Narasha Guest House — Hotel in Siana ward

A tale of disappointing end to an otherwise wonderful trip to Kenya. This is a long-ish review about my experience with Narasha homestay and why I’ll not recommend this to anyone planning to go to Masai Maara.

1st major issue - Never plan your Masai Maara package with Narasha. They under delivered on the promised activities in the agreed agenda and charged us a huge sum of money. Not going to explain the issue in detail as every tourist has their own set of agenda, but I would recommend guests to not go with them and instead make their own plan either after reaching Masai Mara or go with some trusted partners.

2nd major issue - Huge gap in communication between Narasha and the driver they hire for the game drives and taxi services. They don’t talk to each other and the driver goes on to suggest and convince you of doing activities which are not part of the original plan. As a first timer in the country you tend to go with driver’s suggestion blindly, thinking people in Narasha are well informed about the change in plan. You end up overpaying as the changed plan ultimately looks less promising than the original one. We had a very bad experience with Narasha and we demanded a fair compensation to bridge the gap. A fair compensation was never delivered and I ended up paying extra amount for some of the activities that was already included in the plan.

3rd major issue - the accommodation has some major issue when it comes to basics. It is located at a slight distance from Talek gate of Masai Mara. There are no signboards in Talek and we ended up searching for more than 30-40mins in the dark. The room where we stayed had no wifi, no flush to clean the toilet and no proper lighting in the bathroom. The only saving grace were the staff members who helped us throughout the stay. Special shoutout to the in-house chef who prepared us some delicious meal.

In summary, I would not recommend Narasha as there are better accommodations in and around Talek area. Our entire Masai Mara experience was...

We were over landing in a jeep from Uganda to Tanzania transiting for 3 days through Kenya’s Masai Mara. This is a hard journey with difficult roads to drive to make it and isn’t for the faint hearted (and this was in the dry season!) however I think most people who pre-book a driver and guide and are coming from the capital would find the drive easier!! |We were looking for an accommodation option as close to the Masai Mara without paying the huge fees involved with staying within the park itself. This is a great option!!! |We stayed 2 nights full board (water, tea, coffee included, other drinks extra) and really enjoyed our time with Dolores and the team. Our room was comfortable and clean as was our en suite bathroom. |There is a lovely large kitchen lounge space in the centre where you dine with the other guests staying. Outside sofas and chairs which are comfy to relax in after/before safari and a great fire pit we got going each evening with the other guests and we sat around with the staff and a neighbour came and joined and it was so nice chatting and listening to the hyena ‘laughing’ nearby. |Also, important to note is that the food was really very nice!!!! We had a lovely packed lunch each day for safari and our onward journey and dinner was one evening burger and chips and the other stew and rice and both really good. |Highly recommend this place, you won’t regret the warm hospitality and comfort. And close proximity to the entrance gate (15 mins drive) |Note - google maps doesn’t take you to the door, it goes up the wrong road due to the ‘road’ being private and so we tracked the route and hope that this picture might help others get there...

Totally wonderful stay!!! When we booked it we did not really expect very much out of it. After all, when most accommodations in Masai Mara area were charging an arm and a leg, how could one expect much out of a relatively inexpensive place. But the accommodation was a revelation!||||There are three rooms in the main building and there is a cottages about 20 yards away. We were allotted the cottage, or 'banda' as it is called. All the rooms and the banda are perfectly modern with large and well appointed modern bathrooms. The surroundings are so tranquil that you feel as if you are inside the National Park - in fact, elephants do visit the vicinity once in a while. This modernity stands in total peace and quiet of African nature.||||It is owned and managed by a well educated young lady called Dolores. She is ably assisted by her staff and a chef who cooks very nice meals. ||||You will find it very difficult to locate this place. I would strongly suggest that once you reach Talek Gate of the National Park, you or your driver should give a ring to Dolores. She will then send a person on a motorbike who will pilot your vehicle to this establishment. Also, the road from this place (or from Talek Gate) to Nairobi is in a pitiable state right now - hope the government does something about the approaches to Masai Mara very soon. It took us about 8 hours to drive back to Nairobi.||||We would like to congratulate Dolores for maintaining this wonderful accommodation!!|||| · Everything is just perfect. Locating it is difficult unless you give a call to the owner and request her for someone...