Encounter Mara Camp

relatively well-priced for this prime area

Encounter Mara Camp is located in the Mara Naboisho Conservancy area of the Maasai Mara in southwest Kenya.

Set in a discreet position in woodland at the bottom of a wide open valley, this traditional tented camp has modest views out over a grassy clearing.

From the vehicle turnaround we navigate a network of small tracks through quite dense acacia woodland to eventually reach a pair of mess tents, which contain the simple lounge and dining areas. There is also a low viewing tower beyond.

One thing we particularly like about this camp is the amount of wildlife that comes through, the valley seems to act as something of a corridor for animals and we have witnessed large herds of elephants hurrying their way past on more than one occasion.

Rooms

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

• Tent : x9
• Family Suite : x1 : Two bedrooms and two bathrooms

Activities

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

• Vehicle safari
• Walking safari
• Bush meals
• Cultural interaction
• Night vehicle safari

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.

Seasonality

The best time of year to visit is generally considered to be the Jul-Oct dry season, when the weather should be reliably good and the wildlife concentrated around the permanent water sources.

The Nov-Jun green season may be much less dependable for weather, but remains really strong for wildlife viewing.

Visitor traffic is less of an issue in this private area, but you can expect the camps to be fully booked during the Jul-Oct and Dec-Jan high seasons. So there can be slight advantages to visiting during quieter periods.

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.

If you’re staying in more than one camp in the greater Maasai Mara then inter-camp transfers are usually operated by the departing camp and generally pass through wildlife areas for most if not all of their routes.

It’s also possible to travel down from Nairobi 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.

one of the three best private concessions in the Mara