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Encounter Mara
Encounter Mara
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Encounter Mara

Reviews of Encounter Mara

Wildlife sightings and reviews

18 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

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Aug-2019, 9 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Encounter Mara.
Lion

100% success

Leopard

75% success

Cheetah

100% success

Wild dog

20% success

Buffalo

100% success

Eland

100% success

Elephant

100% success

Giraffe

100% success

Spotted Hyena

100% success

Wildebeest

100% success

Zebra

100% success

Hippo

89% success

Aardvark

0% success

Black Rhino

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Striped Hyena

0% success

Showing 1-10 of 18
Duration
Arrival date
Mr & Mrs H
Lisvane

"Encounter Mara review"

4 nights Arrived 19 Sep 2024
"The accommodation was comfortable and the camp was well managed.

Disappointed by the number of vehicles at any game sighting." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Average
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

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

Mr & Mrs K
Maidstone

"Encounter Mara review"

5 nights Arrived 1 Sep 2024
"Similar camp standards to those experienced at Rekero (same owner / operator).

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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Rooms:
Average
Food:
Excellent
Sightings Report

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

Mr G.
Winnersh

"Encounter Mara Review"

5 nights Arrived 13 Jan 2024
"Encounter Mara is a lovely camp in a great location in the Naboisho Conservancy. As with all Asilia properties, it is very well run and managed. All the front of house staff could never do enough to make sure your stay was comfortable and were always around to help with anything you might need.

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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

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

Simona
London

"Encounter Mara review"

4 nights Arrived 18 Jul 2023
"The Encounter Mara was exactly what we needed: a place to enjoy simple luxury and share exciting experiences.

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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Sightings Report

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

Ms H
Maida Vale

"Encounter Mara review"

6 nights Arrived 19 Feb 2023
"Camp was lovely and as I remembered it.

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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Sightings Report

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

Mrs R.
Weybridge

"Encounter Mara review"

4 nights Arrived 3 Jan 2023
"Beautifully hidden camp. Only way to spot it is to look for the Wi-Fi mast. Stylish main tent and super comfortable, spacious family tent

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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

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

Miss P
London

"Encounter Mara review"

5 nights Arrived 15 Oct 2021
"I understand that covid restrictions require separate dining, but for solo travelers this could be handled better. They would set a table for one and the waiter would then stand back and stand a couple of metres away watching you eat, which is an intensely uncomfortable experience.

At lunchtime you would also have an individual buffet with another member of staff to provide an audience of two. Also, the habit of the waiting staff leaping forward to pull the chair out for you and push it under you as you sit down is just weird and unnecessarily formal. The manager didn't do much to facilitate any mingling or socialising between guests at the camp fire, and also seemed to have no knowledge or interest in safaris or wildlife. I am not sure why Asilia feels it appropriate to employ managers with no bush experience (I had the same experience at Kwihala 2 years ago). Managing a safari camp is completely different to managing a city or beach hotel.

The game drives were enjoyable with great sightings, particularly of lions, and my guide was personable and friendly although a bit lacking in bird knowledge. The camp itself was nice but the atmosphere meant I just couldn't wait to leave." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia; 10n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Poor
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Cheetah

Multiple sightings

Eland

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Mrs C
Devon

"Another great safari at Encounter Mara"

3 nights Arrived 26 Aug 2019
"Quite a posh camp - even more so than Rekero - but very friendly. Brunch or lunch was laid out on a table plus chairs to sit on.
Lovely tent, very comfortable. Again a buffet lunch and then a 3 course dinner, all delicious.

My guide, Sam, was terrific and very informative and managed to show us a good selection of animals - several cheetahs, hunting lions, a leopard and, on the way home one night, an aardwolf and an African wild cat." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

10 sightings

Cheetah

4 sightings

Eland

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

Ms. K
Laramie

"FANTASTIC stay at Encounter Mara"

4 nights Arrived 9 Aug 2019
"SIMPLY WONDERFUL STAY! I cannot even begin to describe how incredibly amazing this stay was. I don't know what other camps are like, but I don't think it's possible to have more luxury, a more serene stay , or a better atmosphere then we received at Encounter. Our stay here was SO INCREDIBLE that I have to break it down into sections:

THE GUIDE: Our guide Francis was OUTSTANDING!! If anyone visits here they should request Francis. First off, he was hilarious! Second, he was so incredibly knowledgeable and did such a great job on sightings. Francis also truly cares about the animals, and ensured that we got great sightings, but also that we weren't crowding the animals or doing anything that would stress them out. It was so nice to see someone who cared about not just his job of driving us, but also making sure the animals were comfortable. We had such a great time with Francis and were actually truly sad to leave because we enjoyed getting to know him and experiencing the Mara through his eyes.

THE CAMP: The camp is rated as "simple luxury," but if this was "simple" then I don't know what greater luxury is, because this was AMAZING! The tents themselves had fantastic views out into the plains and were secluded giving a sense of privacy and being actually out in the Mara. The tents felt like luxury hotel rooms in terms of comfort, but without the "hotel" feeling. The different tents including the "tea" tent, the meals tent, the outdoor toilet, and the wifi tent are all set up in a way that gives you AMAZING views but also spread out enough that you can walk along the pathway and just take in the scenery. The viewing deck is absolutely amazing, and the plethora and variety of animals that we saw from just relaxing on this deck was so great. My family and I seriously never wanted to leave and I was actually sad driving away from Encounter.

THE FOOD: The food was OUT OF THIS WORLD! There are breakfast picnics out in the Mara, lunches with the staff, tea and cake with the staff, and 3 course meals with the entire camp. I have celiac's and am used to not having great options on foods. Encounter Mara changed all my expectations!! The staff prepared separate cakes for me for tea time, prepared separate biscuits for me for dinner, created AMAZING desserts that I could eat, and each meal was so much better than I would ever get at a 5 star restaurant in the States. I never wanted to stop eating, and never stopped being astonished at how AMAZING the food was. The food alone was worth the stay. To top it all off, when we were on our last morning drive, Sammi came out and met us with a "to-go" lunch for my family to enjoy while were were waiting at the airport for our trip home!!

THE STAFF: Last, but certainly not least, the staff at Encounter is PHENOMENAL!!!!!! THE BEST!! A special shout out to Sammi, Ezina, Edwin, and Lama (hopefully my spelling is right). The entire staff knew everyone's name from the moment we entered the camp. After our first order of drinks the staff also had our drink preferences memorized for the entire stay. The staff was always checking on us, chatting with us, and generally entertaining us. Every conversation we had with the staff my family and I were cracking up with laughter because they are so funny! Sammi and Edwin also spent so much time educating us on the conservancy and answering our continuous questions! During the campfire and after dinner I never wanted to turn in for the net because we had such a FANTASTIC time talking Sammi and Ezina and just spending time with them. The staff was always around to answer questions, to chat with you in the viewing deck, and to make sure we got safely to our tents each night. The morning wake up "knock" with coffee and cookies also didn't hurt! I wish I could go on and on, but if anyone ever has a chance to stay here, DO IT! My family has already talked about returning because we had such an amazing time.

Sammi and Ezina should be so proud of the camp they are running, and anyone visiting the Mara needs to book their stay with Encounter Mara ASAP!!" See all these reviews: 4n in Rwanda; 4n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

5 sightings

Cheetah

4 sightings

Eland

10 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Hippo

6 sightings

Leopard

1 sighting

Lion

5 sightings

Spotted Hyena

7 sightings

Wild dog

10 sightings

Wildebeest

10 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Ms P & family
London

"Encounter Mara"

3 nights Arrived 12 Aug 2017
"Naboisho Conservancy is absolutely beautiful and I would definitely return. It is a cross between driving through Jurassic Park and the Garden of Eden!!
Encounter Mara is a well run camp with gorgeous tents and fantastic food. The drives are extremely well done - there is a sense that the guide is not going out to tock a box but to seriously find things you have not seen before. We saw cheetahs, a leopard and of course the pride of lions with small cubs were a highlight.
The nature walk is a little over produced and certainly if you have done many other walking safaris it might not be for you. But the guides are very knowledgeable, they just do need to relax a little whilst of course keeping security as the chief concern.
The camp is closed off by a fence to the bush although there is plenty of space in front of the tents and a feeling of total privacy. Nevertheless at times Encounter Mara can seem like you a bit too cut off from the more open experience of the other camps we went to." See all these reviews: 14n in Kenya; 6n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Showing 1-10 of 18
92%
18 reviews of Encounter Mara by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
12
5
1
0
0
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