Mara River Safari Lodge — Hotel in Pulau Bali

I took the 3D2N package which included 1 Night Safari, 1 Day Safari, 3 Animal Shows, Twiga Stay, Unlimited entry to all exhibits in the zoo, Free daily breakfast, Free night dance

Pro's -

1. Can add an extra bed if you are a family of 3 which is much from cost friendly than getting another room
2. If you book from their website, only then you will be able to avail the packages/deals
3. Free daily breakfast with lions, breakfast is not for the faint heart, it has everything you can imagine. Eat all you can.
4. You can feed every animal possible (giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, camel, elephant) in night safari staff will also feed lions and tigers and you will be up close
5. Animal shows have a story line which is good for children
6. Free night dance which uses fire and animal props to tell a story (IMO one of the best performances and then my second favorite was elephant show)
7. Everyday morning you go to the balcony and see giraffe, zebra's, rhino and wildebeest
8. Staff gives you carrots to throw and feed them
9. Enough availability in the shows to play it by the ear
10. Food was extravagant, very unexpected
11. Staff went above and beyond to arrange for pick up in car when it was raining and we were in the park with no raincoats or umbrellas
12. One guy at front desk volunteered to escort me to my room holding umbrella during rain, he was one of the best people I met in Bali, he was so sweet. One lady fell while we were going to the room because it was slippery and raining, he gave me the umbrella he was holding, got wet and ran towards the lady to help her. I was amazed I met that amazing soul, later I told him it was my birthday and I was going to get some wine in the room. He waited outside and knocked and checked when I was taking a bit. I assured him I am fine and then went back out, he escorted me back to the restaurant and talked about his family when I asked. He was a gem. Later, I went and started devouring the food, little did I know the whole hotel staff gave me a cake and sang happy birthday for me. I was over the moon, so unexpected.
13. He wouldn't take tip or money for being so nice. Crazy huh.
14. There is a bell boy to transport your luggage from parking to front desk to room
15. Bunch of cool animals like (fishes, turtles, animal show near front desk, elephants just casually hanging out around)
16. Night safari was fantastic, you will be in a cage and animals in the open and tigers will climb on top of your cage and then staff will feed them. Beautiful experience and opportunity to touch the king of jungle. Maybe once in a lifetime chance.

Con's -

1. Every animal feeding activity is paid separately and then you can take upclose pics with animals (around 150K IDR) except the carrots they give in the room and night safari (obviously they need to make money)
2. Dinner buffet has less choices and options than breakfast and it closes by 10pm which can be early for some people (because they need to prepare for next morning again)
3. Rooms were average with good view and you can expect insects and lizards because you are inside the safari. (nothing to worry about though) Really can't think of other cons I'll be nitpicking.

Bali Safari and Marine Park can be enjoyed by old folks and kids, I watched my 60+ year old parents become children again! Mara River Lodge exceeded my expectation by far. It was amazing, worth every penny. Highly recommend this place :

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I booked this safari stay for my boyfriend’s birthday and was very excited to be able to afford this kind of experience vs UK prices. On the lead up I tried to book experiences and organise something special but the response was generally “computer says no”. Everything has to be booked when you arrive and actually, everything we wanted to do WAS available on arrival. I did leave in the booking comments we were coming for his birthday and they made a really nice presentation in the bedroom for when we arrived.

The staff were all really kind and helpful and polite. We did find not many of them were empowered to make their own responsible decisions on matters which went outside the norm. Any question was forward to management and there was a lot of “computer says no”. Refunds were an absolute no-no.

I booked and paid for the premium night safari in advance given the good reviews. I was also worried the lion restaurant wouldn’t be good as so many recent reviews said the food was cold. When we arrived I told the lady on reception we’d booked for the premium night safari and she didn’t mention there was a problem with the white tiger enclosure at all. My boyfriend pointed at doing the feed the predators or white tiger feeding experience and I asked her if it would be similar to our night safari experience, to which she said yes, so we didn’t bother booking it. She never mentioned the white tiger enclosure was unavailable due to a fallen tree so the dinner location and feeding the tigers wouldn’t be going ahead that evening (as part of the premium experience).

We decided to do the giraffe breakfast experience too and were told to book at the lion restaurant. When we went to the lion restaurant we then found out about the tiger enclosure (fallen tree) and were promised a ‘premium’ position for dinner in the lion restaurant. We thought it was a bit of a shame but also were not told at this point that the white tiger feeding wouldn’t be going ahead either. We found this out when we arrived at the activity in the evening. This was frustrating as if we knew this in advance we could have booked to do the feed the predators in the morning when we checked in. They said due to the low number of staff the next day (Sunday), we couldn’t book it then either! So, no white tigers or predator feeding experience for us (and this was the main reason I picked the experience).

We understood that the tree falling is out of their control, but what they offered us in return wasn’t great. A small cuddly toy of a lizard, attached to a keyring. Of course, we weren’t happy with that considering the experience cost and knowing they probably have insurance for loss of income regarding the tree, so it’s not like they were out of pocket (but we were). They did then agree to discount the cost of the giraffe breakfast, gave us extra to feed to the giraffes and 2 free mocktails each. We were much more satisfied and grateful for their reconsideration.

Overall, we really enjoyed our stay but by the end we almost felt a bit guilty paying less (because it’s a lot of money to us) to come here than visit somewhere back home in the UK where you can understand where the money goes (large enclosures, hiding places for the animals, enrichment, limited interaction with people). I think most of the animals have a good life here, but I do think it’s a bit too profit-driven to not feel a bit sad for them at some point...

​During our stay at Mara River Safari Lodge in Bali from March 17 to March 19, 2025, our group of nine (three couples and three children) encountered numerous unacceptable issues that compel me to advise against choosing this establishment.​

Check-In and Service:

Our check-in was significantly delayed, with staff prioritizing "VIP" guests who received elaborate welcomes, while we were neglected and even charged for basic amenities like water. Throughout our stay, we observed a clear bias against Indian travelers, experiencing rude and inhospitable behavior from both reception and hotel staff.​

Facilities and Amenities:

The hotel lacks essential services such as currency exchange and does not accept US dollars, causing inconvenience for international guests. Vegetarian and vegan dining options were severely limited, and disturbingly, an insect was found in a meal at the Uma Restaurant. Additionally, exotic fruits served were rotten, and breakfast options appeared to be leftovers from the previous night. Shockingly, the hotel rationed water, providing only two 600 ml bottles per room and charging for any additional water. Even basic amenities like coffee at the breakfast buffet were not complimentary.​

Room Conditions:

Our room, Twiga 215, was in poor condition, with significant wear and tear and bathroom doors that did not close properly. At 2 a.m., we encountered a 1.5-foot-long lizard and two smaller ones in our room, terrifying our 2-year-old child.​

Guest Services:

The disparity in treatment was evident as "VIP" guests received cart services, while we, despite having infants, were denied such amenities. Show timings for the Dolphin and Panchmaya shows were delayed by over half an hour to accommodate the owner's friends, causing us to miss multiple shows.​

Staff Conduct:

Requests for assistance were met with indifference or outright hostility, reflecting a pervasive culture of poor customer service.​

In conclusion, our experience at Mara River Safari Lodge was profoundly disappointing. The combination of discriminatory practices, substandard amenities, and appalling customer service has left an indelible mark on what was supposed to be a memorable vacation. I strongly advise fellow travelers, especially those of Indian descent, to avoid this establishment until significant...