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Maasai Mara Conservancies
Maasai Mara Conservancies
Maasai Mara Conservancies
Maasai Mara Conservancies

The conservancies are exclusive to their guests...

...bush walks...

Most of the camp staff come from the region’s Maasai communities.

You will often see no other vehicles around you...

Maasai Mara Conservancies

Reviews of safaris to Maasai Mara Conservancies

390 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Mara Conservancies.

Showing 81-90 of 390
Duration
Arrival date
P and S
Chilterns

"My Jul 2023 trip"

I visited Kenya between 29 Jul 2023 and 16 Aug 2023
Overall trip
Excellent
R&G from Seattle
USA

"My Jul 2023 trip"

I visited Tanzania and 2 other countries between 24 Jul 2023 and 15 Aug 2023
"This was the trip of a lifetime. We wanted something really special and unique, as it was my 10 year work anniversary and sabbatical, and the team at Expert Africa delivered in a big way. Thank you Lyndsey!

The lodge recommendations were 100% on point; we knew it was going to be great, but we were still blown away by the places and the unique experiences Expert Africa lined up for this trip. It's rare that you do a 2.5 week holiday and everything just works, but in this case it's true. And the logistics could have been a nightmare, as we didn't spend more than 3 nights in any one location, but every transfer, every flight all went smoothly!

I think the real difference-maker was in how seamless the experience was. From the moment we flew into Nairobi until our quite literally boarding for departure back to the US the team at Expert Africa and their partners in Kenya and Tanzania made sure everything went without any trouble. Even a short delay at a local airstrip was met with surprise and delight as instead of being picked up by car for a 2-hour drive a private plane showed up and we had our own 15 min flight to the lodge - very cool!

In hindsight would we have done anything differently? Maybe, starting with just doing more of what Lyndsey said to do. :)

In all seriousness she guided us towards an amazingly unconstrained experience and we are tremendously grateful. If you are willing to commit the resources it is amazing what is possible when working with Expert Africa.

We have already referred multiple friends and colleagues to the Expert Africa website and to her directly, it will be fun to see if or when anyone else gets inspired to pick up the phone and book their adventure.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

In terms of improvements it's hard to say; your website is 1st class, Lynsey provided great advise, and payment and such were easy. I think the guides for obtaining visas and such were also easy to follow and made the process simple. The price of the holiday we booked was staggering, but I suppose that was a feature not a bug and mostly our fault. :)

In a perfect world more guidance on where to see villages (Sarara was great for this!) and where to avoid (At Entamanu the Masai are a bit "Disneyland" about it - hard to describe) would have been nice as instead we found ourselves a bit at the mercy of the local lodge managers. "Do you think it's worth visiting a village here?" is a bit of an unfair question, although credit to the team at Serian for the honest answer "no not really, there's better places for that if you want authenticity". We figured it out and are very happy with the results but we should have asked more questions in advance about where to lean into cultural experiences and where to say forget it, just stick to wildlife.

A few thoughts on the trip we booked that I didn't want to drop in reviews as they're somewhat unfair or too individual.

Sarara, Serian and Chem Chem were incredible. Continue to recommend them without hesitation.
-John at Sarara was one of the best drivers and provided an authenticity we found nowhere else, and I wish I lived in Sarara house. It's that nice and we regretted having to leave, even if the wildlife in Samburu isn't as abundant.
-Grace (sp) at Serian was simply talented beyond belief, her and Gisoi (sp) were one of the best guide/ranger duos anywhere. We would go back simply to have her guide us again she's that good!
-Isaac at Chem Chem had 20+ years of experience and it showed, he was such a pro and made the Chem Chem experience complete.

Those three properties are worth the expenditure without any qualifiers or concerns. Lyndsey was 100% right to recommend them and we hope to return to them in 2025.

Entamanu was also so good. I'm torn; we did one day in the crater, and it was so special. Would a second day have made sense? Who knows. Maybe it's too much, maybe not, but it's a lot of coming and going for what is essentially one long day of game drive. So glad we went, so that's a win! I think it just comes down to not having the time and budget to do it all, and this was the right place to shave a day. But we found ourselves thinking now that they have really nice structures to stay in a 2nd day could be worthwhile? Very subjective.

Nimali Mara is a tale of two cities. I left them a great review, and they deserve it! Really special place and the staff, including our butler Bethod (sp) were simply the best! But also worth noting our guided experience there with Moses was just so different lol! I'm talking tie-die sweatshirt, car falling apart (driver had to literally hold his door shut as it wouldn't latch while driving), cooler full of waters and sodas but no bottle opener, etc. it was just such a contrast with how over the top luxury the place itself is. The guy had a heart of gold and tried so hard, so nothing but respect there, but it's worth thinking about given the price point and contrast with the other guided experiences. We are travel veterans so it didn't phase us but I can imagine others really being shaken.

White Sands was also great but there is an element of the hussle in Zanzibar. It reminds me more of visiting the national parks vs. conservancies, they monetize differently (on the go vs. pay up front but then feel insulated from it all). That's ok! I think it was just so different to go from the Chem Chem experience into White Sands and Zanzibar. We wanted Zanzibar so that's on us, but in hindsight Chem Chem should have been the capstone experience, nothing was going to top that. We also didn't quite understand if we were supposed to book our experiences with the local team you sent our way or via the hotel property, but in the end it all worked out so no worries.

Our last day in Nairobi was long but that isn't your fault, the flight was set to depart late (we booked it) and was then delayed further. The guide was so nice and did his best to keep us entertained but by that point it was the end of a long trip and we were cooked. The Karen district is nice but after a few hours there just isn't much to do, but again, not the fault of the team at Expert Africa.

All in all we've now recommended Expert Africa and Lyndsey to multiple parties, as we are comfortable having our name attached to the referral.

We started this journey with you probably close to a year before our travels and are so happy we did, thank you for everything!" Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Uli
Germany

"Phantastic trip to Mara North and Naboisho Conservancy"

I visited Kenya between 21 Jul 2023 and 28 Jul 2023
"The trip was fantastic with countless great sightings and unforgettable memories.
The conservancies offer the possibility to enjoy the nature of the Masai Mara without many other vehicles even in the high season and also the options of off road driving and night drives.
It wasn't our first trip to the Masai Mara and its conservancies and it certainly won't be the last!!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We have already made several trips to different countries in Africa planned and booked through Expert Africa and have always been impressed by the very nice, professional and knowledgeable advice, the fast and uncomplicated contact (not only before, but also during the trip if necessary) and the smooth process of each booked trip. We were able to rely on Jessica 100 percent again on this trip and thank her very much for the perfect support and her commitment!
And of course we will turn to the great Expert Africa team again for our next trip to Africa !!!" Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 7 on a Kenya safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Rhodes Family
London

"My Jul 2023 trip"

I visited Kenya between 17 Jul 2023 and 24 Jul 2023
"Despite various niggles we were happy with the trip on the whole." Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 7 on a Kenya safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Simona
London

"My Jul 2023 trip"

I visited Kenya between 16 Jul 2023 and 26 Jul 2023
"It was a truly amazing trip.

Last year we had another amazing vacation, which set the bar very high. And yet, this trip once again exceeded expectations.

The safaris were full of exciting sightings, the people we met--including our fantastic guide Nickson--were warm and professional, the food was outstanding, each detail was thought through.

What a treat.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Nope, just keep going, you are the best.

Thank you Lyndsey." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 9 on a Kenya safari
Overall trip
Excellent
The Rileys
Cincinnati

"Africa - Our Long-Awaited Adventure - July 2023"

I visited Kenya and 1 other country between 15 Jul 2023 and 3 Aug 2023
"It's hard to believe but we started working with Lyndsey in summer of 2019 for our July 2020 adventure. Of course, the world stopped and our trip was postponed to 2021 then postponed again due to a last minute medical situation. Through all of the hiccups, Lyndsey was there to provide guidance and support. We finally got to complete our trip in July 2023 and it was amazing.

All of the details were what we'd so painstakingly planned except better. The countries were so beautiful and the people so welcoming. The logistics went like clockwork...until we got food poisoning our last night in Rwanda and had to rearrange flight, hotel and transportation at the last minute. Once again, Lyndsey was an invaluable resource. She got back to us right away, found us another night's hotel in Nairobi, rearranged the private charter flight to our first camp, and communicated with the camp to make sure they were aware of the last minute changes. It was such a relief to have her there to help us so we could concentrate on getting through the illness instead of worrying about travel changes.

There were so many little details that we wouldn't have known how to handle had we made the arrangements on our own. Expert Africa's in-country knowledge can't be overstated. From the moment we landed, we were handled like royalty. The companies that Expert Africa works with for in-country logistics were beyond excellent. We were treated so kindly and always felt safe. It all started with Lyndsey's guidance and patience as we weighed what we wanted to see, what types of experiences were important to us and how we could manage it in the time we had available.

We had such an amazing time and fell in love with Kenya, Rwanda and the African people that we are already planning a return trip. Who knew a once-in-a-lifetime bucket list trip would turn into a 'how soon can we go back' destination? Thanks, Lyndsey and Expert Africa!" Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 12 on a Kenya safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr S
Southam

"My July Kenya 2023 trip"

I visited Kenya between 11 Jul 2023 and 21 Jul 2023
"A super trip which met our expectations in terms of acommodation, food, guiding and wildlife. also provided a couple of once in a lifetime photo opprtunities!

Generally happy with local services at airports, hotels etc with a couple of issues, one 4 1/2 hour delay at Mara North airstrip due to puncture on aircraft (although Elephant Pepper guide Francis stayed with us and tried to get info via the camp and Moses the Manager sent out drinks and packed lunches for us, fantastic!) and a 2 1/2 hour delay at Wilson airport waiting for driver due to miscommunication/failure to check timings of arrival compared to what was on the itinerary" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 9 on a Kenya safari
Overall trip
Excellent
A & B
Corrales

"My Jul 2023 trip"

I visited Kenya between 2 Jul 2023 and 19 Jul 2023
"From the moment we signed up for the Kicheche Camps safari, Expert Africa took care of every detail. Richard Trillo guided us every step of the way. No detail was left out. And the trip itself was everything we had dreamed of. It truly was the trip of a lifetime. Each of the three camps provided a wonderful experience; the guides were second-to-none, the wildlife, the landscape, the sky, the people - all contributed to the magic of the journey. Now to plan a return trip..." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 13 on a Kenya safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mrs J.
USA

"My Jul 2023 trip"

I visited Kenya between 2 Jul 2023 and 19 Jul 2023
"This was the trip of a lifetime and Richard Trillo's assistance made the whole thing easy." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 12 on a Kenya safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Ms Janice
Virginia

"My Jul 2023 trip"

I visited Kenya between 2 Jul 2023 and 19 Jul 2023
"I booked this trip 14 months in advance so it was long anticipated and it DID NOT disappoint! the entire trip and the organization thru Expert Africa and NJ Wight was fabulous, they didnt miss a thing. all the camp tents, staff, food, quality of the guides/vehicles was second to none. I can say one negative thing about the trip, sharing a tent with a stranger is a challenge, but not anything Expert Africa or NJ Wight could have done differently. the advertising and websites for the camps were true to their descriptions. the wildlife our guides at all the camps found every day, and knew so much about all the wildlife was life changing. I plan to make a return trip, hopefully in 2025 with NJ Wight, if all goes as planned. I will 100% recommend Expert Africa, NJ and Kicheche camps to anyone I can. EXCELLENT TRIP, and well worth the cost. thank you for providing me such an amazing trip" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 13 on a Kenya safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Showing 81-90 of 390
99%
390 reviews of Mara Conservancies by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
385
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Where to stay in Mara Conservancies

Our suggestions for safari camps in Maasai Mara Conservancies


Kicheche Bush Camp

Kicheche Bush Camp

Kicheche Bush Camp is a smart and intimate tented camp with a relaxed atmosphere and the perfect base in the Mara for keen photographers.


100% (104 reviews)
Kicheche Mara

Kicheche Mara

Kicheche Mara Camp has just ten tents and a rustic and comfortable feel. It is set by a stream in a pretty area of the Mara ecosystem's Mara North Conservancy.


99% (95 reviews)
Kicheche Valley

Kicheche Valley

Kicheche Valley is a boutique tented camp in a wooded district of the Mara ecosystem's Naboisho Conservancy, with plenty of wildlife in the area.


99% (66 reviews)
Naboisho Camp

Naboisho Camp

Naboisho Camp is one of the most luxurious of the handful of camps in the Naboisho Conservancy. It offers day and night game drives, game walks and full creature comforts in the bush.


98% (49 reviews)
Offbeat Mara

Offbeat Mara

Offbeat Mara is a small traditional camp that appeals to safari traditionalists, located in one of the Maasai Mara’s quiet conservancies.


98% (42 reviews)
Encounter Mara

Encounter Mara

Encounter Mara is located in the private Naboisho Conservancy – a game-rich area of the Mara ecosystem – and offers a contemporary take on the traditional, low-impact luxury safari camp.


93% (19 reviews)
Elephant Pepper Camp

Elephant Pepper Camp

Elephant Pepper Camp is a small 10-tent bush camp, put together in the traditional "campaign" style, and including a large honeymoon/family tent.


99% (17 reviews)
Serian

Serian

Serian is a luxury tented camp on the east bank of the Mara River in the Mara North Conservancy. It is the sister camp of Ngare Serian, on the west bank.


97% (15 reviews)
Mara Plains Camp

Mara Plains Camp

Mara Plains is one of the very best camps in the Mara ecosystem. Located in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy, just outside the Mara reserve, it has access to three wildlife-viewing areas.


100% (13 reviews)
Kicheche Walking Wilderness

Kicheche Fly Camp

Kicheche Walking Wilderness Fly Camp is a temporaray dome tent camp set up for participants in Kicheche's two-day walking safari between Kicheche Valley and Kicheche Bush Camp.


96% (10 reviews)
Basecamp Eagle View

Basecamp Eagle View

Basecamp Eagle View is a community-focused safari camp in the Naboisho Conservancy, with a strong emphasis on responsible tourism and a spectacular location.


96% (10 reviews)
Porini Lion Camp

Porini Lion Camp

Porini Lion Camp is a pioneering, community focused eco-camp, with excellent guides and game viewing, in the predator-rich, Olare Motorogi Conservancy.


82% (9 reviews)
Hemingways Ol Seki Mara

Hemingways Ol Seki

Magnificently located tented lodge on a bluff looking south across the Naboisho Conservancy toward the Maasai Mara National Reserve.


96% (9 reviews)
Saruni Wild

Saruni Wild

Saruni Wild is a rustic and traditional safari camp in the Lemek Conservancy, with just three tents and limited electricity.


96% (9 reviews)
Offbeat Ndoto

Offbeat Ndoto

Small and intimate, Offbeat Mara is set in a valley above the (often dry) Olare Orok River within the Mara North Conservancy.


100% (8 reviews)
Porini Mara Camp

Porini Mara Camp

Porini Mara Camp is a small, pioneering eco-camp in the first private conservancy in the Mara region, with comfortable accommodation and a range of activities.


96% (5 reviews)
Ngare Serian

Ngare Serian

The luxurious Ngare Serian and its sister camp Serian face each other across the Mara River on the western side of the Mara North Conservancy


96% (5 reviews)
Basecamp Leopard Hill

Basecamp Leopard Hill

With six beautiful tents, Basecamp Leopard Hill is a smart safari camp in the Naboisho Conservancy in the Maasai Mara ecosystem.


100% (5 reviews)
Karen Blixen Camp

Karen Blixen Camp

Karen Blixen Camp sits on a meander of the Mara River in the Mara North Conservancy, just beyond the northern boundary of the Maasai Mara National Reserve.


92% (5 reviews)
Cottars 1920s Camp

Cottars 1920s Camp

Cottar's 1920s Camp is a classic, luxury tented camp with a 1920s safari theme, located in its own conservancy on the southeast border of the Maasai Mara National Reserve.


92% (5 reviews)
Leleshwa

Leleshwa

Leleshwa was a delightful, boutique safari camp on the picturesque banks of a tributary of the Talek, with an extensive, little visited game area on its doorstep.


90% (2 reviews)
Mahali Mzuri

Mahali Mzuri

Mahali Mzuri is a strikingly modern tented camp in the Virgin Limited Edition group, in a remote part of the Mara ecosytem's Olare Motorogi Conservancy. It has lovely views and all the luxuries of a five-star hotel.


100% (2 reviews)
Saruni Mara

Saruni Mara

Saruni Mara is a luxurious permanent lodge, on the remote northern edge of the Mara North Conservancy, with stunning views, good guiding and very private and comfortable rooms.


80% (1 review)
Mara Nyika

Mara Nyika

Mara Nyika is one of the newer additions to the Naboisho Conservancy and offers a luxurious and exclusive safari.


100% (1 review)
Basecamp Wilderness Camp

Basecamp Wilderness

Basecamp Wilderness Camp is a simple, traditional tented camp, set in a remote valley in the Naboisho Conservancy in the Mara ecoystem.


100% (1 review)
Mara Bushtops

Mara Bushtops

Mara Bushtops is a luxury safari hotel on a private concession, outside the Maasai Mara National Reserve, with the emphasis on comfort, relaxation and good food and wine.


No reviews yet
Mara Toto Tree Camp

Mara Toto Tree Camp

Mara Toto Tree Camp is located on a wooded bend of the Ntiakatek River, 1km south (as the pied crow flies) from its sister camp, Mara Plains. It's the offspring of the original "Mara Toto" which was swept away in floods.


No reviews yet
Cottars Private House

Cottars Private House

Cottar's Private House is one of the few truly luxurious, modern private houses in the Mara ecosystem, spoiling its guests with first-rate staff, a swimming pool and wonderful views.


No reviews yet
Basecamp Mara Houses

Basecamp Mara Houses

Basecamp Mara Houses consists of three private houses located in the northernmost part of the Mara North Conservancy.


No reviews yet
Entumoto

Entumoto

Entumoto is a high-end tented camp, with a swimming pool, situated in a very pretty location on the east side of the Maasai Mara ecosystem.


No reviews yet

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