Rekero Camp

one of the very best camps inside the national park

Rekero Camp is located in the Mara Confluence sector of the Maasai Mara of southwest Kenya.

This place has a real sense of history and integrity, it is very widely known and respected amongst the safari world and generally recognised as being one of the top places to stay in the Maasai Mara.

The Beaton family have a shared history with the reserve that dates back for many decades and they camped here for years before being permitted to establish this permanent facility in 1988.

This is a high specification tented camp, set in a lovely shady spot under a canopy of mature trees.

From the gently sloping lawns around which the various tents are arranged, there is a lovely view along the riverbed to a small crossing point where animals can often be seen. We have certainly enjoyed many happy and relaxed moments here, reclined in a deckchair whilst a few hundred zebras have clattered across the rocks. We even once watched an enormous crocodile lurching his way right below us in the dry riverbed to take up residence in the small pool alongside the crossing.

It is also an environmentally sensitive seasonal camp, which is broken down and removed from the reserve during the closed season, allowing the flora to regrow and refresh. This is in stark contrast with some of the heavily built lodges which have cropped up in more recent years.

One aspect of this camp that we really love is that it really can get quite lively with animals, you really are in the heart of the action.

As well as the animals at the aforementioned crossing point, we have also experienced elephants so close to our tents that the sides of the canvas have actually bowed under their weight.

We have also laid wide-eyed in bed as lions have roared their way through camp in the middle of the night. When a lion growls at ten metres distance it really does rattle your bones.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Rekero Camp is in ten very large and comfortable tented rooms, each with an indoor bathroom and private verandah …

• Room : x8
• Family Suite : x2 : with two bedrooms

Activities

Rekero Camp provides the following guided activities, not all of which are necessarily included in the room rate …

• Vehicle safari
• Balloon safari
• Bush meals

The Maasai Mara tends to feature in almost all safari trips to Kenya. As well as being the best known reserve, it is also the most productive for wildlife.

The usual stay duration is 4-8 nights split between two camps, less frequently 3-4 nights in just one camp.

Traffic avoidance

Unfortunately the Mara Confluence area does suffer from considerable traffic flows, largely derived from lodges further afield, which send fleets of vehicles this way on day trips, mainly chasing after river crossings.

The worst of this vehicle traffic can often be largely avoided by staying at one of the better camps in the heart of the area and making the most of the quieter early morning and late afternoon periods, although it’s rare to find yourself completely alone during high season.

Seasonality

The best time of year to visit the Mara Confluence area is generally considered to be the Jul-Oct dry season, when the weather should be reliably good and the migration herds are likely to be around.

The Nov-Jun green season may be much less dependable for weather, but remains really strong for wildlife viewing and benefits from dramatically lower visitor numbers (except for the busy Dec-Jan holiday fortnight of course).

Getting around

You’re most likely to arrive into the Maasai Mara area via the regular light aircraft services that operate from Nairobi, which means that you will travel around the area with a guide and vehicle from the camp in which you are staying.

It is also possible to travel down to the Maasai Mara by road, which is quite a long and tiresome journey, but not without interest. The trouble is that the better lodges in the Mara will offer you no discount for having your own guide and vehicle along, so you end up paying for both, which works out more expensive than flying down.

serious traffic issues demand careful planning