(Posted 19th February 2025)
The reinvention of the region’s top luxury safari camp features new spa & wellness facilities, new and expanded culinary offerings, a revitalized Canon Brand Experience Centre, and upgraded accommodations.
Ishara, one of Africa’s leading independent luxury safari camps, reopened to guests in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve on February 13th, 2025, after an expansive nine-month renovation. Renowned for providing guests with the ultimate proximity to wildlife and the most fulfilling safari experiences year-round, Ishara’s new infrastructure, hospitality upgrades, and additions elevate it to the standard-bearer for luxury safaris in East Africa. Brand-new features include a redesigned and expanded Aya Spa, a yoga and meditation deck, a Nordic Spa, an interactive kitchen in its innovative ‘Shamba of Goodness’ aeroponic tower farm, a wine cellar, and an al fresco fireplace and lounge. Upgrades to its existing luxury tented accommodations include repositioned River Suites designed to be at one with the forest, and an enhanced Villa Suite with a private heated infinity pool and fire deck.
Originally opened to critical acclaim in March of 2022 by the Kenyan Madhani family, Ishara’s arrival in the Masai Mara helped redefine the contemporary safari experience. From its first-of-its-kind offerings in the Masai Mara, like the iconic Starbed Experience and aeroponic tower farm, which uses 95% less water than traditional methods, to inventive additions like Nespresso machines on game drives, Ishara not only offers the expected comforts and experiences synonymous with a luxury safari camp, it exceeds them.
“Last year’s devastating floods in the Masai Mara were an opportunity for us to embark on a profound journey of introspection and dreaming, delving deep into our aspirations, reimagining what Ishara could become,” said Azhar Madhani, Co-Founder of Ishara. “We took to heart every wish list we had and every piece of feedback received from our discerning guests and partners over our first two years of operation and created an even better Ishara that is the culmination not only of my family’s vision but also of every guest who has, at some point, called it their home.”
Stepping into the new Ishara, guests discover a labyrinth of pathways that connect physical spaces and weave through the camp’s very essence. As guests meander across bridges and walkways that soar through the lush tree canopies, the forest comes alive, offering a different type of micro-safari with a symphony of sights, sounds, and scents. Every direction invites engagement with nature in an intimate, immersive manner, transcending the typical safari and propelling visitors into another realm.
Unfenced and in the heart of the Reserve, Ishara is often visited by wildlife such as hippos, giraffes, elephants, and even lions and leopards. The camp’s manmade waterhole has become a place where nature finds sustenance, transforming into a spectacular carnival of life from day to night and across the seasons. It attracts diverse wildlife from near and far, even acting as a checkpoint for birds and mammals undertaking their annual migrations.
Elevated Wellbeing
Physical and mental wellness are at the core of Ishara’s ethos, and the new Ishara prioritized providing the ideal setting for guests to kickstart or maintain their journey.
The brand-new Aya Spa offers travelers tranquility and indulgent treatments among the treetops. It has two thoughtfully designed treatment realms: one dedicated to exfoliations, soaks, and signature therapies, and the other offering the cocooning warmth of wraps complemented by the cascade of a Vichy hydro shower.
For those yearning for a revitalizing escape, Ishara introduces a new Nordic Spa that offers an exhilarating contrast with its elevated sauna, cold plunge, and hot tub overlooking the spectacle of the Mara’s Posse Plains. The stunning architectural addition features a new aesthetic to complement the camp’s wellness facilities.
A brand-new yoga and meditation deck offers a novel vantage point—not just physically elevated but also in thought and spirit. The deck is a space for contemplation and serenity, where everyday life fades into the background and is replaced by the rhythmic breathing of the forest and the earth’s heartbeat.
A state-of-the-art gym with panoramic views and a vast, ornately mosaicked heated pool, present guests with an array of engaging wellness options beyond the allure of thrilling game drives.
New Culinary Adventures
Since opening in 2022, Ishara has established itself as one of the top gastronomic experiences in Africa. As part of the reinvigoration of the property, its culinary team welcomes an expanded kitchen designed to further broaden the spectrum of gourmet experiences on offer.
Already one of the most cutting-edge and unique venues at Ishara, its ‘Shamba of Goodness’ aeroponic tower farm now features a garden extension with an interactive kitchen designed for learning and culinary exploration. The new interactive teaching kitchen showcases the 28 aeroponic towers that grow about 1,232 plants monthly, including cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, eggplant, celery, leafy greens, and more. The garden averages about 200kg (440 lbs) of organic produce per month, promoting a dynamic farm-to-table approach while reducing the need for produce to be transported to the property.
The Pangolin Cellar is a captivating new addition to Ishara’s food and beverage program. Inspired by the enigmatic and endangered pangolin, the unique wine cellar is not merely a space but an homage to the rare, treasured, and profoundly unique, blending the essence of conservation with the art of winemaking. The Pangolin Cellar’s exquisite architecture enhances the charm of Ishara’s main dining area just by being there.
Adjacent to the property’s stunning stained-glass bar, a new al fresco fireplace and lounge were added to provide an additional place to linger and socialize around the glow of the flickering flames, surrounded by the symphony of the wilderness.
Ishara’s existing Observation Deck is a signature aspect of the property. As part of the revitalized guest spaces, it underwent an expansive redesign. From sundowners and candlelit dinners to intimate proposals and exploratory star quests, the Observation Deck is a guest favorite for its picturesque setting and access to the limitless skies above, day or night.
A New Perspective on Safari
A visit to Ishara is a photographer’s wonderland. Home to the first official Canon Brand Experience Centre in the Mara, guests of Ishara take advantage of complimentary high-end Canon cameras, lenses, accessories, binoculars, Canon printers for professional-quality prints to take home (packing tube included!), and professional photo editing suites —whether you are a professional or a first-timer.
Ishara’s three resident professional photographers, specializing in wildlife and portrait photography, offer complimentary on-safari and in-camp photoshoots, guided photo safaris, shooting and editing sessions, and photography classes and tutorials.
Ishara’s new photo studio, with views that serve as both muse and backdrop, provides a vibrant community of creatives. Here, the exchange of ideas and the passion for photography illuminate new pathways to pursuing artistic learning and visual storytelling excellence.
Together with Canon’s Miraisha Programme, Ishara also conducts photography training workshops for younger members of the Maasai community as well as guides from across the Mara, providing opportunities for individuals to develop their skills and reach their full potential, and making a lasting impact in their lives and those of their communities.
The Suite Life Gets Sweeter
Passionate and personal attention to detail is one of the defining aspects of designing, selecting, and curating each component of the Ishara guest experience. Interior finishes and décor draw inspiration from a rich tapestry of African design. Craft is re-interpreted, prints redefined, and texture elevated to create a backdrop where the echoes of the past are retold to reflect the here and now. Custom-designed pieces honor and preserve traditional craftsmanship and uplift local communities meaningfully and profoundly. From the indigenous Maasai spear door handles and shield-shaped mirrors to the bedside lamps fashioned by Kibera youth, Ishara has thoughtfully created artifacts with intrinsic worth.
The transformation of Ishara over the past nine months has left the soul of the property and its guestrooms intact. With the redesign, a selection of Ishara’s River Suites was relocated, tucked away in the embrace of the forest with views of the river and plains. Like before, they serve as sanctuaries for guests seeking an intimate connection with the great outdoors. Additionally, a newly enhanced Villa Suite, replete with a heated infinity pool and fire deck, offers the ultimate luxurious escape.
An ode to the cosmos as seen from an earthly realm, Ishara’s Starbed Experience now features a deck extension with a new magnificent stone bathtub, which adds to the allure of this magical setting and places it firmly at the pinnacle of any safari bucket list.
Ishara is accessible from Nairobi by road (262km | 163 mi) or by air to the Mara’s Olkiombo airstrip, just 5km away.
Rates for Ishara start at US$ 1,500 per person.
Rates include accommodation, all meals and beverages including premium wines and spirits (excluding Champagne and select wines and spirits from the Vintage Collection); game drives in an exclusive-use panoramic view luxury Land Cruiser; use of the Canon Photo Studio and its professional Canon cameras, lenses and binoculars; complimentary photo safaris and guest photoshoots with resident professional photographers; private sundowners and bush breakfast; use of the gym, heated pool, sauna, cold plunge, hot tub, and yoga deck; in-room dining; daily laundry and ironing services; childminding (from 6.00 pm – 10.00 pm); complimentary WiFi; return transfers from Olkiombo Airstrip or Sekenani Gate; emergency medical air evacuation (AMREF): all statutory taxes; and The Community Fee.
To learn more about Ishara, visit ishara.ke.
