About Mara Siana
Mara Siana is a small upscale camp in the newly formed Ripoi Conservancy (formerly Olarro South), a stunning undiscovered area outside the Masai Mara National Reserve. We are 50% Masai and 50% female owned. Five double ensuite tents – three kings and two twins. Two family tents with two bedrooms and two bathrooms each.
Amazing game viewing within the conservancy and a healthy cheetah population as well as year round non-migrating wildebeest. We also, on occasion, see pangolin. There are 24,000 acres of private conservancy land for the exclusive use of the three small camps.
We have world-class directors/guides with over 75 years of guiding/management experience. Jackson Looseyia, one of Africa’s top 15 legendary guides and co-star of Big Cat Tales, is the driving force behind this project.
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50%
MASAI OWNED
Mara Siana
LOCATED IN THE MARA RIPOI CONSERVANCY
50%
FEMALE OWNED
About Mara Ropoi Conservancy
Nestled on the outer edge of the legendary Maasai Mara National Reserve, the 24,000-acre Mara Ripoi Conservancy represents a remarkable conservation success story born from the vision and generosity of the local Maasai community.
Three decades ago, when the area transitioned from a private group ranch to individual ownership, forward-thinking landowners made an extraordinary commitment to wildlife preservation. Each landowner voluntarily donated 6.5 acres of their most precious resource — their ancestral land — toward conservation efforts. This land in the heart of the area was set aside, creating the foundation for what would eventually become Mara Ripoi Conservancy.
This collaborative approach makes Ripoi unique among Mara conservancies. Rather than being imposed from outside, conservation here grew organically from the community’s own dedication to protecting their natural heritage for future generations.
The conservancy encompasses three distinct ecosystems that create an incredibly diverse wildlife habitat. Rolling hills provide elevated vantage points and varied terrain, while expansive savannahs offer the classic African plains experience where large herds roam freely. The riverine areas along seasonal waterways and natural springs create lush corridors that attract an abundance of wildlife, especially during drier months.
Today, Mara Ripoi hosts just four accommodation options: three small permanent camps that maintain an intimate, low-impact presence with roughly 700 acres per tent, and one seasonal mobile camp. This deliberately limited development ensures that the conservancy’s 24,000 acres remain largely untouched, preserving the authentic wilderness experience that both wildlife and visitors cherish.
The result is a conservation model that proves local communities can be the most effective guardians of Africa’s natural treasures — protecting vast landscapes while creating sustainable livelihoods that honor both tradition and the future.
Being in the right place at the right time — and immediately recognizing the rarity of that opportunity — is how director and co-owner Jackson Looseyia describes the birth of Mara Siana Camp.
“We saw an opportunity and window,” he explains of the decision to start the camp. “Such a golden opportunity that it was irresistible, particularly if you are to say you have influence in your community to preserve the land.”
The roots of that opportunity stretch back more than a decade to the creation of Olarro Conservancy in 2011 on the outer edge of Maasai Mara National Reserve. Five years later, the reserve was expanded into separate units called Olarro North and Olarro South.
Olarro and its partners eventually found they were unable to manage and fund such an expansive area and ensure the integrity of the landscape and its wildlife. So Olarro South was transformed into the new Ripoi Conservancy.
A short while later, Jackson heard through the Mara grapevine that Ripoi was searching for concessionaires to develop small upscale safari camps in the new conservancy. It was during the height of the Covid pandemic and no investors had yet stepped forward to claim a concession.
Jackson decided to take a look. “I drove out four times before I actually realized what an amazing place Ripoi is,” he remembers. Springing into action, he secured investment money and asked long-time friends and fellow all-star guides Salaash Morompi and Fred Ronko to partner in the enterprise.
They obtained a 20-year contract from the conservancy and got to work, creating a safari camp in the virgin bush. Mara Siana opened in early 2023. In doing so, the trio became the among the first Maasai to own and manage a safari camp in the legendary Mara.
“When people say, is this your dream come true? I’m like, this is so beyond my wildest dreams of what I even knew was even possible to dream of,” says Jackson. “What would be our fathers’ thoughts today in heaven when they realize we are now the employers rather than being employees.”
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