Governors' IL Moran Camp

We spent a magical 3 days/2 nights at Il Moran - a wonderful way to begin our Kenyan adventures. The Camp’s location next to the famous Marsh Lions and overlooking the Mara River ensured that we saw a huge variety of game animals. Our driver guide David was superb - knowledgeable, attentive, patient and passionate about the animals and the Maasai Mara. He was determined that we got a glimpse of a leopard as we had never seen one before and drove many hard miles to make our dreams come true! The Camp is beautiful with lots of thoughtful details and decor in the tents - yoga mats, hot water bottles, quality toiletries etc - and the view along the river is spectacular. Having breakfast whilst watching the hippos was brilliant! The resident warthogs were very cute as they wandered around the camp. The food was excellent, cooked with love by chef Lilian. She was able to cater for food intolerances and made a wonderful Keto packed lunch! It was the staff that really made our stay special. We were carefully looked after by Steven and his fellow askaris (guards), waited on by the ever-smiling and thoughtful Dalman. The manager Edison oversaw all proceedings and was great company around the fire at night. Every member of the team was dedicated to making sure our stay was a happy and memorable one. And it certainly was. Asante sana to all of them.

We stayed at governors’ Il Moran Camp for two nights on 4th and 5th February and had a great experience. Tented accommodation was perfect for us and nicely spaced from the other tents. The view from our tent was amazing overlooking the river. Watching the hippos, crocodiles and elephants from our tent was superb. Everyone in this camp was helpful and friendly. The food was especially good and we couldn’t thank the cook/chef enough. The manager welcomed us on arrival was always available. Our guide was very knowledgeable and good fun. We saw a great variety of animals and birds and one of the highlights for us was seeing not just one but two serval wildcats at the same time just as we were returning to camp one evening. We hope to return one day.

Firstly, if you can afford it - book this place. My husband and I stayed here as the second leg of our safari honeymoon (after Loldia House which is also Governors and would highly recommend). You can fly direct from Wilson airport in Nairobi via Governors Aviation (approx 40min) or from Loldia House Lake Naivasha (35min) into the airstrip which is 5-10min drive from camp. We stayed here in January which is usually dry but they had had Il Niño so loads of rain. We had a few downpours, mainly overnight but the main thing was because it had been so rainy for weeks it was VERY muddy. This meant getting around took longer and was very very bumpy but that didn’t impact our experience. It was hot in the day and cool in the morning/evening so take a hoodie. Would recommend long trousers to avoid bites, particularly in the evening. Camp: Just beautiful. Feels nice and enclosed. The camp sits on the river so you have a great view from the main tent. There are 10 ‘tents’, we stayed in number 1 which is the far end of camp. The tent was very luxurious. The bathroom is huge, big open shower, freestanding bath, tap with reserve osmosis drinking water, bathrobes, hairdryer. The main room has a huge bed, sofa, fridge etc. The staff even provide hot water bottles while you’re at dinner. All the power sockets worked well. In the main tent there is a nice lounge, bar, dining room and small shop. There is a veranda to sit out on for drinks and food with a fire pit overlooking the river. One night an elephant wanted to join! All of it it authentically but beautifully kept. Staff: On arrival we were greeted by the manager Edison. The Kenyan people are genuinely the nicest, most laid back people we’ve ever met. Edison took the time to sit and chat with us regularly throughout our stay. The service was 100% all of the time. As Il Moran is unfenced you are escorted by guards at all times. Elisha, our safari guide was amazing throughout. Cannot fault the staff. Food: Always amazing. We were shown the menu and given a choice of 2-3 options for each meal - they chefs will also amend this for allergies etc if need be. Portions were big too. We took breakfast with us on our game drives so we could stay out for longer and Elisha set this all up for us with table, chairs and a tablecloth for a bush breakfast! They also sent your favourite drink out with your drive for a sundowner in the bush. Game drives/wildlife: We went on 2 game drives per day and as it was low season we were lucky enough to have Elisha and the vehicle to ourselves. We went out 6:30-12ish and 3:30-6:30 (6:30 is the national park curfew). The vehicles are land cruisers with fully open sides, seating up to 6 people. They have plastic roll down sides for when it rains. The drive is very bumpy so be aware! Elisha had so much knowledge and knew where to look to find things - he was even the first one to spot 4 lion cubs which was just amazing. While at Il Moran we saw many many elephants (including