Jan 2013. 5 star experience. The camp was gorgeous. The service ( Godfrey, our wonderful server) and food was impeccable. I never heard the word No from anyone. Steve, our host, made it a fun experience even with his White Rhino joke. ;). The best part were the game drives. Our guide, Joseph, was FANTASTIC and extremely knowledgable about the animals, birds, vegetation, Ecco system, seasons.......He was a heck of a spotter and a great person to learn from. Joseph made our vacation. So glad we chose Kenya and the Mara. Very safe the the Kenyans are the nicest people I have ever met on vacation and we are well traveled.

I visited the Mara Explorer at the end of an eight day safari booked through Gamewatcher. On the recommendation of Julie from Gamewatchers, I stayed here for two nights in August 2012. This is a nice camp in the Mara Reserve. The nice thing is that it is only 5 minutes from the airstrip.

This was a different experience from the Porini Camps I had stayed at (Rhino, Amboselli, Lion) but I am glad I came.

I arrived at the camp after being in the Mara for 3 nights a the Lion camp. I was greeted by Steven the camp manager. He was really nice and pleasant. This place is 5 stars and definitely has the feel. Unlike other camps, you have the ability to dine and order off a menu. This is good and bad. You can eat when you want but you lose the group feel you get when everyone eats together. Luckily, the people at my camp were really social and we all sat around the fire before dinner and talked. I was traveling alone and was invited each night to sit with other people.

What is great about the Explorer is that it is small. I talked to some people who stayed at the Intrepids and that camp has far more tents. The Explorer is really intimate!

The game drives are different than Porini in that they are "scheduled" at 6:30, 10 and 3. Porini takes you out and its less structured and you stay out as long as you want. What I gathered is that the reason for the structure is that the drives are scheduled around the dining room times. However, they will pack a breakfast if you go on an early drive and take you out longer to 1 or so.

I enjoyed the game drives and the jeeps are really comfortable. I am going to go out on a limb and say this camp is for the less adventurous vs the Porini camps. However, it was GREAT to have a long hot shower and a bath tub to soak in at the Explorer. I even had a message in my tent on day! The tents are BEAUTIFUL and on the Mara River. You can see and hear the hippos all day and night! It is really special. The other thing that is nice about the Explorer is that they do you laundry for free. This was much needed after washing my clothes in the sinck for 8 days!

On our game drives, we saw three total male lions, leopards, a rhino (only one of 83 in the park) and many other animals. We also saw the migration.

The last night, Steven surprised us with a bush party! I was really special. I really enjoyed my stay but it was really different than the Lion Camp. I have posted my review separately on Trip Advisor along with tips for travel on your safari. Have Fun!

Just before Christmas in December 2012 I spent 4 amazing days in this fantastic and charming place in the middle of the magnificent Masai Mara. It was truly everything I had hoped for. The camp is exclusive and very cosy at the same time. Everyone at the camp is so dedicated, warm and friendly and they went out of their way to make us feel welcome - they succeeded very well in this :-) The tent was very comfortable with a great veranda, and the food is just delicious. Our guide Koikai was absolutely great and knowledgeable and with him we experienced the wonderful and outstanding scenery and wildlife. We had a great time and would love to visit again.

My wife and I stayed at the Mara Explorer for 4 nights from the 5th November to the 9th November 2012. I feel it is fair to say that the Mara Explorer is the single most wonderful place we have ever stayed!! The aspect that we felt really sets the Mara Explorer head and shoulders above anywhere else we have stayed, is the absolute dedication of the staff that work there in make your stay as pleasurable as possible.
We received the warmest of welcomes from all the staff on arrival to the camp, and following a refreshing glass of mango juice and a quick brief on how the camp operated, we were escorted to our tent by our attentive steward James. On our first day we watched elephants feeding on the greenery from the bank opposite our tent, and at night while tucked up in bed, you can hear Hippos literally walking through the camp. James our steward was wonderful, very polite and kept our tent pristine. He provided us with hot water bottles at night to combat the cold, giving a prime example of the camps personal touch.
The food and drink provided at the Mara Explorer was exquisite. Our waiters Odin and Noor were fantastic throughout our stay, always working hard to make sure we had everything we could ever want.
We had 3 game drives a day, first thing in the morning before breakfast, mid-morning until just before lunch, and late afternoon until the early evening. Our dedicated driver was James. Primarily, these game drives are the reason why you choose to go on Safari and we were not left disappointed. James was amazing. His knowledge on each animal, bird, plant and flower found in Masai Mara was exceptional and he was genuinely a lovely guy with a great sense of humour. It was a pleasure spending such a large chunk of the day with him. He also had an uncanny ability in finding every animal we asked to see. The Masai Mara itself is teeming with wildlife. James was very flexible with the timing of our game drives, and even suggested substituting them for activities such as bush walks and visiting a Masai village, of which he was more than happy to organise.
Towards the end of our stay at the Mara Explorer, my wife celebrated a birthday. Two days before her birthday, I was approached my Kabui, the Site Manager who asked if my wife would like a surprise massage. I agreed, and on the following day my wife was treated to a full body massage on the decking outside of our tent, over-looking the river. The evening before her birthday while having a BBQ dinner next to a campfire, the staff broke out into song and dance, wishing my wife a happy birthday and presented her with a birthday cake. This is in addition to the “Sundown Cocktails” and “Bush Breakfast” that we were treated to as well.
If you have ever considered that Safari is something that you would like to do, then book yourself in at the Mara Explorer, you will not be disappointed. We are already working out how we can get back! Thank you so much to Kabui, James our driver, James our steward, Odin, Noor, and all the staff for the most magical time of our lives!