Meet Jackson Karia — your Maasai driver-guide

I'm Jackson Karia— a Maasai driver-guide and the owner of Oloishuro Tours. I grew up on the edge of the Maasai Mara, in a Maasai family whose livestock walked the same plains the lion and wildebeest do. I've spent my working life — over ten years now — learning the land, the seasons and the animals that make this one of the greatest wildlife places on earth.

Most drivers you'll meet in the Mara work for a specific hotel or a Nairobi tour company. I don't. Oloishuro Tours is fully independent, which means when you book with me, you get my full attention and a safari shaped entirely around what you want to see. I pick you up from your camp, the airstrip or from Nairobi, and the rest of the day belongs to you.

Why guests choose to book direct with me

Finding wildlife isn't luck — it's knowledge. Years on these plains have taught me where the lion prides rest through the heat of the day, which acacia-lined river banks the leopards favour at dawn, and how to read the wildebeest when they mass on a Mara River bank ahead of a crossing. I stay patient at a sighting so you get the moment — the hunt, the crossing, the cubs playing — not a passing glimpse.

Just as important, I want you to feel comfortable and safe. My open-roof 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser is purpose-built for the Mara's murram tracks in every season, has individual padded seats for up to six guests, charging points and a cool box, and the pop-up roof makes photography and 360° game viewing easy.

More than a game drive — a window into Maasai culture

As a Maasai, I love sharing my culture too — the stories, the relationship between my people and this land, and, if you'd like it, a visit to a nearby Maasai manyatta (village) to meet the elders and warriors and watch the adumu jumping dance. A safari with Oloishuro Tours is a window into the Mara from someone who calls it home.

What Oloishuro means

“Oloishuro” is a Maasai word tied to place and heritage — it's a name we chose to honour the family and the land the tours grew out of. When you book with Oloishuro Tours, you're not booking a faceless brand — you're booking Jackson, the family and the community behind the vehicle.