Mara Siria Tented Bush Camp & Cottages — Hotel in Narok

My family visited Mara Siria after a recommendation from a friend, but I was disappointed by our experience. First, we were welcomed by the deputy camp manager (Christine) when we first arrived. She was a bit awkward and didn't exude the personality of a typical manager. She almost seemed to "scripted" and rigid in her approach. The camp is very small, which we noticed right away. But instead of offering us our welcome and overview of the camp in a private manner, Christine wanted to include other guests with us in a small sitting area. It was very awkward and unprofessional. It was clear that the other guests did not like this approach either.

The camp itself is very pleasant and rustic in nature. If you are expecting frills and luxury, this camp is not for you. I would say it might be a stretch that "luxury" is included in the camp name, as it's a bit of false advertising in comparison to other camps. The tents are perfect, but there is no running water. The seating areas overlooking the Mara are wonderful and the views are breathtaking. The plunge pool is nothing more than a photo-op. It's cold and not practical for an actual swim -- and it's incredibly awkward if you are there with other guests, as there is only seating for about 2-3 people at one time.

Regarding the staff, this is the one aspect that somewhat ruined the experience for us. The staff seemed disjointed and not everyone was working well together. We didn't know who was responsible for what, and everyone had a different approach to customer service. There was no continuity, which left us feeling awkward quite often. Christine, as the camp manager on duty, seemed to handle everything for us. But she walked around with a huge purse on her hip and didn't look the part of manager. Instead of having a Maasai guard to walk us back to our tent in the dark at night, Christine escorted us herself. She literally reached into her purse and pulled our her cell phone to use as a flashlight to light the trail! Seriously?! Although we're residents, we appreciate the little efforts that go in to making these camps "authentic" to Kenya. We simply didn't get that impression from the staff at Mara Siria.

The camp itself -- excellent and on point. The staff -- needs some work. Would I visit again? Probably not. Look elsewhere for that traditional Kenyan safari...

My adult son and I had a wonderful 3 night stay at Mara Siria, and I can recommend it very highly. At every step of the way from our online communications with the reservations team to arriving at the camp itself, everyone on the staff was warm, professional, and accommodating. The food was excellent, and our tent with two twin beds was very comfortable. The setting and views were even more beautiful than the photos online convey, and it was an easy and scenic drive to the park gate. We did two days of game drives, which were just out of this world incredible. I particularly have to commend our driver (John) and our guide (Oscar) for their knowledge and skill in locating animals and sharing information about what we were seeing, and we greatly appreciated that they took care to be sensitive to the animals and not crowd or chase after them. While there is always a tension between the economic benefits versus the environmental impact of tourism, we observed that Mara Siria works hard to get this balance right and appreciated that. I will also note that while I personally found the camp very comfortable, it might be a challenge for those with mobility issues, because you have to walk on uneven surfaces (and at night with only flashlights to guide you) between the main part of the camp and your tent, and the bathroom floor in our tent was made of stones and was therefore uneven. The showers are attached to the tents but are outdoors under an open sky, and hot water is delivered upon request, which again is just something to be aware of. Bring plenty of cash and tip the staff generously -- they were on site from early in the morning to late at night making things run smoothly and I think they earn...

We chose this camp because of its incredible value for money, and highly commendable reviews - very much so for anyone who is from overseas, and is travelling to the Mara juggling the massive variety of camps to choose from in the Mara Triangle.

There is not too much information online about the camp - hence here's a brief summary. Their tents are luxury rated, we chose the deluxe luxury tent - so it runs fully off the grid, hot water is on demand, beds are huge and comfortable. The tents are fully enclosed (pretty insect proof, other than the odd ant slipping under the door) and camp is located 1600m above sea level, hence less mosquitos.

I think there's something special going on here, which I would call Kenyan hospitality. Everyone has been amazing and friendly to us - from Joel, the manager to every interaction with staff running the camp, and even the guards walking us back to our tents after sunset.

The main highlight of our stay at the camp is Dafton, our driver and guide for the game drives organised with Mara Siria. We had 2 and a half day of drives done with him - and he has been the most gracious, amazing gentleman. The conversations we had were so fun and thoughtful, our opinions and wants were taken care of. He is extremely knowledgeable of the Mara wildlife. What has truly made our trip here in the Mara is all thanks to a great guide whom we have spent about 30 hours with in the past 3 days, catching sights beyond the Big 5 - the Ugly 5, countless birds and animals. He's been the superstar for us on this trip, where he has gone above and beyond for us. Thank you again Dafton. My wife and I are grateful for the...