Ilora Retreats
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Kenya  ·  Masai Mara

Your suite
in the wild.

Fourteen private suites on thirty acres of protected land. Each positioned so that the Mara is never more than a step away — and quiet enough that the only sounds are the ones outside.

Ilora Suite Interior

Designed for
the landscape.

Each of Ilora’s fourteen suites is positioned deep within the bush, carefully oriented to ensure privacy and immersion in the landscape — no suite looks onto another. The canvas and timber construction is intentional: materials that belong here, that breathe with the heat and cool with the night, creating a stay that feels connected to place rather than separated from it.

Inside, the design is stripped of anything unnecessary. A large bed oriented toward the wilderness beyond. A writing desk. A spacious bathtub and rustic ensuite shower. Binoculars, an in-room safe, and a dedicated phone connecting guests directly to their butler and the camp team. The minibar is stocked with drinking water, tea and coffee, local spirits, and soft drinks, while safari ponchos are provided for cool mornings and evenings. Housekeeping works around you, not the other way around.

Every suite is fully solar-powered. Water is purified through our on-site RO plant. The footprint of each tent on the land is intentionally minimal — part of a camp where 95% of thirty acres remains untouched.

Star Bed Sky Deck Ilora
The Star Bed

Sleep under
an open sky.

On select evenings, Ilora's sky deck becomes a bed. A single king bed is set up on the elevated platform — no ceiling, no walls, nothing between you and the full southern sky. The sounds of the Mara below. Stars above. Nothing else.

The Star Bed is available at a supplementary charge and is arranged through our team for the right evenings — clear skies, the right wind, the right conditions. Not every night qualifies. When it does, it is worth it.

Location
Sky Deck · Open air
Availability
Subject to conditions
Cost
Supplementary charge
Enquire about Star Beds
Suites
14 Private
Maximum occupancy
23 Guests
Power
100% Solar
Water
RO Purified · On-site
Land protected
30 Acres · 95% Natural
Inside the Suite

Everything you need.
Nothing you don't.

Flexible Configuration
Suites can be prepared as a king or twin room, with an extra bed available on request.
Bath and shower
A spacious bathtub and rustic multi-jet shower, offering a comfortable place to unwind and refresh between game drives.
Private Veranda
Your own deck, your own view, your own recliners. Where most mornings at Ilora actually begin — before the game drive.
Minibar & Refreshments
Drinking water, tea and coffee provisions, local spirits, and soft drinks, thoughtfully stocked and replenished quietly each day.
Thoughtful Essentials
An in-room safe, electricity-free refrigerator, umbrella, and safari ponchos support a comfortable stay in the wilderness.
Storage & Organisation
Generous wardrobe space and a three-tier luggage rack keep the suite effortlessly organised.

The best suite in the Mara is not the largest one. It is the one that disappears into its surroundings, leaving only the experience of being here.

Ilora Retreats  ·  Masai Mara, Kenya

Where everything
sits within the land.

Ilora occupies thirty acres of the Mara, most of it left exactly as nature intended. The suites are tucked among the bush along the camp’s western edge, while the dining tent, pool, spa, and sky deck form a quiet heart connected by natural pathways. There are no walls between the camp and its surroundings. The wilderness is part of the experience.

Ilora Retreats Camp Map

The spaces
we share.

Ilora's common areas are not facilities in the hotel sense. They are places designed to be used naturally — the pool when the afternoon heat peaks, the spa after a long drive, the sky deck as the sun falls. Each space is positioned to keep the Mara always visible, always present.

01 The Pool
Ilora Pool
The Pool

The afternoon,
From breakfast to starlight, at the water's edge.

More than a place to swim, the pool is one of the camp's natural gathering places. Breakfasts unfold here at a slower pace, private meals are arranged beside the water, and evenings can end with a romantic dinner beneath the stars.

Surrounded by wilderness, it is a place designed for unhurried hours and uninterrupted views.

Position
Immersed in the Wilderness
Poolside dining
Midday · Afternoon
Included
All stays
02 Ilora Spa Sanctuary
Ilora Spa
Ilora Spa Sanctuary

Rest that goes
deeper.

The spa at Ilora is not a hotel amenity. It is a place of recovery — for bodies that have spent the day exploring, observing, and moving through the wilderness. Treatments draw on natural ingredients and are designed around the rhythms of safari.

Sessions can be enjoyed in the spa tent with sweeping views across the landscape, in the open-air bush spa, or in the privacy of your suite. Appointments are arranged around game drives, allowing the day to unfold without compromise.

Treatments
Massage · Holistic · Body
Booking
By appointment
Supplement
Additional charge
03 The Sky Deck
Sky Deck Ilora
The Sky Deck

The Mara,
from above.

An elevated platform above the camp — no walls, no ceiling, nothing between you and the landscape. Throughout the day, the sky deck takes on different roles: a private breakfast at sunrise, a quiet place to watch wildlife moving across the Mara, sundowners as the light begins to soften, or a dinner beneath the stars.

As darkness settles, it becomes a setting for guided stargazing sessions and, for those who wish, a night spent in the sky bed under the African sky. At any hour, it remains one of the camp's most peaceful places to simply sit, observe, and let the wilderness unfold around you.

Best moments
Starbeds · Sundowners · Stargazing
Dining
Dinners · Breakfast
Views
Views of distant Mara plains
04 Reception
Ilora Reception
Reception

Where the camp
begins and returns.

Ilora's reception is not a lobby in the conventional sense. It is a gathering point — where guests arrive, where morning tea is laid out before the early drive, where the day is briefed and the evening is wound down.

The walls carry Alankar Chandra's original wildlife photography from the Mara, printed large and hung as an exhibition. A small naturalist library of more than sixty books on the Mara ecosystem, wildlife, and photography invites guests to linger a little longer. Every image was taken in the field. Arriving at Ilora begins here, in front of the work that inspired the camp.

Gallery
Mini Library, Photo Gallery
Function
Arrival · Briefings · Evening gatherings
Hours
Open all day
05 Photo Lounge
Photo Lounge Ilora
Photo Lounge

For those who
shoot seriously.

The Photo Lounge is a dedicated space for photographers — to review the morning's images, process edits, compare observations with fellow guests, or simply spend time with the day's work. Set apart from the social areas of camp, it is designed for concentration, learning, and creative exchange.

Two Mac Mini editing workstations equipped with professional photo and video editing software are available for guest use. The space also features a conference table for up to ten people, a projector and screen for image reviews and presentations, a photo printer for selected prints, and a collection of cameras and lenses available for hire.

Used throughout the day between drives, the Photo Lounge naturally becomes a gathering place for photography groups and an inspiring workspace for individual photographers alike.

Usage
Editing stations, Camera Rentals, Projector, Conference
Best for
Photographers · Groups
Access
All guests · All hours
06 Bush Dinner Site
Bush Dinner Site Ilora
The Bush Dinner Site

Under Canvas
Under Sky

At the heart of camp, the dining tent is designed with both enclosed and open-air seating, allowing guests to choose between the comfort of shelter and uninterrupted views of the Mara plains. Here, meals unfold unhurriedly, accompanied by changing light, quiet conversation, and the sounds of the wild.

On selected evenings, members of the local Maasai community share traditional song and dance; on others, the landscape itself provides the evening's company.

Setting
Dedicated open-air site
Evenings
Selected nights
Performances
Maasai · Occasional
07 Also at Ilora
Also at Ilora

The details
that complete the stay.

Fitness Pavilion
Fitness
Fitness Pavilion
An open-air gym with electricity-free cardio, resistance, and free-weight equipment, available from early morning.
Curio Shop
Shopping
Curio Shop
Hand-selected Maasai beadwork, local crafts, and photography prints. Each piece is sourced directly from artisans in the community.
Yoga at Ilora
Wellness
Yoga Deck
Morning yoga sessions on an open deck with views of the savannah. Guided sessions available on request.
Camp Facilities
Facilities
Camp Facilities
Clean, well-positioned guest washrooms at common areas throughout the camp — including near the pool and bush dinner site.
14 Private Suites  ·  Masai Mara, Kenya

The suite is ready
when you are.

Tell us when you'd like to arrive. We'll take care of everything else.

Plan Your Stay

Your enquiry goes directly to our team. We respond within 24 hours.