Mara River Lodge

We had a marvellous two nights and three days of Safari at the Mara River Lodge. The setting of the Lodge couldn't be better, as it is located on the river which has hippos and crocodiles in it, and you can hear the hippos calling througout the night. The camp is beautifully laid out, with plenty of space between each chalet, and there were Dik Diks wandering freely around the gardens. Because there are no fences around the Camp animals can wander in freely, and they do, so a Security Guard escorts you from your room to the Reception area when it is dark, both morning and evening. The accommodation was very spacious and comfortable, and there was always lovely hot water. The only additional thing we would have welcomed would have been tea/coffee making facilities so we could have made a nice hot drink before our Safari. The staff at the Lodge were amazing! They were so kind and helpful and welcoming, and they even put hot water bottles in our beds as it was quite chilly at night. Anna welcomed us and looked after us beautifully, and Evans the Head Waiter could not have been more attentive. The food was excellent, and the bar was well stocked. We had lovely South African wine with our dinner each evening. The Safari itself was even better than we had been hoping for, and our wonderful Guide, Kamel, made it an unforgettable experience for us. He was simply brilliant. We hope to return one day.

Very nice hotel with good food, excellent service and comfortable room accommodations. I loved the free water in the bedrooms, the beautiful mosquito nets (especially since I hate mosquitoes), the hot showers with good water pressure, the daily housekeeping, and the bar staff (Mr. William) and dining room servers (Francis and ) were so attentive and welcoming. The food was pretty good (especially the Indian food) and they had excellent coffee at tea time. I loved having the hippos greet me in the morning and during the day. We saw all kinds of hippo families in the pods on the shores and in the water. It was a great time. The only reason I gave it 4 stars was because the lights were very dim, the desk staff needs to smile and be more cordial, and the Wi-Fi signal needs to be boosted throughout the property.

Seeing other reviews from 3-6 years ago it has changed a lot, staff are very helpful and attentive. The views are great and there are phone in the rooms. But the wifi is honestly terrible, it’s a public wifi that everyone shares so it’s expected to be bad, but as such a “prestigious” hotel it isn’t something you expect. If you’re coming here to work, etc. don’t bother, the wifi is awful.

A lovely old lodge on a hook of the Mara River. Around 100 hippos wallow in the river right outside. The people are friendly and they couldn't be more helpful. The lodges are basic but clean and well maintained. There is only electricity for limited hours of the day - but believe me this is part of the charm. The meals were great. The pool was perfect. It makes a great base for exploring Mara North and the Mara Triangle

Our stay at Mara River Lodge was exceptional. We loved seeing the many many hippos in the river right outside our room. We loved hearing their calls in the morning when we woke up! The views of the hippos from the dining area were amazing. A troop of baboons could be seen each night. The food and service were outstanding. Francis, Millicent, and the rest of the staff were incredibly attentive and kind. On the morning of departure, we had to get a very early start and would miss breakfast so the chef prepared a to-go breakfast special just for us. We stayed at five lodges during our safari, but Mara River Lodge was our favorite. The wifi did not work the entire time of our stay, but that was perfectly fine with us. It worked enough for us to manage what we needed to do. Why would we stare at our phones when we could watch the hippos? Mara River Lodge is located in the Mara North Conservancy. It’s a bit of a drive from Mara Triangle, but absolutely worth it!!! We had an afternoon game drive in the North Conservancy on the day of our arrival and saw a lion and her four cubs - it was the closest we were to lions of our entire 8-day safari. On the morning we drove to Mara Triangle, we saw a leopard right after exiting the Lodge gate.

I would not recommend this Lodge for many reasons 1. The high concession fee paid to drive +- 3km's to the lodge - this is paid to the local community but it really was not worth it on top of the expensive Lodge price 2. The room was very basic & small 3. A new conference facility was opening up & they were testing out there really loud sound system which definitely spoiled the bush feeling we had hoped for. On the plus side all the staff were very friendly & attentive & the river view was good - the food was average