Mara Expedition Camp: Our full report
The small and smart Mara Expedition Camp is located in a patch of woodland atop a low hill, just outside ...
... the northern border of the Maasai Mara National Reserve. While it is also very close to the edge of the Olare Motorogi Conservancy, it is actually a member of the Mara North Conservancy, so well placed to explore that game-viewing area (unlimited game drives in both Mara North Conservancy and the Maasai Mara National reserve are included in your activities), and to witness the wildebeest migration in season.Mara Expedition was designed as the bushcamp equivalent of its established sister camp, Mara Plains, which has an exceptional reputation for high standards and top-quality guiding. When we last visited, we found Mara Expedition to be slightly simpler in style and size than its luxurious sister camp, yet it certainly kept pace in regards to its quality of food, service, and guiding.
Mara Expedition’s setting is near to leopard territory and at the right time of the year (between August and November, though it can vary widely) the great wildebeest migration passes right through camp.
Each of the five standard tents at Mara Expedition has a private deck that looks out onto a secluded patch of lawn, equipped with a comfortable day bed for wiling away the afternoon between morning and evening game drives. On the decking, you'll find a small table with two director's chairs and, within the tents, old Indian chests, wooden bookcases, colourful rugs, and pretty light-casings. Campaign chests – historically used for transporting goods on expedition – open to offer a variety of teas and coffee, allowing you to enjoy hot drinks from the comfort of your room, and the beds can be configured as either twins or doubles.
The sixth tent is a family tent, featuring a connected double and twin bedroom with a shared ensuite bathroom and large veranda. Electricity is available 24/7 across the entire camp, and the tents glow from dappled solar-power lanterns in the evenings.
Each en-suite bathroom features twin beaten-brass basins with hand soap, and soap for washing delicates in lovely antique-style silver pots and wooden trinket boxes. A spacious walk-in safari shower is located to the side of the washbasins – with hot water available 24/7 and Kenyan toiletries provided. There is also a flushing toilet.
Like the bedroom tents, the central mess tent also looks out across the lawns and is decorated in a similar style, with dark wooden chests, deep leather and beaded floor cushions, brass lamps, and colourful rugs. On one side of the tent is a lounge area, while the other hosts a large table for convivial dining. Impressive life-size prints of Beverley and Dereck's wildlife photographs hang framed upon the walls.
Following one of the beautifully maintained paths from the main mess, you will discover a large safari truck concealed behind some of the camp's shrubs. A wooden staircase leads up the side of the truck, where a wooden platform opens out to reveal a small decking area and pool! Whilst not large enough to swim laps in, the pool provides the chance for a refreshing dip, and the views from the top of the platform, out across the surrounding tree tops and plains, are very impressive.
Breakfast and lunch are usually held alfresco, in front of the mess tent, where guests also gather around the firepit for a drink before dinner. Weather dependent, dinner can be enjoyed in the communal area, on the lawn, or private dining can be arranged upon your room's decking. For guests' final night, an incredibly special, interactive cooking experience typically takes place with the camp's chef, with seating arranged at the 'kitchen bar'.
Mara Expedition also has a shop with some beaded jewellery and interesting artefacts. Guests are welcome to visit the more comprehensive shop at Mara Plains, which is a five-minute drive away.
The activities at Mara Expedition focus very firmly on wildlife. The surrounding bush is prime big-cat country and guests have some flexibility on how long and how far their game drives will go. The camp has good access to both the Maasai Mara National Reserve in which it stands, and the Mara North Conservancy, which spans out to the north.
The camp has four open-sided Land Cruisers enabling panoramic views and great photographic opportunities – and the vehicles also have fully stocked fridges. A Canon 50D camera (with wide-angle and 100–400mm lens) and pair of Swarovski binoculars is available for use in every guest tent, with a complimentary SD card containing photos from your stay provided at the end of your visit. The managers at Mara Expedition are also more than happy to offer photographic advice on request.
In addition, you can take to the skies for a hot-air balloon safari (at additional cost), and pay a visit to the local Maasai schools and community projects. Mountain-biking is also possible near the airstrip, out on the open plains, with a backup vehicle in attendance if required, and massage treatments can be arranged with the spa therapist in your room.
Our view
Mara Expedition is a high-quality and luxurious bushcamp which has succeeded in combining a fairly traditional 'safari' feel with a high standard of guiding and service. With easy access to both the national reserve and the Mara North Conservancy, and no major road arteries nearby, the game-viewing experience is relatively exclusive by the standards of the (usually busy) national reserve. We absolutely love Mara Expedition and consider it to be one of the best camps in the Mara, as well as well suited for families.
Kenya expert
Geographics
- Location
- Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
- Ideal length of stay
- 3–4 nights
- Directions
- Following a scheduled light-aircraft flight from Nairobi's Wilson Airport to Ol Kiombo airstrip, it is a 45-minute drive to camp.
- Accessible by
- Fly-and-Transfer
Food & drink
- Usual board basis
- Full Board & Activities
- Food quality
- The food at Mara Expedition was very good when we visited, influenced by the manager who was keen on healthy eating. This led to some unusual but tasty recipes that managed to avoid the heaviness of a traditional four-course dinner.
We took breakfast out with us – and it was an impressive spread. The vehicle stopped at a nice scenic spot, and a table with Maasai blanket tablecloth, chairs and cutlery produced. Hot tea and coffee, porridge, bacon, sausage and toast are usually on offer, as well as eggs baked in peppers and a mixed-seed homemade cereal. Breakfast in camp is usually a buffet of cereals and fruits, as well as fresh baked bread and a choice of cooked items.
It is also possible to take lunch out as a picnic, when a similar table is laid out in a shady spot with a variety of salads on offer. However, we had lunch in camp, al fresco around a communal table. We had a bulgur wheat salad, a salmon and spinach roll and a mixed bean and green leaf salad, accompanied by fresh bread and followed by fruit salad.
Dinner is a more formal meal, served around an elegantly laid dining table. Our starter was a set option – a tasty gazpacho soup. The main course was a choice between a vegetarian pizza made on a special wheat-free base, or oxtail stew with mashed potato and vegetables. For pudding we had a highly inventive chocolate mousse made with avocado rather than cream. You could barely notice the difference! - Dining style
- Individual Tables
- Dining locations
- Indoor and Outdoor Dining
- Further dining info, including room service
- Mara Expedition offer private dinners on guests own verandas at request.
- Drinks included
- All drinks apart from Champagne, are included in your stay at Mara Expedition.
Special interests
- Family holidays
- Mara Expedition's spacious family tent, fun pool, and interactive kitchen experiences make it a brilliant base for fun-loving families whose children are sensible with wildlife. Children can also be involved with the camp's vegetable garden.
- See ideas for Family holidays in Kenya
- Honeymoons
- Mara Expedition is a stunning tented camp with a high degree of luxury, that also doesn't divorce you from your surroundings. Its high quality fittings are perfect for a special occasion and private meals can be arranged for added intimacy.
- See ideas for Honeymoons in Kenya
- Photography holidays
- Every tent at Mara Expedition is equipped with a Canon 50D camera that guests are invited to use. This is with a wide-angle and 100–400mm lens – fun for budding photographers to experiment with. Guests leave with a complimentary SD card.
- See ideas for Photography holidays in Kenya
Children
- Attitude towards children
- Mara Expedition welcomes children aged 6 years or older.
- Property’s age restrictions
- No children under 6 are accepted, unless the camp has been booked on an exclusive-use basis.
- Special activities & services
- The staff at Mara Expedition can run a programme designed for children, to include birdwatching, tracking and cooking. They also have a badminton net, so there are things to entertain children here. That said, the camp is unfenced in a leopard-heavy area, and the atmosphere is quite adult.
- Equipment
- None
- Generally recommended for children
- As the camp is unfenced in a wild environment, we would recommend it only for families with well-behaved children of 12 years or older.
- Notes
- Children should be supervised by their parents at all times.
Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Mara Expedition Camp
Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Mara Expedition 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.
100% success
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0% success
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Communications
- Power supply notes
- Mara Expedition has solar power day and night, with a generator as back up. There are charging points in the rooms, and the solar power can support hairdryers if necessary.
- Communications
- Wi-Fi is available in guest tents, though not in the communal areas. There's relatively good cellphone reception too, but note that cellphones may be used only in the privacy of guests' tents.
- TV & radio
- No
- Water supply
- Other
- Water supply notes
- Drinking water is provided in jugs within the guest tents and available in the communal areas. Water bottles are provided for guests to take on game drives. The drinking water is trucked in, in large bottles, that are then decanted into smaller ones for guests. This helps to reduce the waste produced by the camp.
Health & safety
- Medical care
- Mara Expedition has a full first-aid kit in camp and a simpler one in each vehicle.
They are 45 minutes' drive from a clinic at Talek, and have links to flying doctors in case of medical emergency. - Dangerous animals
- High Risk
- Security measures
- Guards armed with traditional spears are on duty 24 hours a day at Mara Expedition.
- Fire safety
- There are fire extinguishers in every tent at Mara Expedition, including the mess tent, as well as in every vehicle. They also have an external fire safety warden who checks the equipment regularly.
Activities
4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Cultural excursion
Guided walking safari
Hot air ballooning
Private activities
Extras
- Disabled access
- On Request
- Laundry facilities
- A full laundry service is included at Mara Expedition. Items are hand washed and line dried. Underwear is included but soap is provided in the tents for these items to be handwashed if preferable.
- Money
- A lockable box is provided in every tent.
- Accepted payment on location
- Tips for the staff and payment for extras can be paid in Kenyan shillings, US dollars, Euros, or GBP pounds. There is also a credit-card machine that accepts most credit cards excluding American Express.
Other lodges in Maasai Mara National Reserve
Alternative places to stay in this same area.
Little Governors'
Little Governors’ Camp sits by a swamp (an old oxbow of the Mara River) in the Mara Triangle sector of the Maasai Mara National Reserve. It has its own balloon-launching site.
Rekero
Rekero is an unpretentious, high-end safari camp, for travellers who take their wildlife watching seriously and are prepared to pay for an exceptional location.
Tangulia Mara
Tangulia Mara is a rustic and traditional safari camp on the border of the Maasai Mara National Reserve owned by Jackson Looseyia of Big Cat Diary fame.
Governors' Camp
Governors' Camp is a large tented camp on the Mara River and one of the oldest in the Mara region, dating from 1972. Although unfenced, and regularly visited by elephants, the whole compound is always busy with human activity.
Serian Nkorombo
Serian Nkorombo is a luxury bush camp in the Musiara sector of the Maasai Mara National Reserve on the east side of the Mara River.
Sand River Camp
Luxury colonial-style tented camp on the banks of the Sand River close to the Tanzania border – a great spot to see the wildebeest migration.
Sala's Camp
Sala’s Camp is a comfortable and intimate tented camp, with seven tented rooms, located on the banks of the Sand River, in the far south of the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
Governors' Il Moran
The smallest and most expensive of the three camps in the Governors’ group, Governors’ Il Moran Camp hugs a meander of the Mara River just 1km north of the main Governors’ Camp.
Basecamp Maasai Mara
Basecamp Maasai Mara is a family-friendly, award-winning eco-camp on a U-bend on the north bank of the Talek River, on the boundary of the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
Ilkeliani Camp
Ilkeliani Camp is a smart elegant camp overlooking the Talek River, on the edge of the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
Angama Mara
Angama Mara is a top-end luxury tented camp on the Siria-Oloololo escarpment of the Maasai Mara ecoystem, just above the Mara Triangle sector of the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
Ngenche Safari Camp
Mara Ngenche is a non-hosted, luxury tented camp with an antique style, which is perfect if you're looking for private dining while staying somewhere small and personal.
Tipilikwani Camp
Tipilikwani Mara Camp is a larger, mid-range tented camp offering good value from its base on the Talek River just outside the Mara National Reserve.
Mara Serena Safari Lodge
Mara Serena Safari Lodge is a large safari hotel with views of the Mara River, in the Mara Triangle sector of the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
Mara Explorer Camp
Mara Explorer is a smart tented camp is in a scenic location on a bend in the Talek River.
Governors' Private Camp
Located on a secluded bend of the Mara River, Governor’s Private Camp has just eight tents and is booked on an exclusive basis.
Entim Camp
Entim Camp is well located in the heart of the Mara National Reserve, offering traditionally styled tented accommodation.
Naibor Camp
Naibor has a great location in the Mara reserve, and offers accommodation to suit different budgets, with stylish high-end tents and some simpler ones too.
Ishara
Ishara is a highly luxurious safari camp in the Maasai Mara, located on the Talek River, which is one of the best areas in Kenya for wildlife.
