Reviews of Rekero

"We chose to visit Rekero because we wanted to see more of the big cats, especially cheetahs, and we were not disappointed. In prior years we had been to six safari camps in Kenya before Rekero, so we know that it's never safe to say that any sightings are guaranteed, but seeing the big cats at Rekero is as close to a sure thing as you can get. In four days we saw seven cheetahs, five leopards and so many lions that we lost count. The Rekero guides, as well as the guides at other camps in the area coordinate in such a way that if you wanted to spend every day with just cheetahs, or lions, you could. The leopards are more difficult to find and the sightings more fleeting, but if you set out to see them, our experience was that your odds are good.

Thanks to seeing a black rhino on our last morning, we did see the big five. We were also lucky enough to see more elusive animals such as a serval cat and a bat - eared fox.

We prefer tented camps to those with lodges, so for us the accommodation at Rekero is ideal. The tents are tucked into the woods and overlook the Talek River. We requested tent nine because we wanted to be close to the hippos and were we ever close to them! They cracked branches and twigs on their paths to the river as they brushed past our tent at night, and one night we encountered a hippo in the path as walked back to the tent from dinner.

Our hosts Clea and Conway were delightful, friendly and always ready to help. They sprang to action one night when our tent was invaded by safari ants after a rain and swiftly moved us to another tent. We are most grateful for all their aid and advice.

Our guide Pius was more complicated. We'd have to say that overall he was an excellent guide, because he did put us in position to see many fantastic animals and sights, but we got the feeling that he wasn't always giving it his all. On our last day in particular, we sensed that he was "running out the clock." At times Pius seemed to rely somewhat too much on other Rekero guides, so much so that on several occasions we could see that he stopped the truck to make small talk while he waited for the other guides to leave a scene before he took us there. Then when we arrived at the scene we'd find "just" a few sleeping lions, when we'd had many active and fantastic lion encounters during the previous days. We'd have rather headed off somewhere else without being sure what we would find. The other irksome thing was that there were times when we felt we were on Pius's photo safari, as he had us waiting to move on while he maneuvered for pictures that he wanted to take with his camera. We don't mean to be too rough on Pius, because he's a friendly and personable man who guided us to many magic moments. He found us a pride of lions marching majestically across the plains, as well as a herd of elephants, both when no one else was around. He also brought us to the most memorable bush breakfast spot we'd ever been to.

He spotted the rhino on our last morning, but we felt that we wouldn't have been there to see it if we hadn't made him get up early on the morning of our leaving. That was our experience with Pius in a nutshell, moments of elation mixed with some frustration.

Overall, our experience at Rekero was fantastic and we wouldn't hesitate to return." See all these reviews: 6n in Kenya

"This was our first visit to the Mara and we were a little apprehensive because of everything we'd heard about the Mara being ridiculously busy and overcrowded. It was a little overrun with vehicles whenever there was a sighting but there was a sense of good nature about it. If you have any reservations about the Mara then don't. It is unbelievably beautiful and the big cat sightings were terrific.

The camp is very comfortable and wonderfully positioned. The food is gorgeous and the hosting very friendly.

We were blessed with a wonderful guide, Dan, who was so entertaining, made us laugh and can not only work out which grazer a cheetah is going to go for but can also work out where this is going to take place! An extraordinary place, highly recommended." See all these reviews: 15n in Kenya

"Outstanding camp for viewing animal crossings on both Talek and Mara rivers. It was a pity that we were the only guests although there was a specific party of 6 who ate separately.

All the staff made every effort to make our stay exceptional. Sami, our guide, was amazing providing us with unbelieveable sightings not only of massive wildebeest and other animal crossings but also ensuring that every day we saw something different. His intuition as to how animals behave and second guessing where next they would appear from the bush was excellent.

Our wonderful experiences at Rekaro will remain in our minds forever." See all these reviews: 6n in Kenya; 3n in Tanzania

"Everything was excellent, friendly, great guide, good food and great location. For seeing the migration it can't be beaten.

Equal but different to Naboisho, nicer than Cottars." See all these reviews: 12n in Seychelles; 6n in Kenya

"Rekero is absolutely brilliantly positioned on the river to see animals crossing as part of the Great Migration .
We saw quite a few crossings as we simply sat eating breakfast on the lawn or were looking at the view.
There are nine tents and they were all full when we were there. It is obviously a very popular place and many people we spoke to had stayed there before - some of them for the third time in a year !
We did not meet all the usual managers as they were taking a short break , but were well taken care of by Mariana and Clea.
They joined us for meals and helped dish some of them up too.
Usually one of the guides also joined us which made for lively and interesting dinner conversation.
I read somewhere that the dining tent ( mess tent) had very spartan chairs . But this was not the case when we visited as the chairs and the whole dining area were very comfortable.
The 'spartan' metal fold up chairs were however used outside for breakfast at camp ( with cushions)
One night we had place names at dinner - but couples were not split up as I had read they would be.
There was a large family of about 8 staying there at the time - so maybe that was the reason for not mixing people up at meal times .
The tent was not huge but big enough - the furniture was wooden but seemed a bit more modern than most places.
Seemed a bit more 'designed' than other places I have stayed at.
Hotr water was provided in flasks for washing your smalls and a small washing line with pegs out the front.
Bucket showers were excellent. The toilet was not separate from the rest of the bathroom which might matter if you were sharing with someone you didn't know all that well. All toiletries were included including cotton buds and tampons.
Lunch was buffet style and very good. All the food at Rekero was just so tasty !!!
The staff all seemed very confident and able to banter with guests.
Charging is in the main tent and they label your plug for you. ( good idea)
There is a new lounging- about tent on the river which looked very nice but we didn't really get a chance to relax in it unfortunately.
Rekero is NOT dismantled each year anymore as they found it caused more damage to do that than to just leave it be.
It is closed as most places are in April and May and then they return and mow a bit of grass , do some repairs etc.. and off they go again for another season.
Drinks by the fire pre-dinner was very enjoyable and I did read that the fire has been in that spot since the camp was first founded.
Our guide was Pius who found us some marvellous animal sightings.
Weather in August was lovely and warm - very little use for my fleece!
Saw lots of lions, one cheetah, and of course horizon to horizon wildebeest !!
Never seen so many in my life !!" See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya

"We loved this camp from the moment we arrived to the moment we left we were made to feel special. Marianne Stacy and Peter were brilliant hosts. The location is fantastic and the tents were amazing, albeit we had a family tent that would sleep 5. we also had the privilege of meeting Jackson Looseyai who is legendary in the mara.

Our guide Daniel really knew his stuff and we had fantastic bush breakfasts an d sundowners.

Food and drinks in the camp were excellent along with the service." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya

"Great Guide, beautiful location by the river." See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya

"We also spent 2 nights at Rekero." See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya

"Had a splendid 3 night stay at Rekero (followed by 3 nights at Naboisho). Great game viewing even on the drive from the airstrip to the camp. They even arranged for it to rain so there was plenty of grass for grazing.

Our guide Dan was very personable, knowledgeable and diligent in scouting out wildlife. The river-side location really makes the camp special with lots of activity in the river (crocs, hippos) and animals traveling to and from the river.

Our village visit with Dan was great, giving us a little glimpse outside of the tourist bubble into rural life.

The meals were excellent as long as you temper your expectations with the knowledged that you are in a remote camp. All service was courteous but relaxed and friendly. Overall highly recommended." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya

"From start to finish our visit to Rekero was excellent. We were picked up from the airstrip by two guides, Pius and Moses and we managed to spend some time on this first journey to the camp itself observing giraffe, an elephant and Olive the leopard from the BBC Big Cat Dairies series.

Over the course of 2 days we were very lucky and our guides very good at their job so we managed to see a Black Rhino, several hundred wildebeest making a river crossing, large numbers of zebra, giraffe and gazelles. We saw the Rekero pride of lions several times including one early morning sighting just outside camp as the sun was rising and two lionesses were engaged in play fighting. We also saw 3 cheetah, around 100 hippo's including the camp resident hippo George. (don't worry he doesn't sleep in the tents !

We had two guides to ourselves as Moses was being introduced to the Mara area by Pius, but Moses had been a guide a Amboselli previously and both of them had a wealth of knowledge and got the balance just right between giving us information and allowing us to watch and enjoy.

Breakfast and lunches whilst out in the Mara were great and the food served in the evening at the camp was really good. The hosts were very welcoming and good at keeping all the guests engaged at the dinner table despite the varying backgrounds of the guests.

The tents are much more luxurious than you might expect. The bucket showers work well and there are flushing toilets in the tent, with a very comfortable bed and hot water bottles at night if it is a bit chilly. All that said it is great to hear the animal calls at night safe in the knowledge that the friendly Askari guards are on patrol around the camp.

My only regret is that we didn't stay longer and we will definitely be returning to this camp." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya