Masai Mara National Reserve

Ol Seki in Mara Naboisho
This was the last part of our Safari. The accommodation is very upmarket, in robust tents, embedded in the middle of the wilderness. It is a 10 min drive from the airstrip, and it is located in the heart of the Naboisho conservancy.
Run by a British Manager, this place is spotless, clean, very well looked after and the Manager (Melinda) looks after all guest very well. There are 6 tents, and all guests meet for breakfast, lunch and Dinner, depending on the safari arrangements, but if preferred the meals can be brought to the individual tents. Whilst we were here, all other guests were British and all were on honeymoon. This may alienate guests from other countries. There is electricity all day and decent Wifi to upload images. There is excellent hot shower (with extra boost in the evening).
Wildlife is excellent, we sighted a cheetah with a fresh kill, crocodiles, of course lions, giraffes and elephants and all the wildebeests, impalas, and gazelles. We had a one-day excursion to Masai Mara, which was to watch the large migrations, mainly zebras and wildebeest. David our driver was very experienced, and had lots of stories to tell. He knew the spots for photography and made stops when requested.
Overall this place was best for luxury, great food and service, great for wildlife, but less impressive for scenery than Meru.
Note, the masai mara has much less of a bush vibe than the Naboisho conservancy, where our lodge was. We made a day trip to the actual masai mara, which was full of minibuses, loaded with tourists and there was no feeling of solitude. The three stars for the bush vibe relate to that park, The Naboisho conservancy instead gets four stars for bush vibe!

Perfect safari destination with exceptional wildlife viewing opportunities. The vastness of the area meant that we rarely saw other safari vehicles. If we went back, we would definitely stay there for at least three nights to make the most of the wildlife viewing opportunities.

The Masai Mara was the highlight of the Kenyan portion of our safari. The wildlife was unparalleled, from lions, cheetah, leopards, zebras, elephants, hippos, rhinos, impalas, gazelles, wildebeest, an amazing variety of birds, and several other animals. The scenery was breathtaking, and we never tired of driving through the park taking in all of the amazing animals and locations. We also visited a Masai village, and that was remarkable. We stayed at the Mara Leisure Camp, and that was very nice as well - the "tents" were amazing - yes they were canvas tents, but the size of the rooms and bathrooms rivaled any lodge we stayed in during our trip. The food was very good. I highly recommend it.

An experience spoilt in one day.

Our visit to the Masai Mara was spoilt in one day by a visit to Observation Hill. Was a disgusting scene to behold. The area is used a toilet stop except that there are no toilets. Hundreds of people a day use this area as a viewing point and a makeshift toilet. As the only stop for the day, one had no option. I am told the female area was particularly disgusting. The area is a disgrace to the National Park system and to the Kenyan Government. Were does all the money collected as park fees go. One wonders.

great national park with abundant wildlife and beautiful sceneries

It was amazing and something that I will never forget!

We had an awesome time and the weather was perfect. We saw lots of animals and were surprised at how many
animals we were able to get close to. Our guides were wonderful and found great spots to view the animals. We had lunch out in the Mara and that was a cool experience. We were pleased with the overall safari and scenery too.

Have been three times in different regions of the park which all felt and looked different as far as scenery, and numbers and types of wildlife and habitats. Not to be missed. The only negatives with this park can be congestion of safari vehicles at locations of big 5 animals, aggressive drivers disobeying park regulations by driving off-road, getting to close, and disturbing animals and cutting other vehicles off who were there previously in order to get their clients close enough to snap pics with their point and shoot cameras and smart phones. Another negative I just thought of—at a certain lodge that I stayed at about eight years ago there were nightly hyena feeding shows where the lodge put kitchen scraps out to entertain the guests. Disturbing, since this reminded me of when Yellowstone National Park had bear feeding shows which was banned over a half century ago.

The Masai Mara safari experience is breathtaking!

The wildlife and scenery at the Masai Mara national reserve are simply phenomenal. Thankfully we were able to witness the migration which was truly the icing on the cake! The landscape is stunning, there's plenty of opportunity to see the big cats (we spotted lions and cheetah) as well as a lovely sprinkling of herbivores in the Mara landscape. I would highly recommend staying at the Serena Mara lodge. The rooms are lovely and the views are amazing. The hotel staff are extremely friendly and welcoming and the food is delicious with plenty of choice for both vegetarians and meat lovers. We went on safari rides twice a day and the weather at both times was great for both the ride and photography. Our guide was great at bringing us to the right spots at the right time and that is key for a fulfilling safari experience. It is important to note that one must not disturb the wildlife while on safari and I think that is every tourist's responsibility. So please respect nature and just follow your guide's instructions. The highlights of the trip included watching the herbivores cross the Mara river, a Cheetah hunt, a lion pride feeding on an early morning kill and watching a lion and lioness in honeymoon! If you're going on safari you should be prepared for all kinds of weather from hot to cold and rainy and also remember that this is a physically challenging holiday, but also extremely rewarding. I promise you that if you go to the Masai Mara, you will not be disappointed.

Gorgeous reserve, and so much to see here. Animals everywhere, you will see half of the big 5 before you even reach your destination in Masai Mara!

The birds, animals, people, food - all a once in a lifetime experience not to be missed.