Marriott International has signed an agreement with Baraka Lodges LTD. to enter the luxury safari segment in Africa.
JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge will be located within the Masai Mara National Reserve, one of Africa’s most renowned wildlife conservation and wilderness regions.
Plans for the new-build lodge feature 20 private tents, including one presidential canvas-topped pavilion and two interconnecting canopied suites – ideal for families – each with a private terrace overlooking the river. Shared spaces will include a restaurant, lounge bar, spa, and a large outdoor terrace with fire pits that will play host to traditional Masai dance performances in the evening.
Offering discerning travellers an unparalleled setting, the elegant retreat expects to welcome guests in 2023. Overlooking the famed banks of the River Talek and on the edge of the reserve, JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge’s prime location will offer guests a distinctively elevated camp from which to discover the Masai Mara National Reserve, its stunning vistas, abundant wildlife, and endless plains.
The untamed landscape will offer guests the opportunity to observe the “Big Five” that Masai Mara is home to: lions, leopards, buffalos, rhinoceros and elephants. Between June and September, the reserve is also hosting to the annual great wildebeest migration, when more than 10 million animals travel 1,800 miles from the Serengeti in neighbouring Tanzania. Conservation of the land and its inhabitants will be at the heart of JW Marriott Masai Mara.
The safari lodge aims to employ up to 50 locals from the Masai community and will offer robust learning opportunities for guests looking to immerse themselves in the destination.
Read the full announcement here.