Reviews of safaris to Maasai Mara National Reserve
121 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Maasai Mara.
"Bucket list trip to Amazing Africa"
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
When Richard organized this trip, he used the word "bespoke". We had no idea what that meant. We do now and will be forever grateful. He did an amazing job. I have done planned tours before where I felt that I could have planned the same trip and saved money. But on this one, I was quite certain that I could never have done what Richard did, and it was absolutely magical. We looked at economy, budget, comfort and the luxury Expert Africa tours. At the beginning of the process I was quite sure that we could not afford the high end. But after seeing the packed economy tour vans, and experiencing Africa the Expert Africa way, I would never even consider anything else. It would be like going to Disney Land and staying in the parking lot.
There is nothing that can substitute for experience and knowhow." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 12 on a Kenya safari
"A faultless experience!"
Our experience was extremely positive. Everything was very well organised and effectively executed. The arrangements on the ground (e.g. Safarilink and Southern Cross) were flawless. This made for a relaxing and worry-free trip.
The Expert Africa website is the best that we have ever encountered.
We loved the new travel wallet!
We would definitely book with Expert Africa again. Thank you Claire!" Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 6 on a Kenya safari
"A wonderful safari and beach experience"
A great safari experience with a bit of Zanzibar adventure thrown in at the end.
Expert Africa have come up trumps again." Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 13 on a Kenya safari
"My February 2020 trip"
A couple of our drives were impacted by some quite heavy rain but we were never not able to go out, and overall we felt - in large part thanks to our very determined guides - that our sightings were probably pretty much what we might have hoped for had the weather conformed more to the norm for the time of year.
In addition, we absolutely loved both camps, which really hit the mark for us in terms of their combination of comfort without over-the-top luxury, fantastic guiding, and excellent (but not excessively busy) locations. Many thanks to Richard (initially) and Olivia for recommending them to us." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 7 on a Kenya safari
"Very good."
We maximised our drives at both camps though at Little Governors we were severely restricted and at no point after the initial arrival were we able to cross the river." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Kenya safari
"My Jan 2020 trip"
Thank you." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Kenya safari
"A mixed bag indeed"
Kicheche Valley in Naboisho Conservancy and Il Moran in the Mara Reserve were wonderful places to stay. The welcome, the location, the staff, the food and the guiding were all very professional and we would certainly go back to both of them.
Satao Elerai is in a beautiful location especially if you are lucky enough to see Kilimanjaro. Satao Camp is tired and would benefit from some energy from management.
The guiding problems we had with Southern Cross definitely affected our safari in both Amboseli and Tsavo East. Guides are vital to the enjoyment of these wonderful places and make a huge difference to what you see, learn and enjoy. If they are not of a suitably trained standard, temperament or not enthusiastic about all wildlife, long-anticipated (and expensive) trips will be spoiled. Quick fixes, such as offers of treats or bottles of wines, do not detract from the very bad taste of having to complain and try to get someone to take us seriously.
As travellers are told to do, we complained to the management and sent emails with our concerns and experiences to Expert Africa. Although Richard was liaising with Southern Cross what he was being told was often not what we were experiencing on the ground. In fact, he was being given false information. Six of the last 7 days on safari had problems. Julius at Satao Elerai did discuss things with us and try to sort out a solution. The problem with that is that the low standards should not have been acceptable to the Lodge or Southern Cross in the first place. During the last 4 days with the final guide, neither camp management nor Southern Cross management dealt with us directly. We are left feeling frustrated, angry and disappointed with a reasonable part of our trip." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 13 on a Kenya safari
"My Nov 2019 trip"
Of course there were some breaks in the weather but over a three week period it was tough to only have one day without rain [it rained in the evening] and the condones in The Mara simply deteriorated the more rain that fell. Certain parts were off limits as impossible to drive, rivers were impossible for cars and wildlife to cross - the birds were happy as there as access to food was such that they were fishing everywhere" Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 16 on a Kenya safari
"Out of Africa"
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Hard to improve on excellence." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 14 on a Kenya safari
"2nd trip to Mara - all expectations exceeded"
Olivia and Richard were of invaluable help in planning and executing our trip, and I particularly appreciated their commitment to understanding our needs and expectations and ensuring that the trip they recommended was the best possible match for us. They found us late availability at popular camps and secured us competitive pricing that matched direct rates with the lodges concerned, but came with all the advantages of dealing with an experienced agency and a single point of contact.
Unlike other agencies, I never felt that they were promoting or selling specific camps with whom they may have preferential commission arrangements - I genuinely felt that their only objective was to meet the needs of their customers as best they could. This, in my view, is the key to a successful agency and repeat business, and we will certainly be using Expert Africa for our next trip.
It's also worth mentioning that the lodges were aware of our backgrounds, travel experience and preferences / objectives before we arrived, thanks to the information passed on in advance by Expert Africa. This was another plus, reflecting a high standard of customer service and attention to detail.
The team also did an excellent job of managing our expectations in terms of areas where the camps we visited might be different from places we had visited in the past. Our past travel history did include one of the most famously luxurious camps in the Mara, and so we were prepared that certain aspects of the camps we were visiting may not quite match what we had experienced before, but the overall safari experience would still be first class.
I'm pleased to say that the safari experience and the guiding matched or exceeded the best of what we had experienced in the past, exactly as the promised by the team. And in terms of the relative simplicity of the camps themselves, I can honestly say that I didn't notice all that much difference from what we had experienced before, and that this aspect of the trip far exceeded our expectations.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Keep up the good work." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Kenya safari
Where to stay in Maasai Mara
Our suggestions for safari camps in Maasai Mara National Reserve
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.
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.
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.
Mara Expedition Camp
Mara Expedition Camp is a small luxury camp located in a slightly elevated area of bush and woodland, just outside the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
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.
