Tipilikwani Mara Camp

If I ever have the opportunity to return to Africa on safari, I'll stay at Tipilikwani Mara Camp. We were on Kenya's south coast when the post-election riots broke out around New Year's. Most tourists followed the travel warnings and left the country, but, since we'd decided to fly into the Mara (rather than lose precious time driving out there) we felt fairly safe - we wouldn't pass through any 'hot spots' on the way. We were so glad we did!

Masai Mara has to be seen to be believed - rolling hills filled with animals! Given the fact that most tourists had evacuated the country, we saw very few other tourist vehicles. On our arrival at Tipilikwani, there was one other family staying. They were only there for 2 nights (but left having seen the 'Big 5'!) then we had the place to ourselves. The resort had been fully booked. Despite the fact they had only 3 guests, the staff cut no corners. We felt like royalty! The food, the accommodation and the game drives could not have been better! I was impressed with the photographs on the website ( [www.atua-enkop.com/mara.php] ) but they could put so many more! The rooms are spacious and luxurious, and no detail is overlooked (right down to a hot water bottle in the bed when the sheets are turned down!)

One night, we came home from our game drive and the staff had set up for dinner 'on the beach' (and the banks of the Talek river.) Once again, no detail was overlooked - the 'kitchen' had been relocated nearby, 2 chefs, our waiter, barman and Masai guards all stood by ready to serve. It was simply unforgettable!

We had chosen to stay in one camp for the duration of our trip - we didn't want to lose time travelling between places, and wanted to enjoy the Mara for what it is. We were so fortunate - we saw the 'Big 5', and we followed 3 cheetahs on the hunt and saw them make a kill. We saw a serval cat which is very rare - they hunt at night and are very shy, but we found this one just as it was about to pounce on a hare. One morning, we found ourselves in the middle of 5 lions in a territory battle - angry kitties!! There's nothing like being in an open vehicle between two any male lions!

We can't speak highly enough of Tipilikwani. The staff were simply wonderful - from the booking agent to the game driver/guide, they could not have looked after us better. We arrived in Nairobi the day after the elections, and had arranged to meet the booking agent to pay because we'd had terrible trouble trying to transfer funds from Australia. Verrome went out of her way to meet us. We were at the railway station trying to arrange a ticket to Mombasa. The train was full! Verrome ushered us into her car, made a few calls to find a reputable, comfortable overnight coach, drove us across town to the terminal, then went in and bought our tickets for us so we could remain in the safety of the car! How many people would do that for you?