Governors' Camp

1°17’55.0"S 35°2’16.7"E

96% (11 reviews)

Full review Our view Geographics Food & drink Special interests Children Wildlife sightings Communications Sustainability Health & safety Activities Extras

Governors' Camp: Our full report

One of the oldest camps in the Mara, located on a thickly forested meander of the Mara River, Governors' ...

... Camp is also one of the biggest. This is really the main location of a giant camp split into three neighbouring sites, consisting of this the main Governors' camp, Little Governors' and Governors' Il Moran camps, all clustered around the river in the northwest corner of the Maasai Mara National Reserve. The name refers to the site supposedly being favoured by the colonial governors of Kenya.

'Main Governors', as it is sometimes known, was the first of the Governors' group, built in 1972 on the site of an old campsite on the riverbank, and now much extended so that the whole camp covers more than 1.6 hectares (4 acres), ranged around a deep 'w' on the Mara. The key asset here is not the camp itself: it's the location. Governors' has one of the best spots in the Mara and the owners haven't been in this business for more than 40 years without learning how to make the most of it.

The camp is unfenced and, happily, they have managed to preserve much of the original forest. Entering the camp from Governors' own Musiara airstrip, you drive down the entrance track through dense stands of trees and jungle, and into the car park. It's a busy area, with lots of vehicles, staff milling around and all the paraphernalia you'd expect of a place that regularly looks after more than 40 guests. At 25 tents, this remains one of the larger camps within the Mara, however despite this, Governors' has a pleasant, laid-back feel to it and is probably best suited to travellers who are happy being left to themselves, participating in hotel-style meal times and joining up with others for the shared game drives.

Around camp, the wildlife has adjusted to Governors' human community in their midst, and while predators stay away from camp, some species have learned they will be tolerated and even tacitly welcomed. Popular residents of camp are the large colony of dwarf mongooses, while elephants are frequent visitors to the camp, as are hippos who will leave the safety of the river in the evenings in search of food.

Governors' is a permanent camp, both in the sense that it was built to last, and in the sense that its original designs made no attempt to reduce its environmental footprint. It still doesn't reflect many modern environmental standards, though it has recently started a recycling project in Ongata Rongai, near Nairobi, employing people to recycle Governors' waste cardboard and paper into fuel briquettes. The camp buys these back from the project to fuel their new hot water system. On our most recent visit the camp was exploring ways to bring in solar power, however this is not yet in place.

The central areas of Governors' Camp incorporate a reception office and a small shop, pleasant lawns and a drinks terrace overlooking the river. Soft refurbishments have taken place in the central area, with new soft furnishing and fabrics in 2023, and the guest tents have also recently received a freshen up too. The dining-bar-lounge tent is a capacious marquee-like structure with a tiled floor and directors' chairs, wood framed sofas and low tables. The chunky bar stools are a reminder that Governors' is a social scene as well as a safari camp: people make friends here quickly and any pub-goer will feel at ease.

Crazy-paving paths link the main areas of the camp to the 25 tents, which are fairly close together. These are suspended from heavy steel frames built on solid concrete plinths, set with crazy paving. Stretched across the frame is a durable canvas flysheet, with a second thin flysheet above that to provide some sun protection. Of these, 20 face the river, with its hippos, birdlife and even the occasional wildebeest river crossing during the August to October migration (the most likely crossing point in camp is just downstream from the lawns and deck area where guests often have afternoon tea). The other five tents face the plain where ambling elephants and the odd roaming lion pride can be spotted from your 'front door'.

The 16 standard tents are smaller than the average for this level of camp, but reasonably comfortably furnished, with rush matting covering the concrete bedroom floor, twin or double beds, bedside tables, plug sockets taking three-pin, UK-style plugs (generator power available for charging batteries 24/7), and a small glass-topped dressing table with a director's chair. Outside each tent, on the veranda, there are two more director's chairs and a table – though all too often the general access path to the tents cuts in front of the verandas, so your privacy tends to be curtailed. These director's chairs are the only seating in the tents – no recliners, daybeds or armchairs – so there is nowhere really comfortable to flop apart from the bed itself.

The built-in tent bathrooms have half-height wood-panel walls, a tiled floor and an attractive 'country cottage' paint scheme that makes them a lot lighter than they would otherwise be, given the amount of tree cover and the lack of mosquito-screen 'windows' in the bathroom area. The bathrooms have standard flush toilets and adequate walk-in showers, but no shower screens.

The one suite at Governors' Camp has a bathtub is the same as the standard tents at Governors' Il Moran Camp.

Eight of the tents are then family units, these are similar in design to the standard tents, with one bathroom, however they have an extension to the front which can accommodate two twin beds. While these are a good option for younger children, older teenagers or adults travelling together may prefer to have their own separate tent.

Governors also have a seperate spa tent with a resident therapist, and a range of different treatments such as massages, body scrubs, facials and pedicures are on offer. Prices vary, starting around $50 for an hours massage, through to $85 for a 90-minute treatment.

The principal safari activities at Governors' Camp are game drives – early morning, and late afternoon – in one of the camp vehicles. Governors' uses mostly open-sided Land Rovers with two rows of seats in the rear, and the option for one passenger to sit next to the driver-guide. More than 30 driver-guides work for Governors' camps in the Mara. The drivers, each based at a particular camp, are responsible for their own vehicles.

Drives take place along the forest margins east of the river, and then fan out around the Musiara sector of the national reserve, to Paradise Plain or Rhino Ridge, or go further to visit the reserve's Sekenani sector. In terms of visitors, this is the busiest part of the Mara eco-system, especially during the wildebeest migration, when hundreds of minivans and 4x4s crawl the earth roads in the hope of seeing a kill or a wildebeest river crossing. Even off-season, you will inevitably share most of your best sightings with anything from one or two to a couple of dozen other vehicles.

In common with all properties in the Mara, early-morning balloon safaris can be booked. All Governors' guests take their balloon flights from Governors' own launch site at Little Governors' Camp. From Governors' Main Camp you take a vehicle transfer to their little boat jetty at about 5.30am, followed by the 30-second ferry across the Mara, and then a five-minute walk to the launch site behind Little Governors' Camp. The flight lasts approximately one hour, landing in the Mara Triangle, where you have a bush breakfast with sparkling wine, and then a game drive, arriving back at camp around mid-morning.

Our view

The location of Governors’ Camp is unbeatable, with superb game-viewing around the Musiara Marsh. The popularirty of the area means that you rarely have those special moments to yourself – but if you can forgive this, and are comfortable with formal times for meals and drives, then Governors’ is worth considering.

Tamara Hoskyns-Abrahall

Kenya expert

Geographics

Location: Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Ideal length of stay: Three days-plus to get appreciate the full wildlife rewards of this area.
Directions: The 2km drive from Governors’ own airstrip, Musiara, takes five–ten minutes, though interesting wildlife en route often delays the trip.
Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer

Food & drink

Usual board basis: Full Board & Activities
Food quality: Food at the Governors camps is surprisingly good for a simpler, more economical camp. Over recent years the camp has been working with talented chefs to improve the menu and on our last visit we found the meals to be one of the highlights of our stay. When the camp is quiet meals will often be served a la carte, however when full these are normally served as a buffet.

A full cooked breakfast, plus fruit, cereals, yogurts and various bread and pastries is served as a buffet, however many guests take a breakfast out with them on their morning game drive.

Lunch, roughly from midday to 3pm, is a buffet, though it starts with the option of a plated soup as a first course. The soup might be carrot & ginger, accompanied by mixed seed bread, feta and dipping pesto. The buffet typically includes dishes such as seared chicken with lemon sauce, fried calamari and various vegetables, with salads and a choice of puds to follow.

Dinner, served at 8.00pm, is a plated meal of three courses. On our last visit we were offered a choice of starters, we opted for the feta and watermelon salad. There were three mains to choose from, including steak cooked to order or chicken Milanese. Dessert was then a choice of ice creams and sorbets, or perhaps a decedent chocolate cake.
Dining style: Individual Tables
Dining locations: Indoor and Outdoor Dining
Further dining info, including room service: Dining at your tent is possible, with request in advance.
Drinks included: Most drinks are included at Governors Camp.

Special interests

Photography holidays: Governors Camp has a resident photographer on site, and with advance notice you can pre-book him for a special photo shoot or perhaps a photography lesson. Lenses are also available to hire. The guides can also advise you on photography and know how to position the vehicles for the best shots.; See ideas for Photography holidays in Kenya

Children

Attitude towards children: Children of all ages are welcome.
Property’s age restrictions: None
Special activities & services: There are toys and puzzles in the bar, but nothing else. Childminding can be arranged with staff from housekeeping, but there is nobody with a professional childcare background.
Equipment: Cots and highchairs are available.
Generally recommended for children: Yes – Governors’ is family-friendly, and being a bit larger than most camps it can accommodate children without affecting the atmosphere of camp.
Notes: As Governors’ is unfenced, young children will need very close parental supervision at all times. The camp is busy enough, however, for animals approaching camp to be noticed before they have arrived.

Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Governors' Camp

Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Governors' Camp have kindly recorded their wildlife sightings and shared them with us. The results are below. Click an animal to see more, and here to see more on our methodology.

Buffalo

100% success

Elephant

100% success

Giraffe

100% success

Hippo

100% success

Lion

100% success

Spotted Hyena

100% success

Wildebeest

100% success

Zebra

100% success

Eland

75% success

Cheetah

50% success

Leopard

50% success

Black Rhino

25% success

Aardvark

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Striped Hyena

0% success

Wild dog

0% success

Communications

Power supply notes: Charging points in rooms and 24hr lighting. Briquettes are used for heating shower water. There is no-solar powered system.
Communications: WiFi is available throughout the camp, both in the central area and the tents.

There is good cellphone coverage.
TV & radio: There is no official guest TV, but the staff quarters have TV which guests are welcome to visit for major sporting events, etc.
Water supply: Borehole
Water supply notes: Reverse osmosis system in rooms.

Sustainability

Achieving zero-waste with the help of locals

Accommodating up to 40 visitors with a total work force of 200 employees, Grovernors’ Camp is built on low environmental footprint and has implemented a zero waste policy. To achieve its goal, the camp has initiated a recycling project which involves the camp’s staff and locals as well.

At Governors’ Camp all waste is sorted and separated in-house, and all recyclable material is then sent for disposal via Governors Head office to recycling companies in Nairobi. Additionally, Grovernors’ has introduced a programme to use recycled fuel for the hot water systems in order to lessen its dependence on fossil fuels. To do this, the camp has recently started a recycling project in Ongata Rongai, near Nairobi, which employs 12 disadvantaged youth from the local area. The initiative involves using all the Governors’ waste paper and cardboard to make recycled paper briquettes, which the camp then buys off the local community. The project produces 1.5 tonnes of recycled briquettes per week from 100% recycled materials which are used to fire the camp’s hot water system.

Proving it success at Governors’ Camp, the programme is now replicated at other properties within the group. Moreover, for its consistent efforts in recycling and energy efficiency, the camp was awarded the Silver Eco Rating from Eco-Tourism Kenya.

See more great sustainability projects in Kenya

Health & safety

Malarial protection recommended: Yes
Medical care: There is a doctor on site. Guides are first-aid trained and there is a first-aid kit in all vehicles. The camp has links to the Flying Doctor service as well.
Dangerous animals: High Risk
Security measures: The camp is patrolled by askaris during the day and night. Guests are escorted around the camp at night.
Fire safety: Fire extinguishers are located all over camp and they do fire drills to ensure that the staff are all trained to use them.

Activities

4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Cultural excursion
Guided walking safari
Hot air ballooning

Extras

Disabled access: In Place
Laundry facilities: Laundry service included - washing powder is in the tents for washing your own underwear, which is not included in the service.
Money: Forex is available for key currencies based on the rate of the day.
Valuables should be kept at reception. Guests are given a safe bag and a key and the bag is put in a central safe.
Accepted payment on location: Governors’ takes credit card payments, including Amex, with no surcharge. They also take most major currencies in cash, but not travellers’ cheques.