Saruni Mara

We visited here in June and it was simply the holiday of a lifetime!! Words cannot do justice to Saruni Mara. The lodges are in the most amazing setting and there is a simply brilliant team!!! We arrived and were whisked straight from the airfield onto safari with Joshua, within 5 minutes we were in a field surrounded by giraffes! Our guide Joshua was fabulous, he could see animals from miles away, and his knowledge of the area and animals was truly amazing. We had lunch by a river of hippos and crocs-lunches outdoors were wonderful we even had a mini bar. When we arrived at the lodges we were greeted by Christine and her team and made to feel so welcome like family from the minute we met, The lodges were lovely, clean and the hot water bottle at night was a welcome addition as we were snug til morning. The food and drinks were outstanding and all served by a brilliant team with James and Johnston looking after us at dinner and Jane’s teaching us his astronomy knowledge! I’m not sure I have the words to articulate what a truly special place this is visit ❤️

This lodge is awesome! Such a cool setting in the hills with amazing views of the mara. The staff were incredibly attentive and the service was top notch! Johnston and the rest of the team were so helpful! Our guide, Tinka, was so knowledgeable and experienced and willing to answer any questions we had. He has an incredible eye for wildlife. There are only 6 rooms (plus a family villa) which makes this lodge an intimate exeperience. Also, the food here is out of this word good! Compliments to the chef! Would definitely recommend this lodge if you are planning a visit to the Mara North Conservancy.

Our trip: Saruni Mara was one of two camps we stayed at during our trip to the Masai Mara area. The goal for our trip was to experience two different conservancies. Service: The highlight of the stay was James. He has a remarkable story about starting his employment at the lodge and is one of the longest-tenured staff at Saruni Mara. He was kind, gracious, and did a wonderful job taking care of us and making our dinners feel extra special. Jennifer was also conscious of our dietary needs and did a great job of making sure we were attended to during our meals. Our driver Joshua was a good driver and knowledgeable guide with a good understanding of animal behaviours and how to spot game in action in the wild and is still growing his skills as a guide. Our situation was a bit unique as we had already spent 2 days at another conservancy and saw most of the main animals at the previous camp. Overall he did his best to find us exciting action on the game drives. We got to see a cheetah during daylight which was high on our list of things to see, and he also set us up to witness an elephant herd of 34 up close and personal, which ended up being one of the highlights of our safari trip. He also spotted a Thompson Gazelle giving birth. Accommodations: This was the biggest reason for the drop in score. The photos of the honeymoon accommodation were accurate but did not account for the age and wear over the years. For example, the door leading to the balcony was not easy to open and close. The lock mechanism on the balcony door was old and hard to close easily. It took some maneuvering to lock it. The sheet on the balcony bed was also showing age from the sun and showed wear, as did the throw cover on the bed but the place was kept clean and comfortable. One thing to note is that the lodge is 30 minutes away from the Lemek Conservancy entrance. The food was good overall. We had coffee and tea with biscuits served to our room during our wakeup call. The one breakfast we had at the lodge was a classic breakfast with eggs, sausage, baked beans, fresh fruit and toast. The lunch we had on our game drive was a cucumber salad, fresh fruit, grilled chicken, pasta and orange juice. Dinners were beef and fish and the desserts were great, in particular the lemon cheesecake. The Vehicle: We used an open-sided Land Rover during our stay. Joshua, our guide, mentioned that it was because it handled the rain and mud better but the vehicle did show it's age. There was nothing wrong with the vehicle, but you could see the wear and tear on the vehicle. Overall our experience at this lodge were positive and the staff were very friendly and nice.

Saruni Mara was nothing less than perfect! The staff were amazing and Tinka, our guide was wonderful! His sense of humor and knowledge made our trip so memorable! The camp was beautiful, villas were clean and the food was good. Sundowners were the best with Tnka!

Our safari vacation with Saruni lodges was fantastic! We booked directly with Saruni and can’t thank Eleanor enough for arranging an excellent seven days on safari (including three nights at Saruni Mara) as well as accommodation, transfers and activities in Nairobi to bookend our trip…not to mention her time and patience in responding to our questions leading up to the vacation. We were so well taken care of, and that continued at our stay at Saruni Mara. The lodge is beautiful, set in a quiet valley with regular visits by wildlife from the conservancy – our first morning we opened the screens to find zebras grazing, and different animals joined each day. The cottages are large and well appointed with furnishings that transport you back to a bygone era but with luxury comforts. We stayed in the family villa and, amongst other delights, the olive wood fireplace surround is gorgeous. While the Italian cuisine at the lodge and out on game drives was delicious (not to mention the pizza served one night around the fire as small bitings with our cocktails!), we recommend asking for a Kenyan meal to be prepared as it was a highlight. The wildlife viewing in the Mara is excellent, and we saw more animals than we could have imagined. And the care and service provided by the staff was also more than we could have imagined. John made sure that our days out on safari included great sights and insights as to the behaviours of the animals and their interactions with each other and the landscape. And he was accommodating to our requests and schedule preferences. James catered to our needs at the lodge with care and a smile and was dedicated to making our stay comfortable and enjoyable. Thank you to all who make Saruni special

We were greeted by Christine and Edward at the entrance of the resort. Wonderful people, very friendly and professional! Our room was very nice, very comfortable and lovely bed! The food, to be honest, could have had a more varied menu. That’s why a gave it 4 stars! Cecilia was the nicest person you could ever wish to meet, and her staff from the chef to the game driver, went over the top! If you’d like a nice place to stay, you could do a lot worse than stay here!