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Encounter Mara
Encounter Mara
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Encounter Mara

Reviews of Encounter Mara

Wildlife sightings and reviews

21 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Encounter Mara and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Aug-2019, 12 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Encounter Mara.
Lion

100% success

Leopard

80% success

Cheetah

83% success

Wild dog

13% success

Elephant

100% success

Giraffe

100% success

Spotted Hyena

100% success

Wildebeest

100% success

Zebra

100% success

Buffalo

92% success

Hippo

92% success

Eland

90% success

Striped Hyena

13% success

Aardvark

0% success

Black Rhino

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Showing 1-10 of 21
Duration
Arrival date
Mr G.
Winnersh

"Encounter Mara review"

5 nights Arrived 13 Jan 2025
"This was my second visit in two years to Encounter Mara which probably tells you how much I enjoy this camp. It is relatively small with just 10 tents and the whole set-up is quite straightforward. No swimmings pool, spa or other "luxury" facilities which suits me down to the ground.

As a rule I don't make return visits to a camp but Encounter Mara is the exception. It was nice to go back and find that nothing has changed! Several of the front of house staff and guides are still there and welcomed me back as part of the family.

For me the accommodation is perfectly comfortable but there is talk of some sort of refurbishment at some point. I can understand why Asilia might want to do that as some of the facilities in the tents are a bit dated but I just hope they don't spoil its authentic nature and make it unaffordable.

Breakfast was either a picnic in the bush or a proper bush breakfast which is something they try to offer all guests. Lunch was a buffet of really nice salads often with some barbecue meat and served outside on the lawns or down in the viewing area. Soup was the usual starter for dinner with a choice of main course always with a vegetarian option. Most guests thought that lunch was their favourite meal.

The guiding here is excellent and I do think the Asilia guides are among the best anywhere. Naboisho Conservancy is relatively small but the abundance of game and the ease of sightings is quite astonishing. I think it offers some of the best game viewing anywhere in East Africa.

The lion population continues to grow with one pride of approximately 16 lions. You can almost guarantee to lions on every game drive. There are around 8 leopards in the Conservany and are always quite challenging to find. Sadly the cheetah population is in serious decline. A year ago a mother cheetah with her 4 growing cubs was a daily sighting but she has now lost 3 of those cubs. The mother and her remaining male cub are now collared and the rangers are take great efforts to maintain their safety. There is just one other male cheetah in the conservancy but despite that I did enjoy a total of 4 sightings.

There was also a huge population of zebra, probably measured in thousands, along with big herds of eland. There were two tiny and totally black hyena cubs at their which was a rare sighting.

The big plus with Naboisho Conservancy is that guest numbers are limited and the number of vehicles at any sighting is controlled and limited to 5 vehicles. The rangers did make one exception when the large lion pride were on a giraffe kill but there was sufficient room to allow a few more vehicles to join.

Over the years I have stayed in many camps and lodges but Encounter Mara is the place that I feel most at home." See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

6 sightings

Cheetah

4 sightings

Eland

10 sightings

Elephant

8 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

5 sightings

Lion

10 sightings

Spotted Hyena

10 sightings

Wildebeest

10 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Mrs E & family
London

"Encounter Mara review"

2 nights Arrived 3 Jan 2025
"Encounter mara is a great camp with lots of friendly staff. My kids liked the forest setting and we all liked the luxurious tents with comfortable beds and great hot showers. Encounter Mara has a nice traditional safari camp feel. I think the problem for us was that we had had such a magical time at the previous lodge that Encounter Mara just didn't live up to that.

The conservancy itself has amazing wildlife and we were incredibly lucky with our sightings, we saw a leopard on our very first drive and moments after spotting it in a tree she climbed down and walked right in front of our car. Our driver also found 2 beautiful males lions and watching them relax and bond together with the African sunset in the background was a really special experience.

The main issue for us was that this camp felt much more commercial than the lodge we visited in Laikipia and even though the conservancy is supposed to be very quiet there were often 6 or 8 vehicles at every predator sighting, I think there were at least 10 cars trying to get close to the leopard and this often felt very intrusive for the animals who were surrounded by cars turning their engines on and off and attempting to get close to them.

Our guide was good, professional and very friendly and we were very lucky to see a leopard, lots of hyenas including cubs and even a serval cat.

The food on the second night was nice but the lunches and the fairly simple pasta dinner we had on the first night weren't anything special. We did enjoy the communal pre dinner drinks by the fire though and it was really nice that the senior sat with guests during their meals to chat with them.

We were still pleased to have visited the Masai Mara as we did enjoy seeing the sheer numbers of wildlife there. I think we were just a bit spoilt by our visit to Laikipia." See all these reviews: 6n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Buffalo

6 sightings

Eland

6 sightings

Elephant

1 sighting

Giraffe

2 sightings

Hippo

3 sightings

Leopard

1 sighting

Lion

2 sightings

Spotted Hyena

4 sightings

Striped Hyena

2 sightings

Wildebeest

6 sightings

Zebra

7 sightings

Ms Malgo
Poland

"Encounter Mara review"

2 nights Arrived 25 Oct 2024
"This camp does not have a picturesque location BUT it has all the other advantages of a great African wildlife camps: game drives with excellent wildlife and an amazing guide, fantastic bush breakfasts and sundowners, campfire in the evening, fantastic food (the best chef in this part of Africa!), super friendly and competent team who create this special and authentic vibe we loved.

We were surprised how great wildlife at Naboisho Conservancy was (lions, lions, lions!) - and they restrict access, so much less cars than in Maasai Mara!" See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Mr & Mrs H
Lisvane

"Encounter Mara review"

4 nights Arrived 19 Sep 2024
"The accommodation was comfortable and the camp was well managed.

Disappointed by the number of vehicles at any game sighting." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Average
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Buffalo

1 sighting

Cheetah

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Leopard

1 sighting

Lion

Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Mr & Mrs K
Maidstone

"Encounter Mara review"

5 nights Arrived 1 Sep 2024
"Similar camp standards to those experienced at Rekero (same owner / operator).

The most notable difference is that this location is within the Mara Conservancies where there is a reduced density of camps, vehicles and visitors and there are fewer mad rushes to sightings and they are controlled in number of vehicles with the animal at each sighting which much reduces the stress on the animals.

Sensible off-roading is achievable." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Rooms:
Average
Food:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

7 sightings

Cheetah

2 sightings

Eland

1 sighting

Elephant

8 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Hippo

6 sightings

Lion

10 sightings

Spotted Hyena

10 sightings

Wildebeest

10 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Mr G.
Winnersh

"Encounter Mara Review"

5 nights Arrived 13 Jan 2024
"Encounter Mara is a lovely camp in a great location in the Naboisho Conservancy. As with all Asilia properties, it is very well run and managed. All the front of house staff could never do enough to make sure your stay was comfortable and were always around to help with anything you might need.

The tented accommodation is spacious and very comfortable. Hot showers available all the time!

The food was superb - very tasty and wholesome. Depending on the weather, they always tried to serve lunch in a different outside location.

The guiding is very good here and the camp is located in an area rich in wildlife. The conservancy has numerous large lion prides and the cheetah population is growing with sightings of young cheetah cubs every day." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

6 sightings

Cheetah

8 sightings

Eland

6 sightings

Elephant

3 sightings

Giraffe

6 sightings

Hippo

4 sightings

Lion

10 sightings

Spotted Hyena

10 sightings

Wildebeest

10 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Simona
London

"Encounter Mara review"

4 nights Arrived 18 Jul 2023
"The Encounter Mara was exactly what we needed: a place to enjoy simple luxury and share exciting experiences.

The tents were comfortable, the food excellent, and the staff caring.
Our guide, Nickson, was outstanding.

A perfect balance of simplicity and pampering." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Cheetah

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Ms H
Maida Vale

"Encounter Mara review"

6 nights Arrived 19 Feb 2023
"Camp was lovely and as I remembered it.

I am probably a bit spoiled but did find the days when it was full, inc with families or seemingly large groups, mealtimes were a bit hectic." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Cheetah

1 sighting

Eland

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Leopard

1 sighting

Lion

Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Mrs R.
Weybridge

"Encounter Mara review"

4 nights Arrived 3 Jan 2023
"Beautifully hidden camp. Only way to spot it is to look for the Wi-Fi mast. Stylish main tent and super comfortable, spacious family tent

Great location, the game viewing platform doubles up as lunch/dinner venue at times.

Food is delicious and healthy - a nice bonus.

Game drives were superb - so much wildlife and our guides Nickson abd Daniel were so determined to give us the opportunity to see Leopard and Cheetah which we succeeded!" See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

10 sightings

Cheetah

4 sightings

Eland

10 sightings

Elephant

5 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Leopard

1 sighting

Lion

8 sightings

Spotted Hyena

10 sightings

Wildebeest

10 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Miss P
London

"Encounter Mara review"

5 nights Arrived 15 Oct 2021
"I understand that covid restrictions require separate dining, but for solo travelers this could be handled better. They would set a table for one and the waiter would then stand back and stand a couple of metres away watching you eat, which is an intensely uncomfortable experience.

At lunchtime you would also have an individual buffet with another member of staff to provide an audience of two. Also, the habit of the waiting staff leaping forward to pull the chair out for you and push it under you as you sit down is just weird and unnecessarily formal. The manager didn't do much to facilitate any mingling or socialising between guests at the camp fire, and also seemed to have no knowledge or interest in safaris or wildlife. I am not sure why Asilia feels it appropriate to employ managers with no bush experience (I had the same experience at Kwihala 2 years ago). Managing a safari camp is completely different to managing a city or beach hotel.

The game drives were enjoyable with great sightings, particularly of lions, and my guide was personable and friendly although a bit lacking in bird knowledge. The camp itself was nice but the atmosphere meant I just couldn't wait to leave." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia; 10n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Poor
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Cheetah

Multiple sightings

Eland

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Showing 1-10 of 21
92%
21 reviews of Encounter Mara by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
14
6
1
0
0
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