Sand River Masai Mara by Elewana — Hotel in Siana ward

An Extraordinary Experience at Elewana Sand River Masai Mara

My name is Vinit, and during our recent family holiday to Kenya, we had the pleasure of staying at Elewana Sand River Masai Mara. I can confidently say it was one of the most cherished stays of our lives.

From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed with genuine warmth and bright smiles by the entire team, including Mr. John, the General Manager. Each time we entered or exited the camp, the staff would gather to greet us—it truly felt like being welcomed by family. They constantly reminded us that the Masai Mara was now our second home, and they truly made us feel that way. A lot of credit must go to Elewana for instilling such hospitality-driven values in their team.

The luxurious tents were beautifully appointed and overlooked the Sand River, where we witnessed breathtaking wildlife moments—from lions, baboons, and hippos to the dramatic river crossings of wildebeest and zebras. Watching this unfold from the comfort of our tent felt like a real-life wildlife documentary.

Wildlife safaris were the main highlight of our trip, and Elewana Sand River delivered far beyond expectations. Our driver-guide, Mr. Daniel, was nothing short of exceptional—relentless in his pursuit of sightings, deeply respectful of nature, and impressively knowledgeable. Thanks to him, we had an incredible safari day where we spotted the Big Five in a single outing—an extremely rare experience, especially catching elusive animals like the rhino and leopard. But perhaps the most unforgettable moment was witnessing a real-time river crossing of wildebeest and zebras from Masai Mara to the Serengeti, right on the Sand River—an experience made possible only because of Mr. Daniel’s intuition and experience.

The safari vehicle was of top quality—spotlessly clean, well-maintained, and thoughtfully stocked with ample beverages and water. Additional touches like binoculars, umbrellas, blankets, and waterproof jackets were always available, ensuring maximum comfort no matter the weather. These little details made the safaris not only adventurous but thoroughly enjoyable.

On the culinary front, Mr. Zia, Mr. Mike, and Mr. Ewans ensured our dining experience was flawless. Being vegetarians, we were genuinely impressed by the variety, quality, and creativity of the meals. The head chef personally checked in with us each day, and even went out of his way to prepare off-menu vegetarian dishes tailored to our tastes. Every meal was served with love, and the drink selection at the camp was excellent—rounding off the experience beautifully.

Our stay at Sand River was organised by Moyo Holidays, and the exceptional level of service clearly reflected their close relationship with the property. Every aspect of our stay was managed with thoughtfulness, care, and precision.

If you’re planning a trip to Kenya, I wholeheartedly recommend Elewana Sand River Masai Mara. It offers not just comfort, luxury, and phenomenal wildlife—but something even more precious: a sense of belonging, genuine human warmth, and...

Dear George and Stephen, Bonface, and Jeconiah and Evans ... we miss you already!!

Some places and folks have beautiful websites, pictures and verbiage; while the team at the Elewana Sand River Masai Mara property WALKED THE TALK, every day for US.

My wife (Jane), a long-time friend (Deborah) and I just wrapped up an amazing 3 day safari stay at the Elewana Sand River property. This was the 4th of 7 stops on our safari within Kenya and Tanzania.

First and foremost for Jane and me ... this bucketlist trip was ALL about the animals. The 3 of us have been fortunate to have done the "food and wine thing" in some pretty amazing places over the years. We leaned on Sandy Salle and her team at Hills of Africa and Andrea at Travel Experts to curate this adventure. Sandy, personally, made the guide requests on our behalf; at Sand River, we were paired with Joel. As we (later) found out, Joel is quite the safari guide sage master in Kenya, having mentored the guides we enjoyed at our prior two Elewana property stops in Kenya.

I am 66 YO and have longed to see a live cheetah in the wild since I was 6 or 7 and first saw one on Mutual of Omaha's "Wild Kingdom" on TV on a Sunday nite. We saw a cheetah on each of two consecutive days, as well as experiencing a live episode of The Great Migration, with THOUSANDS of live wildebeest and zebras as performers. Joel just seemed to anticipate the where and when. My first sight of a cheetah moved me to tears; so ASANTE SANA, Joel.

On a personal note, I developed a travel-related GI issue which had me on the DL (i.e., the disabled list, not down low) for a day. I was checked on, and cared for, by Jeconiah and Evans who made some special beverages to soothe and settle, as well as Bonface, George snd Stephen who graciously made some requested "off the nenu" dietary items for me. I have NEVER received such SPECIAL treatment while traveling ... so ASANTE SANA.

Jane and I have each worked with a number of large Japanese companies "back in the day", so in the spirit of Kaizen (i.e., continous improvement), we offer the two suggestions to the Sand River team to consider:

For a 5 star property, one should expect 1 the tent should be tight (I.e., top and floor) so that that bugs of size do not share your space with you and 2 we were without hot water for 2 of our 3 nites. While the latter issue was investigated and remedied upon sharing with management, we suggest that housekeeping could, and should, check each tent as they provide service throughout the day to ensure hot water is available.

Please be assured that the positives VASTLY outweigh the brief urrgghhs we encountered.

In closing, EACH AND EVERY KENYAN who took care of us did so with a smile and exhibited a high level of competence in their respective area. Their collective goal was to ensure we enjoyed a (positive) memorable experience, which we...

What a wonderful experience. The entire team is welcoming and friendly. Our room (Cabin 10) was an easy walk to the main lounge and dining area. The fire pit in the evening was a great touch. |Benjamin was our safari guide and he was INCREDIBLE. Within the first 24 hours we saw all of the big 5. And throughout our trip he found a baby croc, amazing birds like Eagles, and lots of hippos - in addition to the Big 9. Benjamin was obviously respected at the camp and among other guides from other camps. He was friendly, serene, and knowledgeable. He made sure we were able to get amazing photos and made the request of 5 different people come together. |Our cabin was comfortable, it was great to have the lounge area and porch. Although, honestly we weren't there much except to sleep really. The bed was comfortable and even with the evening chill, we were perfectly comfortable. The heated water bottles in the beds for a warm up were a great touch. The bathroom was spacious and while I wasn't brave enough to shower outside at night the bathtub was a luxurious option. The toiletries and drinking water were also great touches. We loved the laundry service, they even found a little figuring that was accidentally left in a pocket and traveled with us on behalf of our niece who would have been heartbroken if it was lost. There is a little shop that has some nice and reasonably priced gifts. The tea and biscuits/cookies sent to our room at 4:00am before our hot air balloon ride were a perfect start to the date. |The food.- great choices. Lunch and dinner were 4 courses and the selections were varied, and delicious. The team easily accommodated our request for mock tails. And as part of our safari touring group, 3 of the 5 had birthdays within days of each other. The culinary team made a delicious gluten free, nut free cake to celebrate. It was awesome to see such care made to food allergies. The sundowner with the fire pit was such a treat, great view, food, and drinks. Impressive. |The manager (I am so annoyed with myself I can't remember his name at the moment) was so kind, friendly, and warm. He made you feel like an honored and special guest. There are animals all around you, you hear them at night in the bushes, but we always felt safe. |We are so appreciative of this experience. If we had to do anything different it would be to stay a little longer so we could enjoy more of...