Alex Walker's Serian The Original: The 2027 Guide
Serian The Original at a glance
Serian The Original is Alex Walker’s five-tent camp on the western edge of the Mara North Conservancy, high above the Mara River. Every group gets its own vehicle and guide, walks are open to all ages, and rates start from about USD 1,140 per person a night.
Alex Walker’s Serian The Original is a five-tent camp on the western edge of the Mara North Conservancy, set high above the Mara River, and every booking includes your own vehicle, guide and spotter. It was the first of Alex Walker’s camps. Serian means peaceful or calm in Maa, and that is exactly how it feels: five tents, the private Pusinkariak conservation area across the river, and the Siria Escarpment, also called the Oloololo, on the western skyline.
A Small Camp Above The River
Most of the big Mara camps feel like small hotels. Serian feels like staying with a friend who happens to live in the bush. Alex Walker is a safari guide, and the camp is run the way a guide would want it run: few guests, no fixed schedule, and the day built around the animals rather than the dining times.
The camp sits high on the bank, so the river and the plains on the far side are part of the view from almost everywhere. Hippos grunt below you at night, and in migration season the herds come down to the water within sight of camp.
What Life In Camp Is Really Like
It is not quiet at night. The camp sits above a stretch of river with resident hippos, and around two or three in the morning you will hear them grunting and splashing below. Most guests love it. Light sleepers should pack earplugs.
There is no guest Wi-Fi. The camp keeps an internet connection for emergencies only, and the mobile signal is patchy, so you may need to walk towards the road for a bar or two. Power comes from solar panels and runs 24 hours a day, and you can charge cameras and phones in your tent.
The camp is unfenced. Animals walk through at night, so Maasai askaris walk you to and from your tent after dark, every time. Do not walk the paths alone at night, even for a minute.
Serian The Original | |
Location | Western edge of Mara North Conservancy, above the Mara River |
Size | 5 tents, one of them a family suite |
Owner | Alex Walker, a safari guide |
Nearest airstrip | Mara North, about an hour’s game drive away |
Best for | Couples, families and anyone who wants time and space |
The Tents, The Bathrooms And The Nest
Serian The Original has five large canvas tents on hardwood decks facing the Mara River: four river tents and one family suite. Each has an en-suite bathroom, and there are open-air bush baths and the Nest treehouse a short walk away.
Alongside the en-suite bathrooms, the camp kept its separate bush bathrooms, including the famous baths with a view. Lying in a hot bath looking over the Mara River is not something you forget.
The family suite has two bedrooms joined by a shared deck and lounge, with a bathroom each, so parents and children are close but still have their own space.
The Nest is a treehouse a short walk north of camp. You sleep high in the trees under a mosquito net, with nothing between you and the night sounds of the river. One night in the Nest can be added to your stay at no extra charge, as long as it is free on your dates.
Room | How many | Best for |
River tent | 4 | Couples and friends |
Family suite, two bedrooms | 1 | Families with children |
The Nest treehouse | 1 night, if available | Anyone who wants a night under the stars |
Your Own Vehicle, Walks And Night Drives
At Serian The Original, every party is given its own 4×4 with a private guide and a Maasai spotter, with no shared seats, and walks take place on Pusinkariak, Serian’s private conservation area across the river.
This is where Serian stands apart from most camps. You go where you want and stay as long as you like. No shared drives, no waiting for other guests.
Across the river is Pusinkariak, about 1,500 acres of private conservation area between the Mara River and the Siria Escarpment, with 4 km of river frontage. It is kept free of cars and cattle, which makes it ideal for walking safaris. Ngare Serian and the Nest treehouse both sit on it. Unusually, walks here are open to guests of all ages, with the guide deciding what is safe on the day. Night drives are allowed too, because the camp is in a conservancy and not the national reserve. The Mara North Conservancy is a member of the Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association, and part of what you pay goes to the Maasai families who lease their land to it.
From July to October the migration herds move through Mara North and along the river. For the big crossings you can spend a full day in the national reserve. On those days the reserve park fee applies: USD 100 per adult a day from January to June and USD 200 from July to December, and USD 50 per child aged 9 to 17 (under 3s are free), set by the Narok County Government. Do not buy tickets on the KWS eCitizen portal, as they are not valid at the Mara gates. We prepay them for you.
Why Photographers Choose Serian
Serian is a favourite with wildlife photographers, and the private vehicle is the reason. Your guide drives and positions the vehicle for the light and the angle, while the Maasai spotter watches the animals and the light. That leaves you behind the viewfinder instead of directing the vehicle. Because nobody else shares your seats, you can wait an hour for a leopard to come down a tree and nobody asks to move on.
In some seasons the camp has a photographer in residence who can help with camera settings, field technique and editing your pictures after the drive. Ask when you book whether one will be in camp on your dates. Bring a beanbag, or ask your guide for one, for steady low-angle shots from the vehicle.
Activity | Allowed? | Good to know |
Private vehicle, guide and spotter | Yes, included | Your group only, ideal for photography |
Walking safaris | Yes, all ages | On Pusinkariak, Serian’s private land across the river |
Night drives | Yes | Not allowed in the reserve |
Day in the main reserve | Yes | Park fee applies that day |
How Serian Compares With Its Sister Camps
Alex Walker runs three camps in the Mara. Serian The Original is the quiet conservancy camp with walking, Ngare Serian is its smaller neighbour across the river, and Serian Nkorombo is the mobile camp inside the reserve for the crossings. Many guests combine two of them.
Camp | Where | Best for |
Serian The Original | Mara North, above the Mara River | Walks, families, a private vehicle in a quiet conservancy |
West bank, reached by a suspension footbridge from the Original | Couples who want something even smaller and more secluded | |
Inside the national reserve, about 90 minutes’ drive south | River crossings in migration season | |
On top of the Oloololo Escarpment | Big views, design and lodge comforts |
A popular plan is three nights here and two at Nkorombo, so you get the quiet of the conservancy and the crossings in the reserve. One rule to know if you do: on your last morning in the reserve you must leave through a gate, or fly out of Keekorok, before 10 am, or another full day’s park fee is charged. We plan the timing so that does not happen.
Book Serian The Original if you care most about the guiding, want your own vehicle without paying extra, are travelling with children of any age, or want to walk.
Look elsewhere if you need good Wi-Fi, want a hotel-style lodge with polished design and big views, or are coming mainly for the river crossings and only have two nights. For the views, Angama Mara is the obvious alternative. For the crossings on a short trip, Nkorombo makes more sense.
Rates And What They Include
Serian The Original costs from about USD 1,140 per person a night, two sharing, and the rate already includes the Mara North conservancy fee, your private vehicle, guide and spotter, all meals and drinks, walks and night drives.
Serian is an all-inclusive camp, and the rate covers more than most. The latest published rates run from about USD 1,140 per person a night in the quieter months to about USD 1,370 in the migration months and over Christmas, two sharing. We confirm the exact 2027 figure when we quote.
Season | Per person a night, sharing | Notes |
January to June, October to mid-December | From about USD 1,140 | Quieter months |
July to September, Christmas and New Year | From about USD 1,370 | Migration and festive season |
Children aged 5 to 15 | Child rate | Under 5s stay free |
Included: all meals and drinks, the Mara North conservancy fee (worth USD 150 per adult and USD 75 per child aged 5 to 15 a night), your private vehicle with guide and spotter, game drives, night drives, walks, sundowners and bush meals, airstrip transfers, daily laundry, Flying Doctors emergency cover, and one night in the Nest if available.
Where the money goes. The conservancy fee in your rate pays the monthly leases to the Maasai landowners of Mara North, which keeps the land open for wildlife.
Not included: national reserve park fees on days you go into the main Mara, flights, the Kenya eTA (USD 34), hot air balloon flights (USD 550) and tips for the staff (USD 15 to 20 a day).
Because the conservancy fee and a private vehicle are already in the rate, Serian often costs less overall than camps with a lower headline price once you add those extras.
What Guests Want To Know
How Do I Get To Serian The Original?
Fly from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport to Mara North airstrip, about 45 to 60 minutes. The drive from the airstrip to camp is a slow 60-minute game drive on dirt tracks, so keep your camera out. Pack everything in a soft duffel, because hard cases do not fit and the weight limit is 15 kg. Our flying packages page explains how it works.
Is Serian Good For Families?
Very good. There is no minimum age, children under 5 stay free, cots and high chairs are available, and the family unit gives everyone their own space. Walks are open to all ages, which is rare in the Mara. The camp is unfenced, so keep young children close, especially after dark.
When Is The Best Time To Go?
Serian The Original is open all year, including the long rains in April and May, when its raised ridge stays drier than the plains around it. July to October brings the migration and the river crossings. January to March is dry, warm and quiet. Our best time to visit guide has the month by month picture.
How Long Should I Stay?
Three nights is the minimum to enjoy the walks, the Nest and the drives without rushing. Four or five nights, split with Nkorombo, gives you the reserve as well.
Plan Your Serian Safari
With only five tents, Serian fills months ahead for the migration and over Christmas. Tell us your dates, how many of you are travelling and whether you would like to add Ngare Serian or Nkorombo. Our team at Sekenani will check availability with the camp and send an itemised quote within 24 hours.
- Email: [email protected]
- WhatsApp: +254 180 297 751
- Online booking: Get a Quote
Related Reading
- Mara North Conservancy
- Ngare Serian
- Serian Nkorombo Mobile Camp
- Walking safaris in Masai Mara
- The Mara River
- Mara River crossing
- Masai Mara camps
- Luxury safari Masai Mara
Sources
- Serian The Original, Serian
- Serian: Wild yet responsible, Pusinkariak
- Porini: Serian The Original package details
- Narok County Government
Written by David Njunge, TRA-licensed safari guide with over 10 years in the Masai Mara. Edited by Cess Wambui, travel consultant, BSc Tourism and Hospitality Management. Verified for the 2027 season.
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