Aruba camp sits perched on the river on the edge of the Masai Mara right alongside one of the gates into the Masai Mara, ideally positioned for a Safari or four! The camp has large tents or a slightly more back to nature versions we chose not to sample, which also looked clean and comfortable. Our tents had two very firm, but comfortable four poster beds with a large outdoor en-suite with very hot solar heated water supply. The meals were excellent and nothing was too much trouble for the staff.

The highlights were the owl that sat on the roof answering my friend’s snore all night which had us all in stitches, watching banded mongoose playing while we ate our breakfast and hearing a lion attack in the reserve at night.

Getting to Aruba is a real adventure in itself, however once you are there it is well worth it, not 5 star, but comfortable, safe and accommodating, all you need for an African adventure!

I can't imagine how anyone has had a negative experience of this place, it just doesn't seem possible! The staff (Sammy) and masai guides (Tom and Daniel) made our short time in Masai Mara absolutely wonderful. Aruba camp is a little haven on the edge of the talek river. Most tents have a river view, with deck chairs on your balcony where you can sit and watch for hippos. Inside, you've got a stunning four poster bed, with carvings of the trees and animals - done by the team themselves. The bathroom is huge, with a gorgeous stone floor, hot shower AND bottles of water. The camp does three activities per day; two game drives and a nature walk - all included in the full board price. Before the morning drive, they wake you up with a cup of tea or coffee IN BED and biscuits. At night, if it's going to be cold - they bring you a hot water bottle. What more could you want??? What about delicious food, a three course lunch and a four course dinner, a fully stocked bar and beer garden? Aruba has it all. Highly recommend anyone looking for a bit of luxury at a fraction of the price - to come and stay here.

We heard of Aruba Mara via word of mouth and made our booking direct with them (via SMS!). They were great, highglights for us were - the service (Sami, Jacob and everyone were very friendly and efficient!), - the tents (set us up with extra beds for the kids and they loved the novelty of an outside bathroom!) and the animals!! So much stuff so close to the camp, we were amazed. This was our first Mara experience and we all loved it. The staff (service and drivers) were great with our kids (5, 3 and 1 years old). Aruba mara worked for us! (I am trying to think of what didn't work for us or we didn't like... and there wasn't anything that stuck out...)

We had very negative experience here. We just needed a place to spend one night, we had our own vehicle and guide so we did not require any game drives from them. They charged 3000 ksh more per person than we were quoted before we arrived. Their extremely high rate also did not include any bottled drinks like water or soda. When we checked out they claimed they could not make change for our cash so they insisted we take one of their employees with us to the next city and give him the money there as well as pay his way back to the lodge. When we came up with the exact amount they still wanted us to give him a ride to Narok. So it turned out they were just lying about the change to get us to pay for their employee’s trip to Narok. I have stayed at other places on the Mara and can tell you there are much nicer places to stay for that kind of money and plenty of places that won’t try to take advantage of you.