Colonial governors had the pick of the best real estate in any country they governed, and they certainly enjoyed their weekend retreats. Governors Main Camp is the legacy of this investment. Located in the Masai Mara Reserve on a bend on the Mara River, it has the advantage of overlooking a natural watercourse and wide savannah. It remains the oldest existing safari camp in east Africa.
- Current Governors camps listed on Uyaphi.com (more to follow);
Governors Camp Kenya; Big and small game have been comfortably parading through this open (no protective fences) tented camp for decades. It is not unusual to be confronted by an elephant on your way back to your tent. Accommodation is in the classic and comfortable bush style but with the advantage of fully functioning bathrooms. Every tent is located with a view, so you have to open the flap of your tent to smell and take in unspoilt nature and wilderness. Food is more comfortable than haute cuisine, and you will certainly not leave the camp hungry.
The combination of water and savannah has made this area very fertile. Wild animals enjoy such an environment, and it is no surprise that vast animal herds roam here. So much so that the BBC has used Governors Camp as a base for their documentary series Big Cat Diaries and Planet Earth Live.
Very close to the main camp is Little Governors. This smaller sister camp, in which you have to cross a stream by boat to reach only 17 tents instead of 37 in the main camp and consequently has a more intimate feel. It also overlooks a natural water feature; in this case, a large marsh. The game is equally at home here. In front of the mess tent, sipping an ice-cold Tusker lager, I was transfixed by a family of warthog playing in and around the tent with the mischievous piglets determined to upset their mother in any way possible. Such calming moments are the stuff of safaris; relaxed, observing nature with time on your hands. Little Governors is also the launch site for the balloon safaris, something about which I have previously written and, if you can afford it, should not be missed (See our Masai Mara Balloon Safari blog).
There is a graceful and timeless ambience to these camps. The staff are welcoming and friendly, and they have been run professionally and efficiently by the charming Grammaticas family for many decades. You could do much worse but certainly not much better for your next safari.
Governors Camp Kenya Review by the team at Uyaphi.com
Finch Hattons
Finch Hattons camp is one man's dream to create the ideal African getaway, offering guests a unique opportunity to relive the golden era of the safari in absolute elegance.
Finch Hattons surrounded by the spectacle of the great African wilderness of the Tsavo West National Park, game drives are exceptional.
Loisaba Tented Camp
Twelve luxurious rooms at Loisaba Tented Camp overlook 60,000 acres of wilderness in a private conservancy.
This stunning lodge clinging to the edge of a five hundred foot escarpment in Laikipia has unsurpassed views which defy description.
Serian Nkorombo Camp
Serian Nkorombo Camp offers guests outstanding wildlife year-round, a classic tented camp with only five tented suites.
Nkorombo is located in the Maasai Mara National Reserve on the banks of the Mara River not too far away from one of the main migration river crossings.
Mara Plains Camp
Masai Mara Plains Camp, one of only three Relais & Chateaux establishments in Kenya, offers guests a private and intimate safari experience within the private Olare Motorogi Conservancy.
The ultimate in luxury while paying homage to that classic tented safari that Kenya is so famous for.
Keekorok Lodge
Keekorok Lodge is located in the very heart of Kenya's fabled Masai Mara National Reserve, all kinds of animals and birds abound: 95 species of mammals and reptiles, and an astonishing 485 species of birds have been recorded.
Taita Hills Game Lodge
Taita Hills Game Lodge offers a truly exclusive bush experience, being situated in the heart of the Taita Hills Sanctuary, a private conservancy of 28,000 acres at the foot of the Taita Hills and adjacent to Tsavo West National Park.
A more budget-friendly option in the Tsavo West one cannot find.
Elephant Pepper Camp
Elephant Pepper Bush Camp, this 8-tented bush camp, is tucked away in a prime wildlife area, surrounded by the Masai Mara and her ubiquitous wildlife; it's a seasonal camp, which is taken down for a month or so in the rainy seasons.
Game drives are the highlight of one's stay here at Elephant Pepper, with fantastic wildlife and excellent guides.
Tortilis Camp
Elewana Tortilis Camp is a magical escape from the hustle and bustle of modern life. The safari camp is located just outside the Amboseli National Park in an unspoilt woodland.
Elewana Tortilis Camp offers up views out across the plains with Mt Kilimanjaro as a backdrop.