Karen Blixen Camp, Mara North Conservancy, Masai Mara — Hotel in Mara ward

I was at the Karen Blixen Camp from September 24 to September 30, 2025! I have been to Kenya once before, South Africa 2 times before and Zimbabwe one time before! I have gone on game drives at other camps and from my experience the game drives at Karen Blixen are something that dreams are made of! from the time I was picked up at the Mara North Conservancy by my guides Paul and Vincent it was nothing less than amazing. On the way to the camp I saw "Fred" a famous 55 year old elephant with huge tusks, with his friend Charlie. I saw many warthogs, giraffes, buffalo, mongoose, nile monitor, Baboons, Wildabeest for miles during the great migration, along with zebras. Highlights: A mommy cheetah with two babies, being chased by Jackals. The cheetah walked right up to my jeep and walked around it. I could have touched her and her babies. A pride of lions, the river lions, lying along a creek very tired. They had killed a buffalo and there was one lioness eating the carcass and trying to drag it out of the creek. Again, I was so close to these lions that when they looked at me, I felt a little chill of fear! I saw a leopard mommy, afraid of lions nearby, carrying her two cubs to a new hideaway den! I saw a pride of lions mating and resting. I saw a cheetah mom is a tree with her kill. I watched her climb the tree, her cubs followed, climb down the tree, the cubs followed, it was like she was teaching them how to navigate in the trees! I saw two hyena females near their den, then all of a sudden 5 cubs scrambled out and were playing around the den, it was amazing! My last day I toured the Maasai Mara and saw a lone male lion on a bunch of rocks. He was very hot and tired and huffing and there were flies surrounding him and surrounding us. It was driving him nutty. He got up and came toward my jeep, he attempted to go underneath, to get some shade. Very scary but extremely exciting! Like I said, I have never had these kinds of animal interactions before! I thank my guides for going over and above to make my vacation magical! I took a hot air balloon ride in the middle of my stay. I took an hour and a half ride to the balloon, got up at 3:30 a.m. I am fine with that when something exciting like this is going to happen. The federal roads we took were unbelievable. Like everything controlled by a government, they were quite substandard. We loaded the balloon by sliding in as the balloon basket was on its side. As the balloon blew up, the basket came upright. Then we stood up and observed some animals. We saw herds of antilope, some giraffes and elephants in the distance. The balloon went to a height of 1000 feet to right above the grasses. It was nice to see the balloons floating above the savannah. We then all drove to a site to have a champage brunch. They had so much to eat, pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, coffee, tea, and CHAMPAGNE. I had a full body deep tissue massage and it was wonderful. During a morning game drive I and another group were surprised by a bush breakfast. It was set up on a bluff overlooking the savannah, with full omelet station, crepes, pancakes, waffles, fruit, sausage and bacon, coffee, tea. It was amazing. I had never had anythng like this at another camp. Actually, in Kenya, at the Elephant Bedroom Camp, I experienced pretty much the opposite. 50.00 for a "box lunch". a cold sandwich, an apple and a juice box. I felt incredibly abused by that treatment! It seemed very mercinary. I also experienced two more bush lunches where I got to pick out what I wanted to eat when we stopped. It was very nice! Every breakfast, lunch and dinner at the camp was delicious. I always felt so guilty because I could not "clean my plate". The portions were very generous. I was asked if I did not like the meal. Absolutely not! I just was not used to eating such big portions. The chef was outstanding and I met him and thanked him for his great meals. His treatments of desserts were exceptionally impressive. Nice portions, and very light, delicate and slightly sweet desserts! I was very impressed. During the day it got pretty hot. Every day when I was there about 3 or 4 p.m. dark clouds, rain and wind would come in. It would get pretty cold for the night game drive and be pretty cold in the mornings too. It was nice in the tent though, because they put a hot water bottle in the bed. It stayed warm all night long! The only complaints I have, is that there is only internet actually in a internet hut next to the main building. One day there was no internet at all. I think this could be a hardship for many people in todays age. The pool at this camp needs to be fixed, the liner is begining to deteriorate. With the plethora of camps out there, they are competing pretty strongly and they need to keep the quality up. The most important thing to me in taking vacations to Africa is the wildlife interactions. Karen Blixen Camp is reqlly heads and tails above many other camps with this subject. Even right in front of my room there were at least 30 hippos, and two crocks. Plus animals like giraffes, wart hogs, elephants would come down to the Mara river to drink. All night I would hear the hippos, grunting and laughing, they sounded like they were right next to my tent. One morning I heard the lions roaring and one night I heard the Whoooo OOO of the hyena's. Two days I had vervet monkeys visit me, they played peek a boo with my tent flaps. It was so cute! They are so playful and fun! I want one as a pet!!!! LOL During this trip I was apparently cursed by something because the first game drive my phone fell out of the jeep, the staff tried to retrace the path twice but never found the phone. That was not that big a deal for me because I had a camera and was loading pictures onto my computer. Then right when I got home I sat down to see the pictures on my computer and my computer completely died. Hopefully, I will be able to get the files from my old motherboard to put onto my NEW computer that I had to buy! Life sure gives you challenges! I had the best vacation of my life and now hopefully can have digital...

We stayed at Karen Blixen Camp from Sept 29 – Oct 2 and had the most wonderful time. The camp itself was amazing - the tents were spacious and comfortable, with the outside showers being a real highlight and a major plus point for this camp. There’s something special about showering under the open sky while still feeling completely private. In addition, the camp is by the Mara river so it made for an amazing wake up scene every morning. ||The setting is incredible. The camp’s restaurant looks out directly onto a hippo den, so every meal came with a view of hippos lounging or playing in the river. Evenings were just as memorable, with bonfires by the river - having a drink by the fire while listening to the hippos was an unparalleled experience. Tho the grunting of hippos can be quite loud! ||We also arranged a sundowner (think sunset like never before in isolation, with a drink and appetisers and beautiful landscapes of the reserve like a movie unrolling) and a bush breakfast (amazing on top of a hill, and fresh hot breakfast on call - wow wow wow) through the camp and both were unforgettable. From the food to the views to the attentive service, it all felt surreal and something we’ll always remember.||A huge thank you to the staff who made our stay so special - our guide Simon (Saidimu), whose knowledge and patience made every game drive meaningful, Simon is that dream guide everyone wishes for and only some get - he knew the conservancy like his backhand and sought out sightings for us like no one we’ve ever had before on safaris. Simon is exceptional - if the camp ever lose him, I would not be going back to the camp - thank you (Asanti Sana), Simon! Next up, Solomon, who looked after us so warmly at mealtimes - Solomon’s attentiveness and care and warmth made every mealtime a pleasure to look forward to, thank you Solomon. Camp Manager Moses and Florence, who always checked in with a smile to make sure everything was perfect; and Viktor, who kept our tent spotless and welcoming - a big thank you. ||Karen Blixen Camp gave us not just a safari, but a truly personal and memorable experience. We’d recommend it in a heartbeat. ||TOP TIP: Do the bush dinners, do the sundowners, do the breakfast in the bush experiences - you live only once,...

What an amazing experience. The camp is situated in a beautiful location overlooking the Mara river, with each tent having its own river view. I spent many happy hours on the daybed on my deck watching hippos, giraffe and elephants. The tent was simply and beautifully laid out with a very comfortable bed, plenty of seating areas and a well appointed bathroom - including outdoor shower. All the small touches have been well thought out, including plenty of storage space, atmospheric lighting and drinking water container. Each evening I would come back to a nicely turned down bed with hot water bottle.

The main camp/dining area is very lovely with a brilliant view of a huge hippo pod and good Wi-Fi reception. You will not go hungry on safari and the food at the camp is excellent with a good range of choices, covering a range of a tastes including quality well cooked meat and delicious fresh vegetables. Special treats included a full bush breakfast on top of a spectacular hill, a breakfast picnic and an array of tasty snacks provided for each afternoon game drive. The early morning wake up calls complete with tea and biscuits delivered to your tent were also very welcome The camp also has a lovely pool and spa area and I had one of the best massages I've ever had.

Game drives took place twice a day on a well set out vehicle. My guide was exceptionally skilled and went out of his way to ensure that I had a great experience and got to see the best of the Mara wildlife. He knew exactly how to get into the best spots for taking photos.

Particular highlights included finding a beautiful young leopard, several prides of lions and watching a pack of hyena during a feeding frenzy. My guide demonstrated exceptional knowledge of the wildlife and spoke passionately about the Conservancy and the community empowerment and educational initiatives of the camp.

The highlight of the trip and what makes Karen Blixen special were the staff who were without exception courteous, friendly and attentive and go out of their way to create an amazing experience for their guests. As soon as I arrived I was so well looked after by the brilliant staff at this camp. You really don’t need to think or worry about anything, they take care of all...