Reviews of Governors' Camp

"Loved this camp - having all the wildlife on your doorstep is amazing. Tent is quite dark but you soon get used to it." See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya

"A great location in the trees on the riverbank.

Although a bigger camp it felt very calm and relaxed with wildlife coming through the camp on several occasions. We really appreciated the shade. Our tents overlooked the river - we loved listening to the hippos.

All the staff were very helpful.

Sopia was a great guide for our game drives. We also visited a local Maasai village which was really interesting." See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya

"We were a 3 generation group and Governors' Camp was an excellent place to start our holiday. The staff were very welcoming and helpful and made a lot of effort to accomodate my grand daughters and make their trip very special. In particular, thanks to Philip who was our safari guide. The location, looking over a bend in the river and watering place is great and the family tent was well appointed and a good size for 2 adults and 2 children. The camp also offered a seperate child friendly menu which was much appreciated. High points were the number and range of wildlife near to the camp which meant there was no lengthy drive involved on our first day. We had a long day out so that we could see the migration which was well worth while. We also enjoyed seeing lots of warthogs around the camp! Overall I would recommend this camp for families and if your trip is part of a birthday celebration, being served birthday cake by singing and dancing Maasai is quite an experience." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya

"The Mara was simply magnificent and we saw many lions and leopards, and once 5 cheetahs altogether.

Our tented accommodation overlooked the river with an occasional hippo wandering about right below us." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya

"No comparison with Elephant Bedroom, we were spoilt there first." See all these reviews: 14n in Kenya

"Great location and game viewing but after a very special time at Laikipia Wilderness it seemed very commercialised in comparison.

The camp was quiet and we benefited from very few vehicles in the area which made for enjoyable game viewing in the Masai Mara. Our driver / guide was not as enthusiastic as many others and we were always first back in camp which was disappointing as we have always previously had excellent guides here. We were fortunate and saw lots of animals including the Big 5.

Eating outside was good but when raining the dining tent was very dark and unispiring. Would be lovely to have a pool for the middle of the day!" See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya

"This was the second year in a row that we'd decided to stay at Governors Camp during a self drive safari. The place is truly magical. Every night elephants trundled through the camp and we were able to observe them very safely from very close range. The new manager who was the deputy manager for several years beforehand is excellent as is the staff who go out of their way to make the experience special.

We were a party of 6 including my two teenage daughters and we never felt unsafe. There is also a fabulous workshop at the camp in case of required emergency repairs.

The game viewing in that area is fabulous with the marsh pride of lions made famous by the BBC Big Cats diaries as well as cheetahs, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and numerous antelopes among others plus it's only a short drive to the famous wildebeest crossing points during the migration.

Our only regret was not seeing a rhino. Richard Trillo made the reservation process very smooth at a competitive rate." See all these reviews: 2n in Kenya

"Governors is a large camp beautifully located within the Reserve. The proximity to the marsh is one of the best reasons for staying here and again, gave us some outstanding sightings. Little Governor's and Il Moran are other camps which are part of this group which offer alternative (and smaller) options. This was my 5th stay with the Governors group.

This large camp as well as many others in and around the Reserve means lots of people in a large number of vehicles which can result in overcrowding around the animals sometimes. Most of the drivers are sensitive to this and monitor their movements. Being within the Reserve means that night drives are not allowed and off-road driving is limited to certain sightings. Governors itself may not suit some people but we mixed our stay at Governors with a small camp outside the reserve and the combination worked well for us.

Governors camp is unfenced so animals can and do come through. Hearing a hippo or elephant munch on grass outside your tent is wonderful! There are guards throughout the camp who are always on the lookout. At night you are escorted to and from your tent. There is nothing like deciding to go to bed but being stopped by the guards because an elephant was on the path. Back to the bar we went until the path was clear - not really a hardship!

The tents are comfortable and clean. Most of the tents follow the winding river bed so, with the hippos, birds and other animals there was usually something to watch from your deck. Some tents look out onto the plains. If you have any walking difficulties it would be worth mentioning this when you book as some of the tents are a walk away from the centre.

The food was delicious with several choices for each meal. Our waiter, Philip was with us the whole time and was so lovely he deserves a special mention. A cold breakfast could be taken out with you on a long morning game drive (highly recommended) or you could have a full breakfast buffet between your shorter morning game drives. The two bartenders we dealt with were wonderful with one spending time exchanging recipes with my bartender nephew. A lot of laughter (and great cocktails) resulted. I think that Dawa will be on the menu in Canada very soon!

Our game drives were always interesting and Philip, our driver, excellent, informative and funny. The long morning drives enabled us time to search out fabulous sightings and also allowed us to wait until a crossing took place. Amazing!

With the two Philips we were well looked after. Both gentlemen had worked at Governors for a long time and their experience shone through. The bar staff provided us with a great deal of fun (and great cocktails!) The management staff were always pleasant, kind and efficient. We had a problem with our initial driver at Governors (something that we had never come across before). As soon as we discussed this with management they acted on it immediately and very professionally and thereafter our stay was wonderful." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya

"We loved it here, but we know why you describe it as having a "circus" feel about it. Lots of people around, but never feeling overcrowded. We always had our own table at meal times with our tent number on it. We had the same waiter, Dominic, throughout. He wasn't the best waiter we've ever had, probably due to inexperience, but he tried to do his best, was always polite and was such a great character that we didn't mind. We were surprised at the quality of the food available at what is essentially a camp site, but it certainly exceeded our expectations, especially the fine dining in the evening under candlelight.

The tent was spacious and we like that it faced the plains. It did mean that we had a lot of noise from elephants and hippos during the night, but that added to our enjoyment of the experience. We did have a walk around to see the tents by the river which looked more secluded and might suit people without children better.

Other things we enjoyed at the camp: having hot water bottles brought to us in the evening, tea brought to us in the very early morning, flashing our torch to get the guards attention so he could escort us at night, the chefs singing Jambo Jambo at the end of the evening meal.

The game drives were more than we could have wished for. We shared a Land Cruiser with another couple who were great company. Six seats, three down each side so we all had a good view. Lots of space inside to stand up and move around. We saw lots of other guests squashed into Land Rovers so we felt lucky. More importantly we had a fantastic guide, the very humble Moses, who had 15 years experience and had the patience to wait a little longer than some of the other drivers. Because of this we managed to witness the wildebeest crossing when all the others had given up and left. On another occasion we were almost back to the camp at the end of our drive, when he heard that a cheetah was in the area. Moses turned back so that we could see it, extending the length of our game drive by another half an hour.

Colin, the manger personally introduced himself evtoery guest and was always about the camp. We did hear one woman complaining about the quality of a driver, but we didn't have any complaints. We have never stayed at a place like this before so it is difficult to make comparisons but it suited us well." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya

"We enjoyed a wonderful safari experience at Governor's Camp! From the camp managers - especially Peter, to the daytime gate guard, who was a joy to behold, the staff was excellent.

Our game guide/driver (Kurui) was excellent and very knowledgeable. He worked very hard trying to make sure we saw the Big Five even though we never were able to spot the Black Rhino in the few days we were there.

It's a good excuse to go back! Right?" See all these reviews: 6n in Kenya