Reviews of Serian
Wildlife sightings and reviews
15 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Serian and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"Serian review"
Rooms are very spacious and with a magnificent view over the river and the Olololo Escarpment. The landscape in Mara North feels somewhat more varied, but on the other hand being a private reserve owned by the Masai, cattle is gracing in specific areas on a rotating schedule, and you see and even hear the settlements in the distance on a daily basis, it almost feels less like being in the wilderness compared to the Reserve.
That being said, it is a wonderful conservancy with several lion prides and a lot of other magnificent wildlife to see. Offroading, evening drives until around 21.30 and walking safari are possible, which is a nice addition to the game drives.
The food, the service, the flexibility are all fantastic traits at Serian. We love that everyone has their private vehicle.
It certainly nice to meet and talk to other guests during meals in camp, but it also becomes obvious that everyone has different interests and preferences, so you are really able to do the perfect safari and arrange your activities day by day. I honestly wish more camps would have a similar setup." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya
"Serian review"
Ben and Amy, the managers, are worthy of special mention - they are first class. I appreciate the idea of a guide allocated to you and you alone for the whole stay, but this depends on the quality of the guide. In our case we had guide (Johnathan) and spotter (Henry), and the spotter was actually also a guide.
Despite this, we did not feel they were good guides. They spent a great majority of their time chatting in Masai, and partly because game was sparse, we did not really see as much as expected" See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya
"Serian review"
"Serian, a wildlife lovers dream"
It is worth calling out that the staff here are truly exceptional; mealtimes are a treat, the drivers and guides are world class, and you really feel like you are part of something special when staying with them.
The facilities themselves are top notch although guests should know you are definitely in nature when you stay at Serian. But it's very comfortable, and our family ranged from a young child to a senior and everyone was more than pleased with their accommodations and amenities.
We will certainly be returning and requesting the same guide, as she was one of the best we've ever seen. This is one stop where we could have spent another day or two as the wildlife experience was just that good, and if there's an animal you haven't seen on your trip yet this is where you're likely to find it. Highly recommend." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 8n in Kenya; 3n in Zanzibar
"Serian review"
Excellent and varied vegetarian food (which is not always the case in camps). Friendly efficient staff.
We felt Serian would benefit from a bit of maintenance/refreshing in places and found having to tip 2 guides (our driver was also a qualified guide) unexpected and awkward, particularly as we were unable to use a $50 note that they said was too old to bank. (But we were able to use an online system despite the info saying they don't accept credit cards)" See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya
"George and Francis - Maasai Friends"
George would write down the birds for me in my booklet, while I wrote down the dates and the areas in my bird book. They would stop the car to listen to the crickets and the frogs in the dark of the evenings. They stopped the car to watch the fireflies flit about in the evenings. These guides took the time to enjoy the quietness and the beauty of the environment and made sure that I had time to experience it myself. I am so grateful that I had these two guides sharing their love of their country with me. What a treat. I shall return again: I know because this was already my second time in one year. Thank you everyone at Serian." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya
"Excellent safari at Serian Camp"
Our key reason for chosing the Serian camp was the private guide and vehicle, which as keen birdwatchers means we can stop to identify the small brown birds too. This also gives complete freedom about when and how long you spend on the game drives. We also spent a morning walking on the other side of the river in the camp's vehicle free area.
All staff were very helpful. The food was very good and varied. We usually ate breakfast on our morning drive, returning in time for lunch, with a couple of hours to relax before tea and cake, sundowners on our evening drive and back for dinner. Our tent was very spacious, with an adjacent bathroom." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya
"Wonderful home in the bush"
Our tent overlooked the Mara River, with a dozen or so hippo lolling in the water so we could watch them while having coffee on the porch. We had hoped to get a glimpse of the Great Migration but it had not yet started in earnest; we did see the herds of wildebeest gathering in the savanna prior to their fording the river.
And, we saw plenty of other animals, often with time to actually stop and observe their behavior: elephant, buffalo, several types of antelope (including topi, eland, waterbuck and dik-dik), giraffe, lions, hyenas, jackals, mongoose, and, of course, many, many wildebeest, zebras, giraffes and hippos.
Serian was a wonderful experience for all of us, including our 14-year old grandson and his dad who enjoyed an exciting overnight in the tree house, complete with a delivery of home-made pizza! That was just one example of the kind of wonderful hospitality and personal attention we found at Serian." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya
"Exceptional - The Very Best "
"Serian review"
One of the great things at Serian is that when you transfer between their camps you take your guide with you. This allowed us to really get to know Shadrack and Mark quite well, and they also knew very well what we were interested in by the time we reached this camp.
The camp itself has a great atmosphere. We really got the feeling that the staff enjoy working there and have a passion for wildlife. While we were there a baby elephant got trapped by the river and separated from it's mother. The staff went out of it's way to save this elephant and eventually made arrangements to have it transferred to David Shedricks (this was after many attempts to locate the mother)." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya
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