Governors' Il Moran Camp — Hotel in Mara ward

We chose Governor's camps based on strong personal recommendations and decided to spoil ourselves by opting for Il Moran (I am sure both the main and min camps would also be very good, if you can swing the upgrade... do it!) ||Honestly we were blown away by the whole experience. From the moment we were met coming off the Governors' plane at their airstrip we knew the first class treatment we had experienced at Loldia House (also very highly recommended) was going to seamlessly continue at Il Moran also. ||The accommodations are terrific, the food and beverages wonderful, the proximity to nature overlooking the Mara River and all of the wildlife there from our private patio... all of the facilities and amenities were terrific. But what truly sets Governor's (including Il Moran) apart is the people. Every single person, from the guards escorting you safely through the camp (where wildlife roam freely) to those looking after your every need in and around your tent (Charles looked after us so well) to those serving in the restaurant and in the bar bar, the camp manager who joined us around the campfire every evening (fantastic hosting!) and perhaps above all the guides... everyone went out of their way, at every moment of every day, to make us feel welcome and to cater to our every need (and every whim!) They were genuinely so nice, so friendly and so professional, just as we had found also at Loldia House... Governor's s doing something very right in their hiring, training and care for their people. We were impressed at just how tenured many of them were, very loyal members of the Governor's team and so warm and friendly... not just in font of guests but any time you quietly observed how they interacted with each other a well, such warmth and care and professionalism. ||Perhaps the greatest praise goes to our guide, Enos, for who nothing was too much trouble and who's patience, hospitality, knowledge and skill were simply amazing. We arrived with no specific expectations and no 'must see' list of wildlife. We knew we'd see some amazing wildlife but also understood that there would be lost we simply wouldn't see.... after all you can't see it all, especially not in just a few days. How wrong we were! ||Thanks to Enos (and in turn his cooperation and enthusiastic communication with other guides all across the Masai Mara) we saw absolutely everything there was to see. We were absolutely amazed at how much we saw and how skilled Enos was at finding the seemingly unfindable. His intuition, not to mention his eyesight, were phenomenal and he sought out and brought us in close proximity to every one of the big 5 but so, so much more besides. We were perhaps lucky to have been assigned Enos, he clearly is one of the most experienced and highly regarded guides on the Masai, though we were also very impressed with everyone we spent time with. We learned that Enos had trained many other guides over the years.||It is hard to select highlights of what we saw, but they included getting very close and personal with lions, massive herds of elephants, all manner of primates, giraffes galore, antelope, wildebeest, antelopes, serval cats, buffalos, rhinos (black and white) so many zebras, hyenas, jackals, the stunning Thomson gazelles, warthogs (aka pumbas) all very, very close (Enos seemed incredibly adept at getting close without alarming these incredible creatures at all. And many others still fairly close if not quite so 'personal', including leopards, cheetahs, crocodiles, topi, waterbucks, an insane variety of stunning birds large and small... honestly the list was endless and each and every outing we thought must be the pinnacle, the ultimate experience, only for the each next one to surpass the last. Our minds were blown (and we don't impress easily)||Advice... make the most of what is on offer, seize every opportunity and turn down nothing! ||Do the balloon ride... it's not cheap but what a truly magnificent experience it was, floating above the Mara being expertly piloted, in our case by Sergei, at times just barely clearing the tree tops, at others higher to take in the mind blowing scale of the Masai Mara, the views, the wildlife and yes the hearty champagne breakfast impressively setup in the middle of nowhere, worth every penny and we would say unmissable! ||Take every game drive you are offered, we were constantly amazed at every turn. At no pint did any of it get 'old' there was something new around ever turn.||Be very, very patient. I believe our 'luck' in seeing as much as we did was partly borne of our patience and that of our two likeminded companions (Dale and Peter - two fantastic Aussies who became fast friends to Andrea and myself) Letting Enos set the pace for everything, never being impatient or itching to move on... paid massive dividends. He knew exactly when to race full speed across the vast savannah to catch action happening, and when to sit perfectly still and silent and just wait and watch... he read the signs, the movement of wildlife, the behaviour and sounds of the animals and birds, to predict where and when a kill was going to occur. It sounds gruesome and indeed it is but also such an integral. natural and necessary part of life in the wild. We saw lion kills, leopard kills, hyena kills... we watched the stalking, sometimes for up to 30 minutes, then the kills, we saw the aftermath and the impressively efficient way of nature as all manner of animals came from afar to wait their turn and then to devour their share of the kill. In the end only skulls remained. Gruesome yes, but so incredibly efficient, the circle of life and the complete lack of waste. We saw lions mating, giraffes mating, lots of mating to replenish the end of life events!||Don't shy away from rainy season... we went in may as that was when our work schedules permitted. Well out of the most popular migration season. But we will go back in the same season next time... it was incredible how quiet the savannah was, how few other vehicles and people we saw. It was as though we had almost the entire reserve to ourselves and wow, what a privilege to see as much as we did and not be in a massive throng of other vehicles and sight-seers, it was like having our own private nature reserve and the animals were so relaxed and completely unphased by our presence. Just wonderful!||Lots of other advice on this and other websites... take suitable clothing (layers) don't be afraid to buy safari clothing and use it - we felt like total tourists ahead of time having bought all of the 'Steve Irwin wannabe' clothing and accessories, yet we actually used it all and appreciated it all. Don't worry about sleep... get up early and seize the opportunities that arise (we added a few days beach holiday afterwards to rest... don't go on safari expecting to rest, it's too filled with opportunity to waste...

My wife and I visited Governor’s Camp Il Moran to celebrate our 40th wedding Anniversary and it wasn’t a disappointment. We arrived at the local airstrip after an hours flight around mid morning and met our guide (Paul), more about him later. We were taken to the camp which was about 5 minutes from the airstrip and we were met by Edison the camp manager who checked us in at reception which was an open tented area alongside the Mara river. It was a stunning location. Watching the hippos and crocodiles in the river below was breathtaking. Edison was lovely and once we were checked in we were taken to our tent which looked fabulous. Il Moran is an unfenced camp so we were escorted everywhere. We never felt worried and loved our chats with the guards whilst moving from place to place. Il Moran only has 10 tents and they are spaced evenly either side of the reception, restaurant/bar area. Our tent had a stunning view of the river as all tents do and was lovely to sit outside and watch the monkeys and mongoose play in the trees. The tent had everything we needed, a large living room/bedroom and spacious bathroom with shower and roll top bath. Some of the furniture and soft furnishings did look a little tired but it was very comfortable bearing in mind where you are. Our room steward Richard was excellent. He was very efficient yet understated and our room was always ready for us upon our return from a game drive. It was also nice to see him in the early mornings with a wake up call and a coffee before we left. The service at Il Moran is truly exceptional and we were made welcome by everyone, nothing was too much trouble, if you needed something it was there for you. The food was top notch. The menus were small but wonderful. Well cooked food which was a fusion of African and European food. Our waiter Isaac was very pleasant and attentive and looked after us well. We only ate one breakfast in the camp as we usually took breakfast out and ate on the drive. Some of the places we stopped for breakfast were truly stunning. The breakfast we had in the camp was unbelievable. To be honest there was too much choice and as a result we did give some feedback about that. To finish on the food we never had a bad meal either within the camp or out on the drive, it was excellent throughout. Now to the main reason we were there, the drives. We were up and out at 6 every day taking breakfast with us. Our guide Paul was very committed in trying to ensure we had the best possible experience and saw as much as we could. We told him what we were interested in and to be honest he made it happen. We saw so much and it was all down to Paul’s knowledge of the terrain and the animals living within it. Invariably when he said we were going somewhere to try and see a certain thing we did. We feel very fortunate to have had the experience of meeting Paul and getting the benefits of his experience and contacts. We feel, after speaking to other travellers who didn’t see as much as we did that he is certainly one of the top guides in the Mara. He was a gentleman also!|During the stay we went on a balloon ride across the Masai Mara which was a wonderful experience. This is a must even if you’re nervous as I was. I loved it and would have regretted not doing it. Finished with a lovely champagne breakfast out in the open. The balloon leaves from an adjoining camp so not far to travel for take off.|Despite my minor comment about the furnishings this is certainly a wonderful place to stay. The real luxury is in the game drives with private guide, the stunning location, the exceptional food and wonderful service. Il Moran may not be the most luxurious camp from an accommodation point of view but is certainly one of the most authentic unfenced camps in Kenya. We had a truly magnificent stay and would thoroughly recommend Il Moran. One final thing to mention is in relation to Il Moran being unfenced. This means we had animals coming into camp particularly at night. We had hippos, elephants and hyenas near whilst we stayed and one particular night a hippo was right by our tent. We never felt worried as the guards were always there and it is wonderful to hear the animals roaming outside our tent. The hippos can be...

Our stay at Governors' Il Moran Camp was a wonderful experience, and we couldn’t have asked for a better time.||The luxe tents were beyond our expectations. This was our first time ever staying in a tent (we've never even camped before), and we didn’t really know what to expect. We were completely blown away by how comfortable and well-appointed everything was. The beds were plush, everything was very clean, and the whole setup felt luxurious. ||The camp is unfenced, which initially made us a bit nervous, but it turned out to be one of the highlights of our stay. We were able to hear hippos and elephants right outside our tent at night - an incredible experience we will never forget. Even though we’re not seasoned "outdoorsy" people, the security team made us feel incredibly safe the entire time, always escorting us around the camp when needed and ensuring our peace of mind.||A big thank you to Julius, our guide, who was exceptional. He was extremely knowledgeable about the wildlife and the area and made every game drive interesting and enjoyable. He was super flexible and easygoing, which made our experience so much more relaxed. One of the most memorable moments was when Julius took us to witness the wildebeest crossing. We knew in advance that it would take time, but it was absolutely worth the wait, and Julius kept us engaged with fascinating facts and stories the entire time. He also went out of his way to find lion cubs with us, an experience we will remember forever.||Henriques, our server, and Jackson, our housekeeper, were both fantastic. They went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. By the end of the trip, we started coming down with a cold, but Henriques and Jackson took great care of us, making us a special healing tea that really helped us get through the last days of our trip. Every time we saw Henriques, he made us the tea, and Jackson would deliver it to our rooms each night. Jackson also took excellent care of our laundry, returning it every afternoon folded perfectly (seriously, I’ve never seen anyone fold clothes better than him!).||Lastly, Chef Lilian was spectacular. Her dishes were unique, creative, and bursting with flavor. There wasn’t a single dish we didn’t love, and we truly looked forward to every meal.||Our stay at Governors' Il Moran Camp was an unforgettable experience. The combination of luxurious accommodations, exceptional staff, and unforgettable wildlife experiences made this a trip of a lifetime. We highly recommend this camp and hope to...