Spot the Maasai Mara’s big cats at Porini Lion Camp

Porini Lion Camp borders the Maasai Mara National Reserve and is known for its high density of leopards, lions and cheetahs. We’re located in the 33,000-acre Olare Motorogi Conservancy and have just ten, solar-powered safari tents. None of our camps are permanent, so if we left tomorrow, the area would return to its original state – Porini means ‘wilderness’ in Swahili. When guests stay, they’re directly funding the conservancy’s work.

Olare Motorogi is ideal for spotting lions and cheetahs and is known as one of the best places in Africa to see leopards. There’s one, Fig, who’s quite famous from starring in a National Geographic programme called the Jade Eyed Leopard – she has beautiful eyes. I remember when Fig was born 11 years ago at Porini Lion Camp and then a few years ago, she came back to have her own cubs here. We were able to see the two babies when they were only a month old, it was unbelievable.

Watch as TV traveller Simon Reeve meets Wilson, a guide at Porini Lion Camp.

We get a lot of photographic groups who come to see the big cats but also to capture the sunrise, which is particularly beautiful, and to enjoy sunset over the plains. Porini is an excellent base if you’re visiting during the Great Migration too, as it’s not far from the Mara River. I’ve seen some amazing crossings there, with wildebeest flooding across the water and being attacked by crocodiles.

Our expert guides are from the local Maasai community, so they know the landscape and wildlife intimately. Many have been with us since we started 16 years ago, so they recognise all the cats by name and have watched many of them grow from cubs. Since we’re in a private conservancy, guests are also able to take walks with our guides, visit Maasai communities and enjoy night drives. In the Mara Reserve, when you see a lion there may be 20 cars around it but here in the conservancy, it’s a much more exclusive feel.

Although the big cats are our main draw, you’re also likely to see the rest of the Big Five on a safari, either in the conservancy or a day-trip into the Maasai Mara Reserve. Guests also love simply soaking up the peace and quiet at camp. Porini is inspired by the original safari camps of the Teddy Roosevelt and Ernest Hemingway era; it’s all about being in a wildlife-rich area and just sitting around a campfire with likeminded people.