Angama Mara — Maasai Mara, Kenya
The interiors of too many African safari lodges are a reminder of colonial times; rooms are adorned with leather trunks, zebra-skin rugs line the floors, and maps - that display countries that no longer exist - hang from the walls. At Angama Mara though, this is certainly not the case.
Located at the Ngong Hills in Kenya’s national game reserve, Maasai Mara - the same location author Karen Blixen famously speaks about in her book Out of Africa - the property is the vision of South African couple Steve and Nicky Fitzgerald who, drawing on three decades of experience building and operating safari lodges, wanted to create a space unlike anything else in the country.
So, together with the help of designer Annemarie Meintjes and Johannesburg-based architects Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, they conspired to create a series of 30 luxury tented suites, set over two separate camps, each with endless vistas across the Maasai Mara below.
Set on the ridge of the continent’s Great Rift Valley, the vibe is resolutely modern African romance with a floor-to-ceiling glass front that opens onto a broad timber deck. Inside, creamy hues and concealed lighting add to the mystique, while sleek furnishings from Cape Town-based John Vogel are highlighted with smatterings of distinct Maasai reds.
After watching the sun rise from your deck with a cup of coffee delivered by your personal butler, distractions are aplenty, beginning with a gentle hot air balloon ride along the Mara River and over the plains, a post-breakfast game drive, or a spot of retail therapy at the Safari Shop in the main Pavilion.
In the kitchen, food is fresh and local and can be enjoyed wherever takes your fancy. We suggest a candle lit dinner on your private deck, enhanced with the untamed soundtrack of the wilderness below.
ADDRESS
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Maasai Mara National Reserve
Mary Holland is a South African writer based in New York. She has written for HTSI, WSJ Magazine, Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, W Magazine, the Financial Times and more. She travels to Mexico frequently.
-
Wallpaper* checks in at the refreshed W Hollywood: ‘more polish and less party’
The W Hollywood introduces a top-to-bottom reimagining by the Rockwell Group, capturing the genuine warmth and spirit of Southern California
By Carole Dixon Published
-
Book a table at Row on 5 in London for the dinner party of dreams
Row on 5, located on the storied Savile Row, emerges as a perfectly tailored fit for fans of fine dining
By Ben McCormack Published
-
How a bijou jewellery salon in Monaco set the jewellery trends for 2025
Inside the inaugural edition of Joya, where jewellery is celebrated as miniature works of art
By Jean Grogan Published
-
Peter Beard’s biographer, Christopher Wallace, on writing the wild life of the quintessential Twentieth-Century Man
Author Christopher Wallace traces the footsteps of the original playboy-artist-activist Peter Beard, travelling from Kenya, to the Serengeti, Cassis and beyond
By Christopher Wallace Published
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico
By Chadner Navarro Published
-
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland
By Daven Wu Last updated
-
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia
By Dimity Noble Last updated
-
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
By Jennifer Choo Last updated
-
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
By Daven Wu Last updated
-
Littlenap — Hangzhou, China
By Daven Wu Last updated
-
Casa Santa Teresa — Corsica, France
By Daven Wu Last updated