Reviews of Encounter Mara
Wildlife sightings and reviews
22 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Encounter Mara and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

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"Encounter Mara review"
We stayed in the family tent and it was exactly as the pictures show it. There was consistent electricity, full wifi coverage, and hot running water. There were a lot of thoughtful touches like activity packet for kids, water bottles, hot water bottles in bed and on morning drives, soap for washing clothes, umbrellas, and even rain boots for the whole family. Our rooms were cleaned during morning and evening drives so everything was always spotless. It never felt like we were staying in a tent.
The staff were hospitable and always eager to please. The food was fantastic. Our kids became accustomed to ordering their own mock tails. I liked that the managers ate with us. There was a good mix of privacy and getting to know the staff and other guests. Our driver, Raphael, was a wealth of knowledge about the animals and we never had a drive where we didn't find at least 2 new species of animals.
On drives, I felt like the Asilia vehicles were cleaner and nicer than other camps we encountered. The camp is set in bushes so there isn't much of a view but we were typically eating or resting in the camp so that never felt like a big deal. There was no mosquitos during our stay and although it rained 2 evenings, it never impaired our plans.
Be prepared for a variety of weather since the morning and evening drives were colder than we expected." See all these reviews: 4n in Kenya

Buffalo
10 sightings

Cheetah
3 sightings

Eland
10 sightings

Elephant
10 sightings

Giraffe
10 sightings

Hippo
10 sightings

Leopard
3 sightings

Lion
10 sightings

Spotted Hyena
10 sightings

Wildebeest
10 sightings

Zebra
10 sightings
"Encounter Mara review"
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." See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya

Buffalo
6 sightings

Cheetah
4 sightings

Eland
10 sightings

Elephant
8 sightings

Giraffe
10 sightings

Hippo
10 sightings

Leopard
5 sightings

Lion
10 sightings

Spotted Hyena
10 sightings

Wildebeest
10 sightings

Zebra
10 sightings
"Encounter Mara review"
The conservancy itself has amazing wildlife and we were incredibly lucky with our sightings, we saw a leopard on our very first drive and moments after spotting it in a tree she climbed down and walked right in front of our car. Our driver also found 2 beautiful males lions and watching them relax and bond together with the African sunset in the background was a really special experience.
The main issue for us was that this camp felt much more commercial than the lodge we visited in Laikipia and even though the conservancy is supposed to be very quiet there were often 6 or 8 vehicles at every predator sighting, I think there were at least 10 cars trying to get close to the leopard and this often felt very intrusive for the animals who were surrounded by cars turning their engines on and off and attempting to get close to them.
Our guide was good, professional and very friendly and we were very lucky to see a leopard, lots of hyenas including cubs and even a serval cat.
The food on the second night was nice but the lunches and the fairly simple pasta dinner we had on the first night weren't anything special. We did enjoy the communal pre dinner drinks by the fire though and it was really nice that the senior sat with guests during their meals to chat with them.
We were still pleased to have visited the Masai Mara as we did enjoy seeing the sheer numbers of wildlife there. I think we were just a bit spoilt by our visit to Laikipia." See all these reviews: 6n in Kenya
The camp responded to us and emphasised that the rule in the Naboisho Conservancy is that there can be no more than five vehicles at any given sighting, and this is one of the main selling points of the conservancies. This specific example was escalated to Naboisho Conservancy’s senior management team, and they stressed that they will do everything in their power to control this kind of behaviour by guides from other camps.

Buffalo
6 sightings

Eland
6 sightings

Elephant
1 sighting

Giraffe
2 sightings

Hippo
3 sightings

Leopard
1 sighting

Lion
2 sightings

Spotted Hyena
4 sightings

Striped Hyena
2 sightings

Wildebeest
6 sightings

Zebra
7 sightings
"Encounter Mara review"
We were surprised how great wildlife at Naboisho Conservancy was (lions, lions, lions!) - and they restrict access, so much less cars than in Maasai Mara!" See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya

Elephant
Multiple sightings

Giraffe
Multiple sightings

Hippo
Multiple sightings

Lion
Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings

Wildebeest
Multiple sightings

Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Encounter Mara review"
Disappointed by the number of vehicles at any game sighting." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya

Buffalo
1 sighting

Cheetah
Multiple sightings

Elephant
Multiple sightings

Giraffe
Multiple sightings

Hippo
Multiple sightings

Leopard
1 sighting

Lion
Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings

Wildebeest
Multiple sightings

Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Encounter Mara review"
The most notable difference is that this location is within the Mara Conservancies where there is a reduced density of camps, vehicles and visitors and there are fewer mad rushes to sightings and they are controlled in number of vehicles with the animal at each sighting which much reduces the stress on the animals.
Sensible off-roading is achievable." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya

Buffalo
7 sightings

Cheetah
2 sightings

Eland
1 sighting

Elephant
8 sightings

Giraffe
10 sightings

Hippo
6 sightings

Lion
10 sightings

Spotted Hyena
10 sightings

Wildebeest
10 sightings

Zebra
10 sightings
"Encounter Mara Review"
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." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya

Buffalo
6 sightings

Cheetah
8 sightings

Eland
6 sightings

Elephant
3 sightings

Giraffe
6 sightings

Hippo
4 sightings

Lion
10 sightings

Spotted Hyena
10 sightings

Wildebeest
10 sightings

Zebra
10 sightings
"Encounter Mara review"
The tents were comfortable, the food excellent, and the staff caring.
Our guide, Nickson, was outstanding.
A perfect balance of simplicity and pampering." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya

Buffalo
Multiple sightings

Cheetah
Multiple sightings

Elephant
Multiple sightings

Giraffe
Multiple sightings

Hippo
Multiple sightings

Leopard
Multiple sightings

Lion
Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings

Wildebeest
Multiple sightings

Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Encounter Mara review"
I am probably a bit spoiled but did find the days when it was full, inc with families or seemingly large groups, mealtimes were a bit hectic." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya

Buffalo
Multiple sightings

Cheetah
1 sighting

Eland
Multiple sightings

Elephant
Multiple sightings

Giraffe
Multiple sightings

Hippo
Multiple sightings

Leopard
1 sighting

Lion
Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings

Wildebeest
Multiple sightings

Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Encounter Mara review"
Great location, the game viewing platform doubles up as lunch/dinner venue at times.
Food is delicious and healthy - a nice bonus.
Game drives were superb - so much wildlife and our guides Nickson abd Daniel were so determined to give us the opportunity to see Leopard and Cheetah which we succeeded!" See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya

Buffalo
10 sightings

Cheetah
4 sightings

Eland
10 sightings

Elephant
5 sightings

Giraffe
10 sightings

Leopard
1 sighting

Lion
8 sightings

Spotted Hyena
10 sightings

Wildebeest
10 sightings

Zebra
10 sightings
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