Olare Motorogi Conservancy Safari Holidays
Olare Motorogi Conservancy
Holidays
The Maasai Mara's premier leopard territory — a 35,000-acre private conservancy on the north-eastern boundary of the reserve, famous for its extraordinary leopard density, cheetah families and the most exclusive safari camps in the ecosystem
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Flight Time
8–9h to Nairobi (NBO), then 45min domestic flight to Olare Motorogi airstrip
Best Time
July to October (Great Migration & peak predator activity); January to February (dry season, cheetah cubs); June for value
Country
Kenya
Suppliers
our travel partners ·
Olare Motorogi Conservancy Holiday Guide
Olare Motorogi Conservancy is the top choice for travellers who prioritise leopard sightings, the highest quality guiding and the most exclusive camps in the Maasai Mara ecosystem. It is the most expensive of the Mara conservancies — conservancy fees of approximately $150pp per day are added to already-premium camp rates — but for those who want the very best safari experience in Kenya, it is unmatched.
Getting there: Fly from Nairobi's Wilson Airport to the Olare Motorogi airstrip (45 minutes, from approximately £150 one way) on a scheduled or charter flight. Most camps include airstrip transfers. The airstrip is inside the conservancy — you are in the wildlife area from the moment you land.
Combining with other destinations: OMC pairs naturally with a beach stay at Diani Beach (2-3 nights safari, 3-4 nights beach) or with Amboseli for elephants against the backdrop of Kilimanjaro. A classic Kenya circuit — Samburu (3 nights), OMC (3 nights), Diani Beach (3 nights) — covers the full range of Kenyan wildlife and landscapes in 9 nights.
We search Travelpack, Emirates Holidays and JTA Holidays for the best Kenya safari deals.
Popular Areas in Olare Motorogi Conservancy
Average Temperatures
Jan
26°C
Feb
27°C
Mar
25°C
Apr
22°C
May
21°C
Jun
20°C
Jul
20°C
Aug
21°C
Sep
23°C
Oct
24°C
Nov
23°C
Dec
24°C
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Call 01282 960 460Top 8 Things To Do in Olare Motorogi Conservancy
The leopard encounters, cheetah coalition, night drives and luxury camp experiences that make Olare Motorogi the most celebrated conservancy in the Maasai Mara.
Leopard Encounters — Africa's Most Elusive Big Cat
Olare Motorogi Conservancy has the highest density of habituated leopards in the Maasai Mara ecosystem — individual animals that have been observed and studied for years and are completely relaxed around safari vehicles. Leopards are the most elusive of the Big Five in most of Africa, but in OMC they can be observed at extraordinary close range: resting in fig trees with a kill, stalking prey through the long grass, or carrying cubs between den sites. The conservancy's guides know the territories and habits of individual leopards intimately — sightings are not guaranteed (leopards are always leopards) but the chances of a quality encounter are higher here than almost anywhere else in Africa. Night drives in OMC are particularly productive for leopard — the animals are most active after dark and the spotlight reveals behaviour rarely seen in daylight.
The Cheetah Coalition — Three Brothers Hunting Together
OMC is home to one of the most remarkable wildlife stories in the Maasai Mara — a coalition of three male cheetahs (brothers from the same litter) that hunt together, a behaviour seen in fewer than 10% of male cheetahs. Male coalitions are more successful hunters than solitary cheetahs and can take down prey as large as wildebeest — prey that a single cheetah could never tackle. The three brothers have been resident in OMC for several years and are highly habituated to vehicles, allowing extraordinary close-range observation of their hunting strategies, social interactions and feeding behaviour. Watching three cheetahs coordinate a hunt across the open plains — one driving prey towards the others — is one of the most thrilling wildlife spectacles in Africa.
Off-Road Game Drives in Exclusive Territory
OMC's strict vehicle limits — each camp has exclusive zones within the conservancy and the total number of vehicles is tightly controlled — mean that major sightings are shared between very few vehicles. In the national reserve, a leopard or cheetah sighting can attract 20-30 vehicles within minutes; in OMC, you may have the same sighting entirely to yourself or with one other vehicle. The ability to drive off-road means your guide can follow predators through the bush, position the vehicle for the best angle on a kill, and explore areas of the conservancy that are never visited by the reserve's vehicles. The combination of exclusive territory, off-road freedom and expert guiding produces a quality of wildlife experience that is simply not achievable inside the national reserve.
Walking Safaris — Reading the Bush on Foot
Walking safaris in OMC are led by expert Maasai guides and armed rangers who have spent their lives in this landscape. Walking in the African bush is a fundamentally different experience from a vehicle-based game drive — the scale of the landscape, the sounds and smells of the savannah, and the immediacy of being at ground level among the wildlife creates an intensity that no vehicle can replicate. Walks focus on tracking (reading footprints, identifying dung, following spoor), bush craft (identifying medicinal plants, understanding the ecology of the savannah) and the cultural knowledge of the Maasai guides. Encounters with large game on foot — approaching a herd of elephants, watching a giraffe from 20 metres — are among the most memorable experiences in Africa.
The Great Migration Through OMC
From July to October, the Great Wildebeest Migration passes through Olare Motorogi Conservancy as the vast herds move north from the Serengeti towards the Mara River crossings. The conservancy's open plains fill with hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebra — a spectacle of almost incomprehensible scale. Predator activity during the migration is extraordinary: lion prides gorge on wildebeest; cheetahs hunt zebra foals; leopards take advantage of the abundance. The migration herds in OMC are observed from a fraction of the vehicles that crowd the national reserve's river crossing points — the experience is intimate and unhurried. The conservancy's position on the north-eastern boundary of the reserve means the herds often linger here before pushing south to the river.
Lion Prides — Year-Round Big Cat Action
OMC has several resident lion prides whose territories overlap with the conservancy, and the combination of off-road driving and exclusive vehicle access means lion sightings here are among the finest in the Mara ecosystem. The conservancy's guides track the prides daily and know the territories, family structures and individual animals intimately. Lion cubs are present in the conservancy for much of the year — watching cubs play, nurse and interact with the adults of the pride is one of the most endearing wildlife experiences in Africa. During the migration, lion kills of wildebeest are frequent and can be observed at close range without the crowds that gather at similar sightings in the national reserve.
Luxury Safari Camps — The Best in Africa
OMC is home to some of the most celebrated luxury safari camps in Africa — properties that set the standard for the entire industry in terms of design, cuisine, guiding and service. The camps are deliberately small (typically 8-12 tents) to maintain the exclusivity of the conservancy, and the rates reflect the premium experience on offer. Tented camps in OMC typically feature en-suite bathrooms with hot showers, king-size beds, private decks overlooking the savannah, and dining experiences that rival the best restaurants in Nairobi. The small size of the camps means the guiding is highly personalised — your guide learns your interests and tailors the game drive programme accordingly. Several camps in OMC have won international awards for sustainability and community engagement.
Sundowners & Bush Breakfasts
The ritual of the bush sundowner — stopping the game drive vehicle on a hilltop or riverbank as the sun sets over the Mara, with a gin and tonic in hand and the sounds of the evening bush all around — is one of the defining pleasures of a Kenyan safari. In OMC, sundowners are set up in locations chosen for their views and wildlife activity: a kopje (rocky outcrop) overlooking a lion pride, a bend in the Olare Orok river where hippos surface at dusk, or an open plain where the last light catches the dust of a moving wildebeest herd. Bush breakfasts — a full cooked breakfast served in the savannah after the morning game drive, with the sounds of the waking bush and (often) wildlife grazing nearby — are equally memorable. These rituals are part of what makes a Maasai Mara conservancy safari so different from a standard game drive.
Explore Olare Motorogi Conservancy on the Map
Key areas, beaches and attractions across the island.
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