Vacation Camps, Lodges Masai Mara

1. Mara River Camp

This midsized, friendly and informal tented camp is outside the Reserve (20 minutes from the Musiara Gate in the northeast of the Mara). It is one of the oldest lodges in the area and has a lovely position on the banks of Mara River looking up at the escarpment. There are green lawns and safari chairs, big shady trees busy with birds and hippos in the river. The dining area is largely pleasant views across the river. You welcome to bird walks with the resident ornithologist, and game drives are available.

There are 26 basic but cheerfully decorated tents. All have ensuite bathrooms. Some have good river views, while other tents are set back from the river and rather close together. In the evening a camp fire is lit and guests are sometimes treated to performances by the staff band. There is electricity, no fences and no pool. Four Toyota Land cruisers with driver/guides are available for game drive.

2. Sarova Mara Game camp

Sarova Mara camp is a large, established tented lodge inside the reserve. The entrance is impressive-exotic gardens and high thatched lobby with ethnic décor. The lodge buildings are attractive and airy, a big dining area includes an outdoor terrace with wide angle views, and there is a well-used free form swimming pool with pool-side bar and barbecue/buffet area.

Seventy-five tents are scattered through sizeable grounds. Many paths wind through lawns and gardens, and there are wooden walkways over wide lily ponds. Some tents are quite a hike from the main lodge. Outlooks from the tents differ- some have wide open vistas of the Mara while others feel more like being in a tended garden.

The tents are substantial, with a concentrate addition for private bathrooms- secure and neighborly rather than adventurous. Sarova Mara camp is basically a big, tourist lodge that offers a taste of the romance of camping in tents.

3. Fig tree camp

This is a large camp with 30 basic tents and 30 wood cabins. It is just outside the reserve near the Talek gate, and is reached by crossing the Talek river on a covered wooden footbridge. The atmosphere is relaxed and casual. The accommodations are basic, and tents and cabins tend to feel crowded close together in a rather hodgepodge arrangement. Some have a river view.

There is a pool, video room, outdoor barbeque area, and a large souvenir/sundries shop. Many activities are available at extra charge: game drives, game walks, and moonlight bush dinners. Fig tree camp is a base for balloon safaris and is the closests lodge to many informal campsites along the river. There is a 24 hour electricity; no fences.

4. Oseur Tented camp

This new camp is eight Kilometers outside the reserve (through the Olemutiak Gate). A total of 32 tents. To promote privacy, the camp is divided into three self-contained Manyatta, each with its own dining tent and bar. The tents are basic and unpretentious, and are well-spaced in the bush. An electric fence is in place, and a pool is available. Game walks are offered in the surrounding hills, and the camp is close to Masai Manyatta, which can be visited on foot. There is an airstrip and a nearby petrol station.