Travel reviews by Mr G. from Winnersh

"Tortillis Camp is a well appointed camp located in its own private conservancy with lovely views over the plains below. The views of Kilimanjaro were usually at their best at sunrise and sunset. During the rest of the day Kilimanjaro was usually covered in thick cloud!

The tented accommodation was very comfortable with chairs and a day bed on the small terrace area outside. All the tents are situated below the main camp areas so a bit of a short climb back up to the top. The fire pit was usually lit in the evenings but never used as the seating area is very small.

The main lounge/bar area is very comfortable and spacious with good views over the plains. The food was really very good. Lunch was a buffet with a selection of excellent salads along with one or two hot dish selections. The starter for dinner was always soup with a choice of two dishes for the main course one of which would be a vegetarian option.

The camp is managed by a Scottish couple who have been working in East Africa for many years. They would often be there to meet you after your game drives and also before dinner in the evening. All the staff were very attentive and keen to make sure your stay ran smoothly.

Amboseli N P is rightly famous for its huge elephant population and it is probably impossible to drive for more than 15 minutes without coming across elephants! That is the main reason that I wanted to visit this park but I heard that some guests have been disappointed that other wildlife is sparse. I don't think this a destination for for first time safari goers unless they only want to see elephants!

The guiding here was good but the guides here do seem to have something of a fixation to give you the perfect photo shot of an elephant with Kilimanjaro in the background. There is supposed to be a decent lion population here but they are seldom seen. I did have one sighting of 3 male cheetah brothers but that was very fortunate as they are very skittish and shy. There are no leopards in the park.

Overall I enjoyed my time at Tortillis and in Amboseli but for me it is a once only visit. That is not a criticism of Tortillis or the park itself but simply recognition that there is not enough to draw you back."

"This was my second visit in two years to Encounter Mara which probably tells you how much I enjoy this camp. It is relatively small with just 10 tents and the whole set-up is quite straightforward. No swimmings pool, spa or other "luxury" facilities which suits me down to the ground.

As a rule I don't make return visits to a camp but Encounter Mara is the exception. It was nice to go back and find that nothing has changed! Several of the front of house staff and guides are still there and welcomed me back as part of the family.

For me the accommodation is perfectly comfortable but there is talk of some sort of refurbishment at some point. I can understand why Asilia might want to do that as some of the facilities in the tents are a bit dated but I just hope they don't spoil its authentic nature and make it unaffordable.

Breakfast was either a picnic in the bush or a proper bush breakfast which is something they try to offer all guests. Lunch was a buffet of really nice salads often with some barbecue meat and served outside on the lawns or down in the viewing area. Soup was the usual starter for dinner with a choice of main course always with a vegetarian option. Most guests thought that lunch was their favourite meal.

The guiding here is excellent and I do think the Asilia guides are among the best anywhere. Naboisho Conservancy is relatively small but the abundance of game and the ease of sightings is quite astonishing. I think it offers some of the best game viewing anywhere in East Africa.

The lion population continues to grow with one pride of approximately 16 lions. You can almost guarantee to lions on every game drive. There are around 8 leopards in the Conservany and are always quite challenging to find. Sadly the cheetah population is in serious decline. A year ago a mother cheetah with her 4 growing cubs was a daily sighting but she has now lost 3 of those cubs. The mother and her remaining male cub are now collared and the rangers are take great efforts to maintain their safety. There is just one other male cheetah in the conservancy but despite that I did enjoy a total of 4 sightings.

There was also a huge population of zebra, probably measured in thousands, along with big herds of eland. There were two tiny and totally black hyena cubs at their which was a rare sighting.

The big plus with Naboisho Conservancy is that guest numbers are limited and the number of vehicles at any sighting is controlled and limited to 5 vehicles. The rangers did make one exception when the large lion pride were on a giraffe kill but there was sufficient room to allow a few more vehicles to join.

Over the years I have stayed in many camps and lodges but Encounter Mara is the place that I feel most at home."

"Offbeat Mara is a relatively simple, tented camp that will appeal to regular safari goers. It is well managed and has a team that are welcoming and genuinely keen to make sure you have everything you need. The camp has a very relaxed atmosphere that makes you feel very much at home.

The food was very good indeed. Lunch was normally a good variety of different salads, usually served with one hot dish. Soup was the normal starter at dinner followed by a main course of either a chicken, beef or pork dish that were tasty and full of flavour. Something different every day.

The tents were spacious and very comfortable. Bucket showers are ordered by your guide on the way back to camp and were always hot. Wi-fi and charging points have now been installed in all tents. I stayed in Tent 1 which was quite close to the camp kitchen where staff start their day soon after 4.00am. It wasn't a problem for me but, although they try to be as quiet as possible, some guests may find the proximity to the kitchen a little bothersome.

The guiding here was very good and the camp is close to the area which has most leopard sightings.

If I visit Mara North again I will certainly stay at Offbeat Mara again."

"Encounter Mara is a lovely camp in a great location in the Naboisho Conservancy. As with all Asilia properties, it is very well run and managed. All the front of house staff could never do enough to make sure your stay was comfortable and were always around to help with anything you might need.

The tented accommodation is spacious and very comfortable. Hot showers available all the time!

The food was superb - very tasty and wholesome. Depending on the weather, they always tried to serve lunch in a different outside location.

The guiding is very good here and the camp is located in an area rich in wildlife. The conservancy has numerous large lion prides and the cheetah population is growing with sightings of young cheetah cubs every day."