[Kenya] Mara Empiris Safari Camp in Maasai Mara

Mara Empiris Safari Camp served as our accommodations in Maasai Mara. We stayed here for two nights.

Mara Empiris Safari Camp

It was most basic of the places where we stayed while in Kenya, but that somehow made the experience quite unique. Our rooms were built as a combination of tents and permanent structures, making us feel like we really were in a camp.

Tent rooms in Mara Empiris

Our tents were on elevated wooden platform and were protected by more structured roofing. Each room also has a different name. Ours was named Ndovu.

My room was named Ndovu

The rooms were really big and spacious. Ours had three beds, even if there were only two of us. The tents had "windows" that you could roll up to let in sunlight and fresh air.

Our large and comfortable room

But even when they are rolled up, there is a screen that prevents bugs from coming in. In case some bugs do manage to make it inside the tent, there is a bug zapper. Also, to secure our rooms, we would have to fully zip the entrance of our tent and use a padlock.

The toilet and bath room is separated from the rest of the room with curtains. It's pretty basic but adequate. The cool part is that there is a separate sink,

Sink and wash area inside the room

toilet area,

toilet area

and shower. This was pretty convenient because it meant that different people could be using different parts of the bath and toilet area. For instance, someone could be brushing their teeth while someone else is showering. The shower also has hot water.

Shower area

The food here was just okay but personally, we didn't really need fancy or luxurious dishes. Since all meals were served buffet style, we always had more than enough food and we were always satisfied. Mara Empiris was also the only hotel we stayed at that didn't serve brewed coffee but they did have instant coffee. I realized that I am actually okay with instant coffee as long as it is black. (It's the 3-in-1 coffee mixes that I don't like.) I can't believe I survived on instant coffee for a couple of days haha.

The dining area is in the same building as the reception

I think only a few guests were checked in at the time we were there. I only saw maybe 2 or 3 other groups of people during our stay. On our first night, another couple was having dinner at the same time we were. As it turned out, the woman was celebrating her birthday and the staff prepared a cake for her (most likely at the request of her boyfriend). Since they couldn't eat the whole cake, they very generously offered us some slices. Cool!

Another guest shared her birthday cake with us

On our second night, a small group was relaxing outdoors around a small bonfire. I'm sure my family and I could've also requested for our own bonfire but we were so tired that we all just wanted to head back to our tents after dinner to pack and get some rest haha.

Internet is only available in the reception area. We also experienced a partial power outage on our first morning there - right before we went on our Maasai Mara drive - with all the lights going out but I think the hot water still worked during this time. There is  also an electric fence that surrounds the camp for added safety for the guests.

An electric fence surrounds the camp

Service at Mara Empiris is very friendly and hospitable. The staff always greeted us with smiles and they made us feel welcome and as comfortable as possible. They always adjusted the time that breakfast would be served depending on the time we would leave in the morning. They also prepared packed lunch for us for our whole day game drive in Maasai Mara. Also, as we left the hotel, the staff stood at the doorway of the safari camp and waved us goodbye. It was really heartwarming.

The best moment that showcased their service and hospitality came after we had already checked out. Around 20 minutes after we had left, our guide Zachary got a call. Apparently, it was the hotel asking us if we might have left a brown bag at the reception. We did! I guess we were so tired and didn't pay full attention to all our bags as we were loading them into our jeep and we forgot one. The manager and the chef decided to meet us halfway since they were heading to the market anyway and they brought our bag with them.

Even if the this hotel is pretty basic, our experience here was still really good, especially because we had such cool rooms and the service was very warm, friendly, and genuine. I also love how integrated to nature it is, with our rooms surrounded by so many trees. Overall, we had an enjoyable and memorable stay at Mara Empiris Safari Camp.

Next: The Social House in Nairobi

[Kenya] Sentrim Elementaita Lodge in Lake Nakuru

For our Lake Nakuru safari, we stayed at Sentrim Elementaita Lodge. We stayed here for one night.

Sentrim Elementaita Lodge

The main draw of this hotel is its location, which is right next to Lake Elementaita. It makes for some amazing photos.

Lake Elementaita

Of the three accommodations we stayed at while we were on safari, Sentrim Elementaita was the only one located in a main city (Lake Nakuru is the 4th biggest city in Kenya). It is about 45-60 minutes away from Lake Nakuru National Park.

Reception area

Our rooms were really big. We had one king-sized bed and one single bed. Since it is located in a city, internet is available in the room. We also had a TV although the channels were limited. (I ended up just watching the news.)

Our room

It has a nice, clean bathroom with good amenities.

Bathroom

On the morning of our departure, we got to see hordes of pink flamingos along the shore on the opposite end of the lake. They were a really long distance away but you could see a blanket of pink on that far shore. While we didn't get to see flamingos in Lake Nakuru, it was quite nice to see them from our hotel.

Flamingos on the opposite shore of Lake Elementaita

The food here was also really good. Of the three safari hotels we stayed at, this one had my favorite desserts. Their coffee was really good too. There is also a souvenir shop at the lobby where we bought more items.

The downside of our stay here was that there was an infestation of lake flies while we were checked in. We were told that the lake flies were not dangerous but that they were very annoying so we shouldn't be worried, healthwise. At least we didn't have to worry about contracting some kind of disease if we got bitten by one. True enough, we didn't get sick (and I don't think any of us was bitten). It was not the most pleasant experience though.

Dinner was actually interesting because almost all the lights were off and the few ones that were on were covered by a cloth to dim them. This prevented the lake flies from being attracted to the light sources and invading the dinner area. This made for a bit of a challenging dinner but it also made it a unique experience.

I have to say that it can be a bit of a challenge to stay at this hotel during a lake fly infestation but it is supposedly very highly rated so I am guessing the experience here is much better if there are no lake flies.

Next: Mara Empiris Safari Camp in Maasai Mara

[Kenya] Samburu Sopa Lodge

Samburu Sopa Lodge served as our accommodations in Samburu. We stayed here for two nights. The great thing about this place is that it is located inside the Samburu National Reserve.

Samburu Sopa Lodge

Aside from the great location, the service here is exceptional. Everyone - from the receptionists to the restaurant wait staff to the person manning the souvenir shop - were all professional, courteous, friendly, warm, and genuine. You could tell that they really wanted all their guests to have a wonderful time, whether at the hotel or while on safari. They really made our memorably stay in Samburu even better.

Welcome to Samburu Sopa Lodge

One of the most special moments here was that while we enjoyed a late lunch upon our arrival, we got to see several impalas at a watering hole just outside the restaurant. After a long and tiring flight to Kenya and a long drive from Nairobi to Samburu, getting to see wildlife so close to us while we enjoyed a good meal was so exciting!

Impalas at the watering hole next to the restaurant

We got to see more animals here the next day as we had lunch again, including baboons...

Baboons

...and warthogs (plus a squirrel).

Warthogs (with a squirrel in the foreground)

The rooms here are detached and dispersed over a relatively large area. This meant that we had to walk about 5 minutes or so from the lobby to our rooms. While this can be viewed as a disadvantage, my family and I appreciated this because it allowed us to walk and get a bit of exercise after each of our heavy buffet meals.

The rooms in Samburu Sopa Lodge

I really love the rooms in Samburu Sopa Lodge. There's a lot of space inside...

Inside our room

...and it has a balcony (although we never got to use it since we were out on game drives all the time).

The balcony in our room

There is no fan nor aircon in the rooms but I never found it too hot while we were there. The temperatures go down in the evenings (the coldest temp was about 10-12 degrees Celsius during our stay) so it was actually pretty cool at night.

Screen windows allow air to get while keeping most bugs out

Since the hotel is in the middle of a national reserve, it seems that they are trying to reduce their impact to the environment as much as possible. Upon arrival, we were told that power in the rooms is only available during certain parts of the day (if I recall correctly, it is available for couple of hours in the morning, during lunch time, and for a couple of hours in the evening). That said, there is electricity at the reception 24/7 so whenever we needed to charge our phones or other devices while power was out in our room, we would just ask reception to charge them for us.

Reception area

The receptionist also told us that it is safe to walk to our rooms but if we are worried, especially at night, we can ask for an escort. (We never did.)

Pathway to our rooms

Another memorable moment was that on our first night here, we had a special dinner set up in the bush, just outside the restaurant.

Dinner in the bush on our first night at the lodge

We were regaled with a special performance of Kenyan dances and chanting. It included Adumu, the Maasai jumping dance.

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We were told that we had this special dinner because it was a full moon on our first night there. It was a bit dark but it was still a wonderfully unique experience!

Full moon on our first night here

I loved the food at our hotel. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all buffet and they offer mostly international fare, with a few local items. We also really loved Kenyan coffee!

Restaurant at the Samburu Sopa Lodge

There was a souvenir shop next to the lobby. We bought a few items here.

Samburu Sopa Lodge has an awesome location, the rooms are spacious and comfortable, the food is great, and the staff and service are amazing. There is also a swimming pool but we never got to use it. If you plan to go to Samburu for a safari experience and you are looking for accommodations, Samburu Sopa Lodge is a perfect choice.

Next: Sentrim Elementaita Lodge in Lake Nakuru

[Kenya] Special and Memorable Moments on Safari

I've already written about a lot of very special and memorable moments during our safari adventure but here are a few more. First, we got to see Mt. Kenya. On our way from Nairobi to Samburu, our guide Zachary pointed to the horizon and told us that if it wasn't for the bad weather and the dark clouds, we would normally be able to see Mt. Kenya. However, on our way from Samburu to Lake Nakuru, we passed that road again and we finally got to see it. Zachary actually managed to find a spot on the side of the road where he could stop for a very short while, giving me enough time to get out of the jeep and take photos of this tallest mountain in Kenya.

 Mt. Kenya

On that same drive from Samburu to Lake Nakuru, we stopped at the equator marker at Nanyuki. (We actually ate our packed breakfast here.) The equator passes through only 13 countries in the world and 7 in Africa, including Kenya.

The equator marker at Nanyuki

In Samburu, we got to see ostrich eggs. While on the road, I told Zachary that I spotted a female ostrich sitting on the ground. Once Zachary saw her, he decided to drive off-road towards her. He said that she must be incubating her eggs. The next thing that happened stressed me and my family out: Zachary decided to drive really close to the ostrich, scaring her enough that she was forced to move away from her nest, exposing nine eggs. I guess Zachary really wanted to take a photo of the eggs. Since he had already scared her away - although she was just sitting a couple of meters away - I decided to take a photo myself.

A mother ostrich with its eggs

We also got to see a couple of predation moments. The first was of a black-backed jackal hunting and eating a superb starling in Samburu. When Zachary spotted a jackal on the road, he decided to follow it, saying that sometimes, jackals are around to eat the scraps of lion kills. While following it on the road, it stopped in its tracks...

A black-backed jackal hunting

...before jumping into the tall grass on the side of the ride. When it emerged, it had a superb starling in its mouth. It ate pretty much the whole bird, leaving only some feathers behind.

A black-backed jackal eating a superb starling

In Lake Nakuru, we also saw a crested eagle gulp down its kill, which looked like some kind of rodent. We were really lucky with this on so many levels. I still don't know how Zachary spotted this eagle up in the branches, way above eye-level, while he was driving. He stopped to give us an opportunity to take photos and as we did, the eagle suddenly started eating something that it had in its talon. I can't believe we were lucky enough to catch it on camera just as it was eating!

A crested eagle eating its catch

Finally, I almost lost my wallet in Samburu. We had just left Samburu Sopa Lodge and were heading to Lake Nakuru when I spotted a Grevy's zebra. Since we weren't on a game drive and our travel time to Lake Nakuru was about 6 hours, the roof of our jeep wasn't raised. Since I wanted to take a photo of the Grevy's zebra, Zachary stopped the car to give me a chance to open the door (so as not to be obstructed by the window). After I took my photo, I told Zachary we could go. But even as I said that, I had this sinking feeling that maybe something had fallen out of the jeep when I opened the door. I can't recall if I rolled the window down to see if I dopped anything but I did see something black on the ground behind us. I immediately knew it was my wallet and asked Zachary to stop. I have no idea why I felt I might have dropped something - maybe I spotted some movement out of the corner of my eye when my wallet fell out or maybe I sort of felt it fall out - but I'm just really happy I did because losing my wallet there would have been an absolute disaster. (This is the photo I took when I dropped my wallet; I love that I got the Grevy's zebra and in the moon in the same shot and that the moon was still visible after sunrise.)

A Grevy's zebra under the moon

Next: Samburu Sopa Lodge

[Kenya] The Lions of Kenya

Seeing lions in the wild was one of the most exciting experiences we had during our safari. We saw these majestic animals a few times, both in Lake Nakuru and in Maasai Mara.

Lions in Maasai Mara

The first time we saw lions, we could barely see them. While driving in Lake Nakuru, we passed by a jeep parked on the road. The guide of that other jeep told us that there were lions hidden in the tall grass and the bushes a really long distance away from us. It actually took a while before I could see part of the lion. It seemed like it was eating something. There were supposedly a couple of others but I didn't see them.

This is officially the first lion we saw (although we barely saw it)

The second time we saw lions was in that same game drive in Lake Nakuru. We actually almost didn't have a chance to see them. We learned that there were lions in a certain part of the reserve but when we got there, the area was so full of jeeps and we couldn't park. Since none of them seemed like they were leaving anytime soon, we decided to just leave. On our way home, we had to pass through that same area of the lion sighting again and as we did, we saw several of the jeeps leaving. This gave us an opportunity to park and we finally saw the lions! It started out with what seemed like a lone lioness (or maybe a young male lion without any trace of a mane yet)...

Our first good view of a lion in Kenya

...before a head of a male lion reared its head from the grass. As if that wasn't enough, another male lion showed its face to us. So instead of just one, there were three!

Can you see the two lions at the back (one partially covered by a bush)?

One of the male lions then moved towards us and the lioness. We stayed there for quite a while, taking lots of photos...

...and even selfies. I forgot you are not supposed to turn your back on a lion but we did it because everyone there was also doing it (and the lions weren't looking at us anyway)

Selfie with the lion and the lioness

We saw a few more lions two days later, in Maasai Mara. Early in our game drive, we saw three young male lions.

Three young male lions in Maasai Mara

As we got closer towards the middle of the day, we saw what seemed to be a lioness stalking a wildebeest. We passed by several jeeps that were parked along the dirt road and we decided to stop too. From here, we saw a lion barely visible in the savanna grass that seemed to be following a lone wildebeest. The wildebeest seemed to be walking towards the large herd quite some distance away and the lion was several meters behind it, following in its footsteps. I thought that at some point, the lion would hunt that wildebeest but it never did. They were so far away from us that my photos of them are fuzzy and unfocused but it is proof that we got to see them!

The lioness followed this wildebeest for a really long distance but never gave chase

As we were getting ready to leave Maasai Mara, we spotted a lioness. It was initially walking then suddenly, it increased its pace to a fast trot (or like a lion version of a jog). Our guide Zachary told us that he doesn't normally see lions move like this - they normally walk or run but not trot - so it made him quite curious.

The last lion we saw in Kenya

It really was such an amazing experience getting to see a lot of lions in Kenya!

It was an exhilarating experience getting to see lions up close in the wild!

Next: Special and Memorable Moments on Safari