Travel reviews by M&A from Geneva
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
1
Lodges stayed in
1
Excursions taken
2
My Nov 2021 trip
Kenya between 29 Nov 2021 and 3 Dec 2021
"Our trip to Kenya was fantastic - Expert Africa and especially Richard were a major reason for that.
Richard has profound knowledge of the country and gave us excellent advice during the initial planning phase, but we truly came to appreciate his support when things went pear-shaped due to COVID just a few days before we were to depart. We were able to work with him to reconfigure our itinerary at the very last minute; Expert Africa processed our partial refund quickly and without a fuss.
It's when things go wrong that you really find out if you chose the right agent and clearly we did."
Richard has profound knowledge of the country and gave us excellent advice during the initial planning phase, but we truly came to appreciate his support when things went pear-shaped due to COVID just a few days before we were to depart. We were able to work with him to reconfigure our itinerary at the very last minute; Expert Africa processed our partial refund quickly and without a fuss.
It's when things go wrong that you really find out if you chose the right agent and clearly we did."
Arranged By Richard Trillo
Mara Plains Camp
"Mara Plains Camp review"
4 nights
Arrived
29 Nov 2021
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Feedback response
We heard back from the owners of Mara Plains Camp, Great Plains Conservation. While they were delighted to hear that these travellers enjoyed their experience at the camp, and especially their guiding and the DSLR camera loan, they were disappointed that their waiter did not talk to them about the wine being served and fully accept that this certainly should have happened. They brought this question up with the team in the camp to ensure that guests are not only offered the wines that have been chosen to be paired with the meal, but also to offer them all the available alternative wines (all of which are included in the rates at no extra charge) if they would prefer something different.
On the question of the unpleasant smell from the resident hippos, they explained that this was a problem in the second half of 2021, when a prolonged drought led to the build-up of anaerobic mud as the hippo corner in the Ntiakatek River became an ever-shrinking pool. Great Plains extended their apologies to these travellers, while also noting that it can occasionally be hard to avoid the more odoriferous side of nature, especially when notoriously stinky hippos decide that a camp's location is ideal for a wallow during a prolonged dry spell. They told us that this problem is a rare occurrence, not a regular one and we're glad to say that when the Ntiakatek River began flowing again at the end of 2021, the aroma dissipated quickly.
On the question of the unpleasant smell from the resident hippos, they explained that this was a problem in the second half of 2021, when a prolonged drought led to the build-up of anaerobic mud as the hippo corner in the Ntiakatek River became an ever-shrinking pool. Great Plains extended their apologies to these travellers, while also noting that it can occasionally be hard to avoid the more odoriferous side of nature, especially when notoriously stinky hippos decide that a camp's location is ideal for a wallow during a prolonged dry spell. They told us that this problem is a rare occurrence, not a regular one and we're glad to say that when the Ntiakatek River began flowing again at the end of 2021, the aroma dissipated quickly.
East Africa Manager
Sightings report
Buffalo
Many sightings
Cheetah
3 sightings
Eland
Many sightings
Elephant
Many sightings
Giraffe
Many sightings
Hippo
Many sightings
Leopard
3 sightings
Lion
Many sightings
Spotted Hyena
Many sightings
Wildebeest
Many sightings
Zebra
Many sightings
Mara National Reserve visit
"Mara National Reserve visit review"
1 Dec 2021 • All-day excursion
Interesting first drive from Mara Plains; sightings weren't as spectacular as in the conservancy, but the Mara river is beautiful.
On the day we took our balloon safari, we also had a short game drive in the Mara Triangle, which was much more lush and had quite abundant wildlife. More vehicles than in "our" conservancy however.
On the day we took our balloon safari, we also had a short game drive in the Mara Triangle, which was much more lush and had quite abundant wildlife. More vehicles than in "our" conservancy however.
Balloon flight over the Mara
"Balloon flight over the Mara review"
2 Dec 2021 • Morning excursion
Our balloon ride was an unforgettable experience, in spite of the long drives involved and 4:30am departure from our camp.
Our pilot Barnabas gave us an absolutely fantastic flight that lasted over an hour and included exhilarating low passes, including one over the Mara river amid a large family of hippos.
The entire Governors operation including the "champagne" breakfast was also excellent - other guests at our camp who had booked with another operator weren't nearly as satisfied. It was also great to see other parts of the area including the Mara Triangle, which is very scenic and was far more lush than the Olare Motorogi conservancy at the time of our visit.
Our pilot Barnabas gave us an absolutely fantastic flight that lasted over an hour and included exhilarating low passes, including one over the Mara river amid a large family of hippos.
The entire Governors operation including the "champagne" breakfast was also excellent - other guests at our camp who had booked with another operator weren't nearly as satisfied. It was also great to see other parts of the area including the Mara Triangle, which is very scenic and was far more lush than the Olare Motorogi conservancy at the time of our visit.
Excellent
The setting, guest tents and public areas are simply stunning and the service team, headed by Stella, is genuinely caring and enthusiastic.
When it comes to wildlife sightings, the main reason for going to a safari camp, we couldn't have been happier. We had our own vehicle for the duration of our stay and our guide Jackson was exceptional - as an example, we asked to see cheetahs and we got to see 9 of them in 3 different sightings! Our night drive was a further highlight that included a high speed chase of fighting male lions - wow! We had multiple sightings of "all" the animals, including 2 leopard sightings. We also did a walking safari departing right from the camp, which was yet another highlight and quite surreal, like walking into a postcard, but with our guide Jackson, an armed ranger and a car to pick you up at the end of the walk :-)
A further MAJOR plus of Mara Plains is the fact that they loan you a high quality SLR camera with a massive zoom lens, as well as excellent binoculars. So you can basically show up empty-handed, yet still have a fantastic wildlife viewing experience and come home with a thumb drive (which Mara Plains produces for you) filled with great pictures.
Food was good - sometimes the chef added too many ingredients to his dishes instead of focusing on execution, but overall meals were very enjoyable, especially when taking the remote location and small camp size into account, and our "champagne" breakfast on the banks of the Mara River was a fantastic surprise. A point of improvement would be to provide a wine list: we were basically presented with 2 open bottles (1 each of red and white/rosé); alternatives were provided on request, however we didn't really know what was on offer (including the champagne for purchase),
Now to the caveat: as also mentioned by a reviewer on Tripadvisor, there was a significant issue with the smell from the adjacent hippo pool. It was quite bad in the first tent we were assigned to (nr. 6), especially overnight. When we mentioned it to Stella, she fully acknowledged the problem and offered to move us the next day - we were actually upgraded to the enormous family unit, which is oriented away from the hippos and therefore thankfully odor-free. I believe that until/unless the drought the entire area was facing in late November / early December 2021 is alleviated, this issue will persist and I would recommend making potential guests aware of it."