Guest reviews Mara Bushtops

by viendy Seattle

Unforgettable!

one of the best place I have ever stayed! this place is beyond my expectation, delicious food, best and kind service, comfortable glamping room and of course amazing view. the game drive is also amazing! thank you Lawrence, Nicholas, Stanley and all Mara Bushtops team for making it more memorable. until next time...

by MysoreBound London, United Kingdom

Mara Bushtops is our happy place

After a wonderful stay in December 2018, we immediately started planning for our next trip to Mara Bushtops. There is always a danger that a repeat visit to a place won’t be as good as the first one, but this was even better. In luxury resorts sometimes you can feel like you are in a bubble where things are done invisibly for you; at Bushtops you get to know the staff and chat about your day, what you have seen, what you would like to do, etc. This, for us, is much more enjoyable as we like the human connection and all the staff are an asset to the camp. Lawrence, Thomas, Jacob, Alfred, Pascal, Stephen...I worry that I’m leaving someone out! Everything is easy at Mara Bushtops: a driver picks you up at the airport and if you need to stay overnight in Nairobi, drives you to your hotel of choice, from where he then picks you up the following morning to take you to Wilson airport. You then get picked up at the airstrip and enjoy a quick drink and bite before being driven to the camp. In the camp, everything is optimised for comfort: the restaurant is always open, you get to choose what drives you’d like to go on, the spa is only a golf cart ride away. After experiencing a quality massage in the spa last year, this time I booked myself twice, first the day after arrival to work out the kinks from a long flight, and then on our last day, to prepare myself for a long flight back. My therapist was extremely good and the spa is top notch, with a state of the art hydraulic massage table that I coveted for my own acupuncture clinic. The drives are, of course, the highlight of the holiday. From our experience last year, we knew that we preferred the very early morning (5:45am departure) drives as that gave us the chance to see a lot before it got too hot for me at midday. As we had an extended stay of six nights, Jacob and Alfred focused on a different “theme” every day, for example on our last day we went quite far in and were rewarded with the sight of a rhino and its baby, which is extremely rare. The morning drive comes with a breakfast stop and care is always taken to find a location with a wonderful view. Then, in the afternoon, Jacob would alert us if lions had been spotted in the camp’s private conservancy and we’d go see them and later sit and watch the sunset from a privileged spot. We also went on a balloon ride, and it was amazing to see the sunrise from up in the air, followed by a champagne breakfast. The camp doesn’t rest in its reputation; this year we noticed that the tents had been upgraded, the hot tub (ideal for after a long dusty drive) has been raised and we were loaned an amazing pair of Swarovski binoculars which made the drives much more enjoyable. The restaurant is fantastic with exquisite service, delicious food and the chance to sit outside and watch the animals at the salt lick or inside for a romantic candlelit dinner. An improvement on our trip last year is that as the flight back to Nairobi was mid afternoon and the flight back home at midnight, our driver Joseph took us to a restaurant of our choice (Talisman, on recommendation) and from there to the airport. This was much better than sitting at Jomo Kenyatta for endless hours. Our stay was perfect from beginning to end. I thoroughly recommend.

by Mariank9camp Rindge, New Hampshire

Wild Luxury is right!

The motto of this series of camps is Wild Luxury and they couldn't be more correct. When I tell people I stayed in a tent they are surprised (I'm not a camping type of person) but when I show the pictures of this amazing site their mouths drop open. The luxury they have managed to pack into a tent is incredible. A deck with magnificent views, a hot tub, indoor and outdoor showers, well the list of amenities goes on and on and you can find it on the website. Believe me, it's all true. Add to this an amazing chef, no set dining hours, a restaurant that overlooks a salt lick so you can view game during meals and you have the most amazing resort I've ever been to. A spa where giraffes hang out? That too. And finally, the staff. Oh my! They can't do enough to make your trip perfect. The slightest mention of anything and it's done before you can ask. I was met by my Guide (and caretaker) Charles and my tracker Alfred at the airstrip and from then on the trip achieved perfection. They are the A#1 team when it comes to tracking and finding all the animals you want to see and making sure you are comfortable while doing it. The team communicates seamlessly and creates a pampered and private experience while allowing some of the best game viewing I've ever experienced. The private conservancy it is set on is, indeed, private with only other vehicles from Bushtops in sight. Not so in the Masai Mara where clusters of vehicles gather at any sighting so I preferred the conservancy drives.

by Jllindblad

A New Level in Glamping

We stayed at Mara Bushtops for 2 nights of luxury and wished we could have stayed longer. The staff led by Laurence looked after our every need and the accommodation was absolutely stunning. Ps The guides Nicholas and Tony were amazing not only in the reserve but also during the night drive and walk in their  private Conservancy..

by SarahArcher1987 Brentwood, United Kingdom

Safari taken to a whole new level of luxury

My husband and I stayed for two nights as part of our honeymoon in November. Having come from another safari lodge for four nights we were worried that it wouldn’t be a new experience but we were wrong. Mara Bushtops takes luxury safari to a whole new level. Every little detail has been thought of - from pre stamped postcards provided in your room, to a telescope on your balcony. It was a truly magical experience made all the more special by a great team. In particular, our guide and spotter (Alex and Daniel) went the extra mile to make sure our safari adventure was maximised. They were both lovely to be around, great guides and very informative. Highly recommended!