Little Governors Camp Reviews

Excellent from start to finish. From the flight with governors from Nairobi to Mara and little governors also throughout our 5 day stay. The location is sublime and as the oldest site in Mara it’s still the best. The staff are fantastic from the Asgari (security) the boatman on the ferry to the cleaners, waiters/waitress chefs and Sarah in reception. All could not do enough for you. The camp over the years has changed but in the right way. But not loosing its original personal feel. It’s a perfect location in the Mara with brilliant views from all the tents and eating areas. The staff to name a few! Duncan our waiter, what a legend who is so diligent and so funny with it! He makes all meals in camp a pleasure and even more enjoyable. Our guide driver, Oliver. Everyone will say theirs was/is the best. We’ve had a few guides over the years and he stands out as the best ever. His knowledge, his driving ability and his care to the detail of putting the vehicle in the right place for the best view and photo opportunity, makes him in valuable. He’s a legend and we will definitely request him next time around. Daily we had picnic safari breakfast. Which was prepared exceptionally by the kitchen staff to our requests, this was served by Oliver in a perfect breakfast picnic spot location. Eating breakfast watching the animals graze by or pools of hippopotamus. The animals we seen were fantastic, made even better by the hunting of the more elusive ones due to Oliver patience and knowledge. Some of the animals even came to watch us in camp, elephants giraffe warthogs. Also listing to the hippos grazing outside your tent at night. Or opening the tent flap in the morning to be greated by an elephant. Would visit again! YES Would we recommend little governors Definitely

Little Governor’s was a property that our Travel Agent had highly recommended. It is inside Masai Mara, have to cross a river to go to the camp and there are wild animals roaming all around - no electric fence to keep them away. The Food was amazing, and by that I mean each and every meal. Service exemplary. Abu the manager will come and check on us every now and then. We had a request to change the car (as Kids wanted car with higher platform seating) and it was promptly taken care of. One of the days, on way back from dinner, by mistake I told Solomon our server and someone else also to send Tea to the tent. And both of them showed up with Tea. This showed their commitment to service and making sure that guests are comfortable. The tent itself is like a Glamping experience. It is comfortable and clean. Our guide Collins was quite knowledgeable. The safaris here felt quite exclusive as mostly we will see only a handful of cars. This our guide told us is due to the location as most of the resorts are on other side of Mara. We had an opportunity to see Lions attacking a buffalo - with probably 4-5 other cars around. At Amboseli and Ol Pajeta National parks, there would be atleast 50 cars in similar situation. Overall a great place to stay and experience Mara.

Fantastic tented camp in the Masai Mara. I stayed from three nights as a member of a small birding group. The tent is lovely; spacious and well equipped with a gorgeous bathroom and shower. The camp sits on a marsh and we saw many many mammals and birds right in camp. The staff were all really friendly and helpful. One evening guard (the camp is not behind a fence so all the animals can and we discovered do walk through camp!) named Jimmy was particularly helpful and showed us a bushbaby by the kitchen area before dinner. The food is great and served quickly. If you happen to have a birthday while there the singing Maasai group will entertain the dining area with singing and dancing. The camp sits in a quieter area of the park so fewer vehicles. We had elephants, giraffe, warthogs in camp and during the night could hear the snorting hippos. The laundry is included in the cost as are both soft drinks and house wines which is a nice touch. There is Wi-Fi but is slow - but then the camp is in the middle of nowhere. Our game drive driver, Robert was great really attentive to the needs and desires of the group.. A wonderful place to stay

We stayed here for 2 nights at the end of June at the recommendation of our Go2Africa travel agent, who recommended this camp for a Masai Mara safari. We were really impressed by the main camp area and our tent, which was basic but comfortable with running hot water in the bathroom, comfortable bed, and in room WiFi. It gets chilly at night so the hot water bottles placed in the bed at night are such a nice touch. They provide complimentary laundry service which we took advantage of and they did a great job of getting our clothes clean and returning on time given we were only here 2 nights. The overall service was wonderful and the camp was so well organised, just the right size where the staff would remember your name…and the views from the camp are amazing. The location was idyllic and you are so well placed to go on exciting game drives. The food was consistently good and all the staff were so amazing and very friendly. Our guide Johnson was a very knowledgeable guide and always knew where to drive to for us to see amazing wildlife. The tea and biscuit in the morning was a nice wake up. I highly recommend a stay here if you really want to experience the wild.

A first class camp, with superb accommodations, excellent food, attentive and generally professional staff. Our driver/guide (Oliver) was awesome, excellent knowledge of the animals. My only criticism of the camp itself would be the steep steps to and from the small John boat tethered to a rope you have to take several times each day to gain access to the camp from the jeeps. Anyone with only a minor physical impediment would have great difficulty navigating this system. The river is fast flowing, with crocs and hippos lining the banks. One misstep and you would be joining them. U fortunately, The Nairobi based HQ crew did not fair so well. Despite repeated promises, we failed to get a refund of private third party car and driver and hotel in Nairobi. Cancelled weeks in advance and checked with hotel that money had been refunded to Governors, who failed to pass it on to us and kept the funds for themselves. We raised this issue several times and eventually were told by the camp GM (Hillery) that we would be receiving a full refund, however when we got back to Nairobi we were informed by the land manager (Fran) that this was not the case. Moral of this is don’t book any third party accommodations or such like, such as balloon rides, cars with private drivers, tours/hotels in Nairobi, with Governors as if you cancel any of these even weeks in advance you will not see a refund. We understand the 60 day cancellation policy, but this should not apply to third party bookings. Really poor form guys and soured our stay. We will not stay at Governors, or any of their associated properties again. Few other points: The glossy brochures and marketing literature put out by Govenors makes it sound as if animals roam the camp. This is not true. In our stay all we saw on the camp grounds were 4 warthogs, no elephants or giraffes etc. We were also meant to be on Govenors camp private plane, but this was nowhere to be seen and we were put on commercial flight out of Nairobi both to and from the camp at the last minute., waiting at airport for 2 hours with hundreds of our new best friends being hearded like the animals I came to see. Further, Governors promote the fact that they are the only camps within the reserve. There are several camps just outside which meant there were literally hundreds of jeeps from other camps chasing the same animals and several times we had to wait in line to see something. A bit like Disneyland, our local zoo, or when I go fishing at home, too many boats chasing too few fish. I also did not anticipate 8 hours each day driving over rough terrain looking for elusive animals such as big cats which are few and far between, with long stints of seeing no animals at all. In our week stay we did not see any Rhinos and only 1 Jaguar and lions/ Cheetahs on only 2 of the days. I get that there are no guarantees, but I think the spin put out in the marketing literature needs to be more honest. Made good after weeks of haggling, but All in all

We had a awesome experience. Collins picked us up from the Airstrip and spent the next 4 days with us and took us on incredible game drives ! He went above and beyond every single time every day and made sure we saw the Big Four and that too at a close distance. Saw a kill, all kinds of exotic game. At the camp, the staff from their manager, hillary, dining room supervisor, kennedy , dining room staff Julius was always exceptional!! Every day was always above and beyond service!! The chef and sous-chef made customized meals every time! Wowowow and all with a smile! Morning wake up call was a knock on the camp front screen with a "hello" with hot coffee/tea with pastries!! The lication is awesome with beautiful sunsets and wild game walking around! Thank you Collins,Kennedy,Julius, Hillary

What an amazing Maasai Mara Safari experience! We loved our tents at Little Governors—the location was superb, the views were unbeatable, and the staff were wonderful. The tents are luxuriously decorated without losing the Safari and nature touch: we had such fun time dining with warthogs on our deck side, listening to an orchestra of sounds from the marsh and trees, watching elephants, rhinos, giraffes stroll leisurely nearby, and of course, listening to the noises from these giant hippos. But one person who made our Mara trip even more magical was Elisha, our game guide, whom we hailed from il Moran Camp at recommendation from a photographer friend who has worked with Elisha since 2018. Boy, aren’t we lucky? Elisha’s vast knowledge about Safari biodiversity, e.g. animals, birds, insects, plants, environment, was unparalleled. Besides, he could always position us at the best view point to watch the beasts in action. But we were especially impressed with Elisha’s reverence for nature and his animal subjects, his gentle demeanor, and quite honestly he was just a great guy to hang out with. Lastly, I want to say that all the Kenyan people we met during our 2-week trip to Kenya: from Nairobi, Maasai Mara, to Ol Pejeta, Lamu, were the nicest and most beautiful people …so blessed to get to know and make friends with them!

Wow! This lodge is fabulous. It is a relatively small camp with 17 tents, located in the Maasai Mara National Park. The lodge and all 17 tents border a marsh where you can permanently see elephants, hippos, warthogs and a variety of birds. The service is great, very polite and attentive. The food is out of this world, many international dishes cooked to the greatest standard. Serving is individual in your own table during the specific timeframes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Kenneth the chef is so talented and friendly! The rooms are individual tents, all overlooking the marsh, with a beautiful view and so much comfort. The tents in itself are not luxurious, but very comfortable and have running drinking water which is highly uncommon in Kenya (and so convenient). The sounds in the tents at night are priceless, with all the wildlife of the marsh being active specially at night. I stayed at tent 17 which I highly recommend for a Safari experience. It is the last tent in the compound, so it is a bit of a hike from the common areas, but given this distance, you rarely hear in any human noises and at night you have several animal visitors. I had elephants feeding righ outside my tent at one night, and 6 hippos the next. Sleeping with the sound of their grazing has been unforgettable for me. There is laundry available for free. The tents were kept spotless at all times. Wifi is avaible in all rooms (tent 17 was a bit more unreliable in the signal given the distance but still worth staying there!) and you can get cell phone signal as well. If you do the balloon ride with the Governors Balloon Company (not arranged by the lodge, its a separate but related entity), the balloon departs from this lodge so it is super comfortable (as opposed to other lodges that have to drive to Little Governors at 5 am). The only downside I could see is that the game available in the areas closer to this lodge did not seem to be the best. I had acquantances located in other areas of the Mara at the same time and they all got much more spectacular game sightings, especially big cats. However this might have just been unlucky timing on my part. This certainly does not diminish the excellency of the lodge. Overall this lodge was a highlight in my Kenya trip and would certainly recommend it! All my best to Geoffrey, Moses, Ken, Julius and Helen for their friendly and dedicated service.

Little Governor’s is a delightful escape that offers everything you dream of in a classic safari. I’ve been on safari before in South Africa, but Maasai Mara is more of a wilderness experience. The tents at Little Governors are situated around a marsh frequented by wildlife. I saw two elephants, a giraffe, a hippo and many baboons from my tent or while having lunch on the main deck. I visited the main Governors’s Camp and Il Moran, both of which are on the banks of the Mara River - but I liked the marsh setting of Little Governors better. The staff at Little Governor’s are wonderful! Everyone is very friendly and efficient, and I must make a special mention of Helen and Duncan. The manager, Hillary, is exceptional and takes very good care of his guests. The game drives were good - saw two prides of lions, a leopard on a tree with its kill, and a pair (mother and baby) of black rhinos. African black rhinos are critically endangered and seeing them in the wild is very special. The tents are comfortable, the food is great with a range of options and everything was efficiently run. I will be back!

Safaris are all about the wildlife and we had a good experience on our game drives. We have been on safari before so hadn't gone wanting to see anything in particular but wanted to enjoy the excitement of spotting various game. The tents and the camp were excellent and the food really good. What stood out was the service and friendliness of the staff. It was relaxing sitting looking over the marsh and seeing wildlife wandering in front of you. Would recommend it to other travellers.

Little Governor’s Camp is the best safari experience I’ve encountered. Everything from the flight in from Nairobi to the twice daily safari drives was excellently run and delivered with charm. The tented accommodation is perfect with an amazing view and every facility imaginable. Food is top class and service as good as I’ve met. The knowledge and experience of our Wild Life Guide, Bernard was top class. We even had an in house Wart High family and nightly visits by the camp elephant. Highly recommended.

Little Govenors was our second stop on our honeymoon in Kenya. I honestly couldn’t have better things to say. The staff was amazing. The food was better than anything I could have ever expected. We saw so many animals (although cats were tough due to the unexpected rains/high grass) and had the BEST time on the hot air balloon. Every night we’d go to bed early and fall asleep listening to hippos and elephants grazing right outside our tent. We felt very safe the entire time and I cannot wait to return. Thank you all ❤️

This has to be on your bucket list! To visit here is a once in a lifetime experience. Little Governors Camp is not a fenced compound, meaning you might walk out on the deck outside your tent and have an elephant walking by or a pack of Mongoose. See their X page: @governorscamps . In the middle of the night we had Hippos grazing on the grass next to our tent. When I say tent, It is a very large tent with wooden floor, comfy bed, bath, shower, "indoor toilet and Bidet butt washer", so it's a very nice tent. Not brand new but great. At night you are escorted to/from the dining tent by a guard protecting you from animals in the area. Please understand that at NO TIME did we ever feel unsafe. Our game drives happened twice a day with quite articulate, well spoken guide, always concerned with our comfort and safety. I am not a camper or an outdoorsy type but this was fabulous. Note: Once you land in Maasai Mara on Governors Camp's airstrip, You travel by Range Rover to the Mara River, passing by and witnessing animals that will blow your mind, whereby you walk down a bank, get in a boat to cross the river, proceed up the opposite bank and proceed a couple hundred yards to the camp. I would highly recommend you have the Camp arrange your travel connections from the time you arrive at the international airport in Nairobi, transfer to a small regional airport to catch your flight to Little Governors Camp. We did it ourselves, and in a city of 4.5 million people with overpacked roads and no traffic rules followed, it can be quite daunting.

This is a true tented camp in the heart of the Mara Triangle. Guests can fly in with Governors own fleet of small planes (10 seaters) from different locations. We arrived from Loldia House at Lake Naivasha, and left after 5 nights to Wilsons Airport in Nairobi. Both are c. 45 min flights, and serve to underline that this is a safari set deep into a true African location. Little Governors camp is accessed across a river by boat linked to a large suspended rope tether, and you are pulled by hand across by the ferryman standing at the front. That alone is a remarkable start. 17 tents are cleverly sited for privacy, and set either side of a central tented dining, sitting and bar area with a large deck for tables overlooking the marsh. The tents are well appointed with excellent facilities, individual tiled bathrooms attached to each, piping hot water - and the privacy of individual decked sitting space under overhanging canvas at the front to give peaceful views of the marsh teeming with game and birds from dawn ‘til dusk. The setting attracts large game to the site with bushpig, giraffe, hippo, impala, baboon and elephant all regular visitors that wander through the outskirts of the camp in full and close view of guests. The decking and grounds provide a clear view of the game, and the topography and staff ensure this is a safe environment throughout. You need to keep tents closed when empty (they are all double lined with mosquito proof ‘window sections’ and flaps) to also ensure Baboon and vervet monkey stay out, and at night you need to signal for an armed guard to guide you from your tent to dine as hippo and the occasional lion are not infrequent wanderers around the grounds. Fabulous food, fantastically warm and welcoming staff (100 apparently) and the comfort of these amenities do not detract from the experience of living under canvas. And, of course, the game is exceptional. Then - bearing in mind all of the above - lets not forget that balloon safaris fly from the camp every morning at dawn, and the guests are provided with the best guides in open sided Toyota Land Cruisers (the seats provide for 6 with commanding raised views). And, of course, Games Drives are the real reason everyone comes to the Mara Reserve. The game drives are available all day - ranging from 3 a day, or (like for us) combined into longer excursions with either picnic breakfasts, or lunch. Our Guide (Oliver) managed to find everything we wanted to see - Cheetah, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino, and Lion are plentiful and such a thrill to find - with the latter now famous through the BBC’s documentaries charting the life of the large prides in the area. Plus herds of buffalo, Giraffe, Topi, Zebra, Impala, Thomson’s Gazelle, wilderbeest, water buck, Eiland, and a cornucopia of raucous bird life and other game from Monitor Lizard, to the biggest catfish I have ever seen emerging from hibernation in the mud. I even found a Reed Buck (twice) - a personal favourite for me and rar