T+L’s Hotel Review of andBeyond Bateleur Camp in Kenya

Our stay at andBeyond Bateleur Camp began the moment our propeller plane touched down at Kichwa Tembo Airstrip, in southwestern Kenya’s iconic Masai Mara National Reserve. Waiting in front of the aircraft was our andBeyond safari guide, Isaac Kimani; a few yards behind him was the sleek safari vehicle my family and I would spend the next three days exploring the park in.

No sooner had we set off toward Bateleur Camp than the safari started. “There, a hippo!” Kimani said, cutting the engine so we could observe the creature as it sank slowly into the creek we were crossing, until only its eyes were visible above the water. As we rounded the next corner, luggage bouncing around behind us, we came across a herd of zebras grazing in a leafy glade. In front of them, warthogs snuffled around in the grass. On a hill to our right, a group of giraffes peeked up over the tree line. All this, before we’d even checked in.

It was only when we entered Bateleur Camp, though, that we got a sense of the scale and drama of the Masai Mara itself. The property sits at the foot of the Oloololo escarpment, which forms a natural boundary to the northwestern edge of the 580-square-mile park. The main building and most of the 18 guest tents have 180-degree views of the plain, stretching as far as the eye can see.

As my husband, our two kids, and I gazed at the view from the deck of the main building, the all-Kenyan staff came to introduce themselves: Grace Mwaisaka, the unflappable guest relations manager; chef “Magic” Jackson Mutuku in his tall white hat; our unfailingly gracious waiter, Joel Kariuki.

It’s an oft-used travel writing cliché to say that a hotel feels like staying in somebody’s home, but never has it felt more applicable than at Bateleur Camp. As much as 70 percent of the staff are recruited from the surrounding Masai community, and many have worked at the lodge for decades. (The first half of Bateleur Camp opened in 2000; the second in 2007.) You’ll constantly hear the Swahili phrases “karibu sana”, or “you’re very welcome” and “hakuna matata,” which, as The Lion King promises, means “no worries.”

Guests are invited to tailor their own daily schedules; a key point of distinction from the more rigid itineraries at some larger safari lodges. Don’t feel like getting up at dawn to go on a game drive? Go after breakfast instead. Want to do a hot-air balloon ride tomorrow morning? Not a problem. Whatever time we felt like setting out on an adventure, Kimani was ready, his jeep stocked with blankets, Swarovski binoculars, well-thumbed field guides, and a cooler of ice-cold drinks.

For all the delights of the lodge, at Bateleur Camp, the Masai Mara itself is the undisputed star of the show. During our late-March stay the park was bristling with wildlife, including a newborn baby elephant being sheltered by its mother, a coalition of cheetahs racing across the plain, and a pride of lions asleep under a tree. Combined with the lodge’s next-level service and spectacular location, it was abundantly clear why T+L readers voted it the No. 1 hotel in the world in our 2025 World’s Best Awards.

Read on for my review of andBeyond Bateleur Camp.

The Rooms

Bateleur Camp’s 18 Luxury Tents are spread over a north and south location, but all overlook the plains of the Masai Mara. There is also one Luxury Family Tent—essentially two tents joined together by an additional living space.

Every tent has a canopied outdoor deck with an upholstered seating area, plus a table and chairs. Though it’s rare for predators to come close, wildlife is free to pass in front of the camp. (As we sat out on our deck one afternoon, we watched a group of giraffes stroll by about a 100 yards away.)

Inside, all the tents are decorated in classic campaign style: think trunks, leather furniture, and brass light fixtures. At the front there are two rollaway canvas screens with mosquito netting that can be lowered or left open at night, depending on whether you want to be woken by the rising sun.

Bathrooms are large and luxurious: there are Jack-and-Jill sinks, plus a walled toilet and indoor shower. At the back of the tent is a large, roll-topped brass tub, which our butler would draw—and fill with bubbles—ahead of our return to camp after each afternoon safari. Behind the tent is a large outdoor shower.

There’s also a writing desk and a bar area, stocked with local beer and spirits, South African wines and my favorite, Kenya’s classic Amarula liquor.

Food and Drink

Given its small size, it’s no surprise guests at Bateleur Camp eat most of their meals in the dining area of the main lodge. That’s not to say the dining options get repetitive, though.

Chef “Magic” Jackson and his kitchen presented a new menu at lunch and dinner every day: Jackson comes to check in with guests after breakfast to talk through their choices. The food is imaginative, fresh, and always excellent. From a chicken shawarma “board” with fresh pita bread and dips served in little glass jars to fish tacos, steak or duck confit, everything tasted healthy and flavorful.

For our kids, the chef was happy to prepare almost anything they asked for, from pizza and cheeseburgers to the classic spaghetti al pomodoro.

One highlight of our stay was a dinner prepared and served in a lamp-lit clearing in the woods surrounding the camp. Here, Jackson and his team had roasted lamb on a spit and prepared local dishes of vegetables, rice, and beans.

For all the culinary bells and whistles at Bateleur, our favorite food and drink moment was the simplest: the pots of piping-hot tea and coffee delivered by our butler through a hatch at the side of our tent in the pre-dawn darkness, to wake us up in time for a safari.

Activities and Experiences

Bateleur Camp has an infinity-edged pool with views of the Masa Mara, plus a gym and a “massage sala,” or small house, where spa treatments are conducted. A short walk away is a second, larger andBeyond lodge called Kitchwa Tembo: here you’ll find a larger pool and a boutique stocked with covetable, safari-appropriate clothing and handmade pieces from the Masai Mara and beyond.

Interactions with the Masai community are sensitively handled at Bateleur. The camp has a full-time Impact and Community Officer, who acts as a liaison with the Masai villages around the camp. Song and dance performances are laid on for guests at regular intervals: during our stay, one was set up around a campfire during a sundowner on the plain, and another took place in the dining area of the lodge.

Afterward, Masai villagers sold handmade beadwork, textiles, and wood-carvings. There was nothing forced or unduly performative about any of these encounters; instead, my family and I left them feeling enriched and inspired. The Impact and Community Officer, Alex Oloonkishu, also conducts walking safaris around the camp—a nice way to stretch vehicle-weary legs and learn more about Masai culture.

Several companies offer early-morning hot-air balloon rides over the Masai Mara. Bataleur works with Governor’s Balloon Safaris, and will arrange transfers to Governor’s Safari Camp, where the rides depart.

Family-friendly Offerings

andBeyond’s WILDChild program is offered at all the company’s safari lodges, and each is tailored to reflect the surrounding culture. At Bateleur, my children, ages eight and 11, learned to make fire using dry wood, the way Masai bushmen have done for generations. Another day Oloonkishu showed them how to use a handmade bow and arrow and helped them make a Masai-style beaded bracelet. Though not usually fans of kids’ clubs, they loved each of these experiences.

In general, we found the staff at Bateleur to be exceptionally warm and comfortable with children. When my husband and I decided we wanted to do a hot-air balloon safari (which involved waking up at 4:30 a.m.—something our kids were not keen to do) the staff offered to wake them up, bring hot-chocolate to their room, and drive them to meet us for a bush breakfast when we landed.

Accessibility and Sustainability

The three founding principles of andBeyond’s impact model are Care of Land, Care of Wildlife, and Care of People. For over 30 years, the company has had a partnership with a development organization called Wild Impact. In that time, &Beyond has established a world-wide reputation for its efforts in wildlife conservation and social and environmental sustainability, and has been responsible for directly conserving over one million acres of land, most of it in Africa.

In the area around Bateleur, andBeyond and Wild Impact have established several schools for Masai children. The largest of these is now based on a three-month boarding model in order to cater to children whose homes are farther away, and today educates close to 600 kids. Conservation lessons are taught in all of its schools.

andBeyond and Wild Impact have supported medical facilities in the area around Bateleur since the camp opened in 2007, and now partner with the Kenyan government to run a nearby hospital, which opened a maternity ward in August 2024. When we visited in March 2025, 61 babies had already been delivered there. The lodge also supports a craft center with a small shop.

Deforestation is another issue affecting the region. andBeyond and Wild Impact recently formed a conservation trust to restore degraded forest around several nearby Masai villages. This has involved installing cameras in the forest to protect existing trees and establishing a nursery that now contains close to 35,000 seedlings of indigenous tree species.

Guests at the lodge are encouraged to visit, and donate to, some or all of these projects.

Rooms at Bateleur are not ADA compliant, though some rooms are wheelchair accessible with assistance.

Location

Bateleur Camp is a 15-minute drive from the Kichwa Tembo Airstrip in the Masai Mara National Reserve. Guests can fly to the airstrip from Nairobi. It’s an hour-long flight, which spares guests the six-hour drive.

Book Now

Nightly rates at andBeyond Bateleur Camp start from $1,210, all-inclusive.

Every T+L hotel review is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed at the property, and each hotel selected aligns with our core values.