and listen to the sounds of the nocturnal wildlife.

Venture out into the Kichwa Tembo Concession and enjoy exclusive wildlife viewing available only to andBeyond guests. Explore the plains of the Maasai Mara in a specially designed safari vehicle and look out for huge herds of elephants, prides of lion, leopards, cheetah and giraffe. Guests may also be able to see the endangered black rhino.

Wander along the banks of the Mara River, where hippos and crocodiles lounge in the waters, and learn all about the incredible wildlife of the Maasai Mara from your knowledgable guide. Tailor your safari experience to your own interests, and focus on finding all of your favourite animals, while your guide teaches you about their behaviours and history. Game drives are especially exciting during the great migration, and your guide will attempt to catch up with the migrating animals to offer you a safari experience like no other.

Night drives are also available, offering guests the chance to catch sight of the nocturnal species that cannot be found during the day. The darkness adds an immersive element to the drives as the vehicle’s floodlights search for prowling leopards and aardwolves, and smaller species such as bush-babies and civets.

Watch the sky turn amber as the sun sinks below the open plains while you enjoy a refreshing cocktail. Sundowners can be enjoyed from a stunning location on the Oloololo Escarpment that offers panoramic views of the Maasai Mara.

Embark on a guided walk and explore the Maasai Mara. Guests can choose to take one of three different routes, each one lasting approximately 2 hours. The Kichwa Nature Trail is perfect for guests who want to view abundant birdlife as they meander through the riverine forest and follow the Sabaringo Creek.

The Mara Hippo Trail explores diverse landscapes including plains, forests, grasslands, and bushland until guests come out at the stunning Mara River. The Oloololo Escarpment Trail heads to the top of the 400-metre tall escarpment and offers guests incredible views over the Maasai Mara Nature Reserve and the Mara River.

Explore the Maasai Mara from a completely unique perspective in a hot-air balloon. Watch the sunrise over the reserve and Mara River as the savannah wakes to a new day. Look down at the wildlife from a bird’s eye view and get a sense of how vast the Mara plains really are. When you land, you will be treated to breakfast on the plains with a glass of champagne. This activity is available at an additional cost.

Meet members of the local Maasai village and learn about what it is like to live alongside the Maasai Mara. Your guide will be from the village and will be able to teach you about Maasai living from first-hand experience. Guests can also pay a visit to the Massai Craft Centre, where you can purchase artefacts and souvenirs made by the local people. This gives back to the community and helps to support the local economy. This activity is available at an additional cost.

Enjoy an incredible 20-minute performance by Maasai warriors as they give a display of traditional dances and songs. The warriors will be dressed in traditional clothing and combine their music and movements to create a stunning dance. This activity is available at an additional cost.

andBeyond has partnered with Healing Earth, which specialises in holistic spa treatments and skincare. Healing Earth only uses natural ingredients in their products and have an eco-friendly focus. Enjoy soothing treatments inspired by traditional African healers, and take some time to relax and self-care.

andBeyond’s WILDchild programme consists of a range of fun safari activities for young explorers. Children can enjoy learning about African culture and heritage through crafting and beadwork, nature walks, joining a spear-throwing competition and learning to make a fire the Maasai way. These fun activities will give your children a set of new skills as well as forging incredible memories as they learn about the Maasai Mara and the people and wildlife that make the Mara what it is.

Take your special day even further by exchanging your vows at andBeyond Bateleur Camp, with the Mara plains and riverine forest in the background. The romantic sunset and sweeping plains create a beautiful backdrop for couples to enjoy as they start a new chapter of their lives together.

Since 1991, andBeyond’s company ethos has been ‘Care of the Land, Wildlife & People’. andBeyond continue to look for new ways that they can contribute to wildlife spaces and local communities as well as reduce their environmental impact without compromising the guest experience.

Each of andBeyond’s lodges has a ‘sustainability champion’ who looks for ideas ‘to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, recycling initiatives, conservation awareness drives, water efficiency … addressing erosion and re-greening.’ Exclusive experiences are created for guests whilst showing lasting benefits which are meaningful for the communities around their camps and the natural environment. Currently, andBeyond have 59 awards recognising their sustainability impact.

andBeyond ‘Maximise our localised shared value opportunities through economic benefit, capacity building and social service infrastructure.’ They have created 101 jobs in the communities that they operate within, offering life-changing opportunities to local people and helping to support their families.

Through social service infrastructure initiatives, 56,000 people from local communities now have access to clean water through water access sites and 4724 Hippo Water Rollers, which assist in the transportation of water. In addition, 532 students have been provided with an opportunity for higher education in 285 new or renovated classrooms.

andBeyond collaborated with the Africa Foundation, a non-profit organisation, in order to fund the Emurutoto Clinic and provide medical supplies. The Emurutoto Clinic has been essential during the Covid-19 pandemic, giving patients an awareness of how to prevent spreading the virus.

The clinic was nominated by the Kenyan Government as one of two clinics in Narok County to handle Covid-19 cases, and donor funds have been able to supply medical equipment and PPE for the clinic’s doctor and its quarantine room. The Emurutoto Clinic also provides children with vaccinations and meets the medical needs of those within the local community.

andBeyond works to protect the land they operate on by implementing eco-conscious and sustainable initiatives. One of andBeyond’s aims is to reduce their direct carbon footprint by 8%. Currently, all of andBeyond’s lodges have been audited with an average sustainability score of 88%.

Another way that andBeyond cares for the land is by conserving their water usage, and sourcing water in a sustainable manner. 96% of andBeyond’s lodges use water sourced from water bottling plants and are currently 85 litres/head better than their target of 500 l/head. andBeyond also aims to remove plastic water bottles at all of their camps, and so far 740,000 plastic water bottles have been eliminated per year.

andBeyond has 23763 hectares of conservation land under their care, meaning that all of this land, and the nature that inhabits it, is protected. andBeyond is also working with Great Plains Conservation for their collaborative project, Rhinos Without Borders.

On average, one rhino is killed every eight hours by poachers who are after their horns. To help combat this, Rhinos Without Borders relocate rhinos from high-risk poaching areas in South Africa to Botswana’s wilderness areas. At present, Rhinos Without Borders has been able to translocate 93 rhinos, who as a result will be far safer from poachers.

andBeyond recognises the threat posed to the world’s oceans and marine resources. Efforts to combat the peril of ocean degradation have inspired a partnership with a fellow bastion of ecological awareness, the Africa Foundation.

In addition to the over 3.6 million hectares (9 million acres) of protected wildlife sustained through the Care of the Wild initiative, andBeyond’s footprint now covers an additional 2000 km of the African coastline, striving to conserve and enlarge Marine Protected Areas. andBeyond seek to apply their trilogy philosophy to their marine operations in order to better care for/impart a positive ecological effect on the areas of ocean under their jurisdiction.

This philosophy comprises Protecting Reefs, Protecting Marine Species and Community Empowerment. Through the facilitation of partnerships with like minded institutions, this project has so far been successful and sets optimistic targets for future projects.

In line with andBeyond’s stance on ecological sustainability and their streamlined efficiency mandate, there currently exists a wealth of initiatives and protocols designed to mediate the ecological impact on areas built upon and utilised for means of ecotourism. For instance, careful site selection ensures that the areas chosen for the construction of all andBeyond properties are compatible with the surrounding landscapes, ecosystems and wildlife.

The implementation of repurposed and recycled construction materials greatly benefits the ecology of the land, negating the need to source and haul industrial quantities of lumber and other construction materials across vast distances through otherwise undisturbed ecosystems. Minimal foundations and excavations are achieved using steel frame structures atop the designated areas of construction, minimising the imprint on the immediate environment.

Energy efficiency is maintained through the architectural use of very wide eaves, covered external terraces, cross ventilation and maximised insulation. Heat pumps have been used to heat the pools, with gas used for water heating to greatly reduce the carbon footprint. State-of-the-art wastewater and sewer treatment systems enable all wastewater to be effectively recycled for irrigation.