Reviews of Encounter Mara
Wildlife sightings and reviews
19 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
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"Encounter Mara"
Encounter Mara is a well run camp with gorgeous tents and fantastic food. The drives are extremely well done - there is a sense that the guide is not going out to tock a box but to seriously find things you have not seen before. We saw cheetahs, a leopard and of course the pride of lions with small cubs were a highlight.
The nature walk is a little over produced and certainly if you have done many other walking safaris it might not be for you. But the guides are very knowledgeable, they just do need to relax a little whilst of course keeping security as the chief concern.
The camp is closed off by a fence to the bush although there is plenty of space in front of the tents and a feeling of total privacy. Nevertheless at times Encounter Mara can seem like you a bit too cut off from the more open experience of the other camps we went to." See all these reviews: 14n in Kenya; 6n in Tanzania
"Overall the best camp we visited..."
We saw so many animals, roaring and mating lions and 12 cheetahs, being the highlight of the stay and our knowledgable and kind guide, added to the experience.  The food was interesting and Dixon, the chef made samosas especially for us.  All drinks were included which made life easy...  I would strongly recommend this Camp and the Maasai village visit ($25).
OTHER COMMENTS
1. There was a WiFi tent with power, which worked well and was situated away from the dining area to avoid disturbing other guests...
2. Hand sanitizer, insect repellant and sun cream were provided in the safari vehicle, a nice touch...
3. Bush breakfasts were different every day....
4. We received personal water bottles on arrival... very welcome!
5. There was an interesting shop with local items.
6. The Maasai village visit was interesting and not at all touristy... I hope that ALL the money DID go to the village/ community.
7. We had 3 nights, 4 would have been better, as elsewhere...." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya; 8n in Tanzania
"Encounter Mara review"
The guides were excellent & my cousin & I very much enjoyed not only seeing the wildlife but also visits to Maasai villages. Again, the personnel were kind & helpful, & they arranged a birthday tea party for my cousin, with dancing & cake, which we appreciated.
I found it slightly off-putting that the toilet & shower were separated from the main room only by a curtain, so one didn't have a great deal of privacy." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania; 10n in Kenya; 3n in Zanzibar
"Encounter Mara review"
The food was really good and the tents clean and comfortable. We were very well looked-after. Our driver/guide was Nabala who was both knowledgeable and fun to be with. Two nights is not enough; we needed more time here!
Very highly recommended." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya; 5n in Tanzania
"Encounter Mara review"
Staff, the tents, the f&b were all superb and the vehicles they use are proper landcruisers with open sides. My only gripe is that the landcruiser hadn’t had the windscreen removed or like a landrover was one that could fold down so you had to look out through glass at the front
The Naboisho conservancy is very different to the main reserve and although more bushy I had some great wildlife sightings – leopard, lion, cheetah and hyena cubs all featured together with lots of birds and other more “usual” mammals
We did a half day to the main reserve which was perfectly doable and even at this non-peak time of year (November) we saw a big zebra crossing at the main crossing point – without all the cars!" See all these reviews: 4n in Kenya
"Encounter Mara review"
I was travelling with my adult nephew on his first trip to Kenya and wanted him to have the experience of bush walking and night drives. Richard suggested Encounter Mara and I am so glad that he did.
Our Masai guide Senchura picked us up and never let us down. He was gentle and so knowledgeable and patient. Staying on the conservancy allows you to view at your own pace and with limited other vehicles (if any). I think the limit was a maximum of 4 which was a huge and pleasant change from inside the Reserve itself. Among many sightings, watching a cheetah family for an hour when they were playing and relaxing was amazing and then finding them again the next day getting prepared for a hunt was even more special.
My nephew did a lovely walk with Senchura and an armed guide one morning while I did a game drive. We then combined to complete our morning drive.
We also visited a local boma to learn about the way the Masai live. It was a totally uncommercial visit and we learned so much. The way that the Conservancy balances the needs of the Masai with those of the tourists was an eye-opener and seems to work very well for all.
The night drive we combined with our evening game drive and saw a pride of over 13 lions, elephants and hundreds of wildebeast walking along getting ready to cross over to Tanzania. We also saw a bushbaby and numerous other animals. Night drives give you a different perspective of the bush and I highly recommend them.
The camp is enclosed by an electric fence which only prevents buffalo and elephant from coming in. There are guards to take you to and from your tents. The large tents were fabulous with each having a wonderful view, comfortable beds. The 'bucket' shower worked very well indeed.
There is a large dining tent where you can dine as a group or individually hosted by Andrew or one of the other lovely managers which we thought was a great idea. The food was very nice but the desserts could use a little refinement. The packed picnic breakfasts were tasty.
The other tent is full of sofas and is a perfect place to relax with a book or chat. This is where there are charging stations for you to charge all of your electrical gadgets and batteries. No Wifi which I loved!
There is a little hide down by a natural salt/mineral lick (take water with you) . I spent a long peaceful time down there and saw many wonderful animals behaving naturally.
All of the staff were wonderful and welcoming - our thanks to them all. We loved our stay here and I will definitely return.
ps The 'loo with a view' has to be experienced!" See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya
"Good Time"
So it is solar everything and lovely bucket showers etc. The camp managers Colin and Chala were a delight as was our excellent guide Andrew.
One thing in particular we liked is being invited behind the scenes for a tour of how the camp is run, you have no idea how much work goes on just to live day to day! At peak times they employ 36 staff for just 12 tents!
The location is good with Zebra etc munching away right outside your tent and indeed a very pregnant Cheetah! but being quite low down on the plain views are not stunning.(Re Cheetah see their Facebook page)
There were a few minor niggles the Vegetarian food for Loz was not good (They have since been in contact and are getting in outside advice, so they are on the case) Other silly things we would ask for some beers to be sent to our tent no problem just no bottle opener like wise a bottle of wine and no corkscrew! Bless em!
But lets no forget what we are there for, the wildlife and it was very good. Overall would recommend." See all these reviews: 14n in Kenya
"Encounter Mara review"
The guides on the property were absolutely fantastic and new where to avoid the crowds and we saw absolutely all of the animals you could want to see. I saw a very rare sighting of two leopards (male and female) out in the open which the guide was very patient to find (we were the only care there for 5 minutes at least in the Mara) and we saw all of the Big 5 in a single day. Colin also managed to organise a second trip into the Mara when I didn't see a crossing the first day which I greatly appreciated as I managed to see one the next day.
The tents were really fantastic and the hot water bottle in the rooms each nice was a nice touch. Food and drink were also fantastic and the local conservancy was nice and quiet with not too many vehicles and the guides really new where to look for the animals.
Overall again I would highly recommend." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya
"Encounter Mara review"
The camp was very impersonal after Offbeat Meru. The manager Chris who I believe had only been in post for a couple of months met us on arrival and gave us an introduction although he did not introduce us to any other staff but after that was not available and we only saw him and his wife briefly on our last evening.
Unfortuanately 3 out of 4 of us had acquired a nasty stomach bug on the way to Encounter and we spent 24 hours confined to our tents and whilst Immodium was provided along with rehydration sachets that were great it was very difficult to find out who if anyone was in charge during the managers absence and so took some time initially to get some assistance.
Meals were served at individual tables and so there wasn't the opportunity to meet the other guests in the way that there had been at Meru and again no way of knowing who was who among the staff.
The tents were very well appointed except for the shower which I had to operate using two coat hangers as the controls were too high to reach." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya
On the question of hot water, the camps usual policy is to fill a thermos flask in guests bathrooms every evening for washing the next morning. It would seem that their thermoses were not being refilled and Encounter have addressed this. They have also altered the height of shower chains and apologise for the oversight.
Encounter do provide wake-up calls with tea/coffee on request, and it has been stressed to the waiters that they must offer this the evening before.
The dining arrangements are very flexible here and the manager believes guests should have a choice. This may not have been communicated clearly to the family, who obviously enjoy the group-dining experience, and the camp apologises for that.
Encounter Mara have assured us that they greatly value constructive feedback. As a result of this they have tightened up their early morning hot water procedure and improved the way they communicate information about wake-up calls and dining options.
"East Africa Manager"
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