africalover

Hi....I and my husband am planning a vacation to the mara to see the migration, around the 10th of september this year..... which camps should we stay at.... please advise and what should our budget be per person if we want the best experience, thanks.....awaiting your responses....... Lana

spassvogel

I would stay in one camp outside in one of the conservancies and one inside the reserve.

I would stay at Go^vernors PLUS Rekero camp - both in the reserve but different locations.

Then, depending on game viewing within the reserve you can do one or two game drives in one of the conservancies North of the reserve depending on highlights there on which your guides should be able to inform you.

Those means covering 2 different locations within the reserve with the option of doing game drives outside.

You should calculate roughly 500US$ pppn for the camp bed incl. all meals and activities but PLUS reserve fees.

roughly 5000US$ plus 600USpppn reserve fees for 10 nights plus conservancy fees if you do game driving outside as well - conservancy fees should be at 40US$pppn.

So 10 days will be about 6000US$ incl. return flights Wilson-MM-Wilson.

africalover

Hey thanks.... for the prompt reply, just was reading reports on governors.... which camp should one stay at little governors or ill moran, also any idea how the camps mara intrepids, lion porini, entim, naibor and sala's are ? outside the reserve.... which would be better.... royal mara or serian,

sandi

At this late date, it might not be so much which camp or where, but who has consecutive nights open/available. September is peak season. You may have to more more often than not and these incur transfer fees.

Otherwise, as SV mentions above, if you can split your time with a camp inside the Reserve/Triangle area and another on the private conservancies just north, would be ideal. And, yes for budgeting, you've got to figure about $450-600/person nt including the tent, meals, game drives, reserve/conservancy fees, flights to/from Mara, domestic flight taxes and other taxes.

Good luck and let us know your success wherever.

spassvogel

There were mixed reports on Royal Mara - friend of our stayed there and was annoyed by the fact that the TV set was running every evening! And that were not sports emergencies!

Serian is owned by Alex Walker who does trophy hunting in Tanzania - just in case you are sensitive towards that fact http://www.libertyafrica.com/guides.htm. The PLUS for that camp: Every tent gets its own car!

Sala's is quite far away from the beaten track but might have some of the migration in the vicinity - but that means longer drives to the crossing points.

Entim is extremely good value for money.

Governors lt. Governors is nice and relatively good value. Il Moran it top notch with huge tents and bathrooms - right on the river's edge.

Here you find a map with most of the camps:
http://www.go-safari.com/Masai%20Mar...araApril09.jpg

Maybe you should also have a look at the Serena. I don't like staying at "hotels" in the Mara - but the Serena is in a very good location.

I don't know the other ones personally.

twaffle

Just remember that every time you support a camp which is photographic and where operators hunt in different location, is more reason for the success of the photographic camp and more likely that people will go from a hunting operation to a photographic operation. If we ignore someone because they hunt, then their photographic endeavours will fail and they will have to stay with the hunting.

As everyone knows, I love Serian and am going back there in January. I found nothing there to make an anti hunting person feel uncomfortable and was glad to be supporting a change in direction. Just my view.

crosscheck

A little plug for Lion Porini.

Beautiful setting in the Olare Orok private conservancy just outside of the Mara reserve, on land which is leased from the local tribe. Eco-friendly. Simple, yet huge, comfortable tents (I think there are only 8). Brilliant guides, excellent vehicles, complete flexibility for sundowners, night drives, off-roading and walking safaris, none of which you can do in the reserve. Giraffe, elephants, hippos, a cheetah family, and, of course, lions right next to the camp. Good access to the migration.

We also stayed at Mara Intrepids - larger, more resorty, with 25 tents - in the reserve for one night, and our guide there was impressed that we had stayed in Olare Orok. They charge extra for drinks, bush walks and sundowners there, all of which was included at LP. We enjoyed our stay at Intrepids as well, but Lion Porini seemed more authentic...and we liked being away from the crowds.

africalover

wow.... now u hv me really confused, my husband likes watching cats, what would a private vehicle with a good guide cost at all these camps.....can someone give an idea

HariS

Another vote for Serian!!! They are a great operation. With a long stay in the Mara, you can stay at their main camp and then switch to their mobile locations in the mara triangle and elsewhere.... Every party are given their own vehicle and you are free to choose your activities for your day.

africalover

what does serian cost ?...... all inclusive

twaffle

Send Serian an email with your dates, I've always found they've responded really quickly. I deal with Rhoda but if you go to their website you'll find a contact email. Not only do you get a private vehicle, you get a guide AND a driver, fantastic meals, drinks included and a wonderful location. I've found their costs to be very competitive with comparatively sized tented camps but with the extra incentive of the private vehicle thrown in.

kimburu

$675 per person per night... or thereabouts. If you want a private vehicle it is quite a competitive price for a small (and it seems very impressive) camp. Long, long way from any migration crossing points though, so if that is what you want to see, maybe not ideal. Perhaps with the mobile locations Hari mentioned could be good... and a different experience.

Private vehicle is generally around US$350 per day - economical for 4, but less so for 1-2. FYI Rekero and Kicheche Bush Camp (add it to your list alongside Porini Lion) to my knowledge - and others on your list by assumption based on observation - would not put more than two tents (i.e. 3-4 people, not the actual tents of course) in one vehicle, and will try to give real long stayers some time on their own too, unless they are completely booked out.

Any of the places you mentioned are going to be good I'm sure... Rekero, Serian, Kicheche Bush and Main, Intrepids, Explorer, Governors, Kichwa Tembo all have their own devoted 'fans' and have had for some time... so you don't need to worry if they are any good or not; just "good for you".

For the little it is worth, if it were me and I didn't need to worry about the odd $2000 here or there or being eligible for long-stay discounts, I'd split my time equally between Kicheche Bush Camp and Rekero....

....anyway, you'll have whatever's left over booking now.

sammiesteel

Hi Lana, as I have stayed in several camps in mara, i can recomend you mara leisure camp which is ideal for all game drives during day time and night time. For a change you can stay a few nights at mara simba lodge just to experience the difference between a lodge and a camp. The cost will be between USD 4500 - 5500 USD all inclusive. Since this is high season in Kenya it is abit difficult to get hotel bookings in Kenya, I can recomend you a good travel agent called Travellerslink, their website is www.travellerslink.co.ke.
Wish you all the best.

sandi

sammiesteel -

As a new member (just this month), please do read the Rules/Regulations which on Fodor's do NOT permit promoting your own company.

HariS

My suggestion would be to write to Serian and see what they tell you - both for itinerary/location/rates etc etc.,

I've only heard very highly of Rekero camp and hope to get there one day myself. Even met some professional photographers in Botswana earlier this month, who swear by Rekero and pulled out his photo book to show all of us in camp. Sounded like a fantastic place!!!

HariS

Typos - sorry!

crosscheck

africalover, You asked about the price of Lion Porini. For our family in July it was under $500 per day pp, including reserve fees, flights to and from the Mara, the private vehicle, all meals, drinks, transfers, walking safari, sundowners, a school visit, etc. We had two incredible guides to ourselves the entire time we were there, and that was at the height of the migration. But we booked only 6 weeks before our trip and our kids were charged a lower rate, so you would have to get a quote from Gamewatchers. They operate another camp - Mara Porini - north of Serian, which is also very highly rated. Or they could also set you up at other camps like Rekero or Kicheche.

africalover

hey thanks for pitching in all u guys.........really appreciate it...... can all of u suggest good agents who can do the booking at the best price, thanks

kimburu

If you are only going to one or two places you are probably just as well booking directly through the place you will spend longest at. The owners and managers of the small camps all seem to know each other and it probably won't be too rude to book one through the other. Costs of these places are pretty fixed and with most you can try to negotiate if you are long-stay and they still have space at this late stage.

sandi

Absolutely, if only two places, you can go direct and these can be coordinated, as the transfer between the two, by the camps themselves.

But, as above, at this time you "may" run into there not being sufficient "consecutive" days at some camps. So have back-up/options if one or both don't.

If you can get two for the number of days needed, do ask about "extended stay" discounts, i.e., if staying 5/nts, pay 4/nts, or others. Few discounts will be available for less than 4/nts, but if you do use a combination of say Porini Camps in the Mara (as Porini Lion and Porini Mara) you may be eligible. Or is using Cheli & Peacock properties in the Mara as Elephant Pepper, Saruni or Cottar's, they offer a 15% discount on daily room/tent rates if staying a combo of 6+/nts; some of these may also have "stay 4, pay 3" Over 10/nts that could be 1-1.5 or even 2nts fee. Even Governor's Camps (Main, Little or Il Moran) or Serian may have such discounts.

These specials though don't include the daily park and/or conservancy fees, each of which are charged per day.