Governors' Camp

We visited Governors Camp in Nov 2024 to celebrate our honeymoon and it was pure magic. We were met at Mara Airstrip by our guide Antony who drove us to camp and Irene helped us with our check in and discussed our schedule whilst we enjoyed a fresh juice. We stayed in Tent 17 looking over the Mara River, the tent was perfect and contained everything we could ever need, it really felt like home. John and Fred were our serves during meal times, it was really nice to always have the same familiar face and get to know them a little; they were very kind and super hard working, thank you for being wonderful! A special mention to our friend Moses on the bar, always excited to hear about our day and ready with a smile to prepare a drink, he’d even prepare us drinks for sundowners out on the Mara. The food at Governors far exceeded our expectations, we were expecting it to be far more rustic but everything was really fresh and presented beautifully, we our both vegetarian and always had something super tasty to enjoy- compliments to the Chefs! We couldn’t leave a review without thanking our incredible guide Antony, you truly made our Mara experience and we’ll never forget the kindness you showed us- we even worked together to get a great Leopard spotting and he was determined to get us to see the Lion Cubs- luckily we succeeded. We’d agree a schedule the evening before and run through it again on the day of the drives deciding what we wanted to see and what to do for mealtimes, Antony always found a wonderful spot for sundowners, we even enjoyed a lunchtime picnic on one of our drives set up on the trunk and Antonys driving was fantastic, we felt so safe. Thank you so much Antony, we are so grateful we had you as our guide on our first experience of the Mara. We planned the Hot Air balloon trip which takes off from the Little Governors Camp and finishes with breakfast in the bush, this was an amazing experience and definitely something I’d definitely recommend. We were incredibly lucky to see the big five and and so much more in the Mara (even Rhino from the balloon) the wildlife around the camp is amazing and enjoying lunch looking over the Hippos on the River is breathtaking. All the staff at Governors are amazingly kind and hardworking and can’t do enough for you. We felt really emotional about leaving but we can’t wait to be back in the Mara and experience the magic all over again, Asante friends.

How do I put into words the most overwhelmingly wonderful experience at Governor’s Camp. We spent 6 nights (5 full days) allowing time to relax or safari every day (we did 5 afternoons/sunsets, 4 mornings and 1 full day safari) without feeling exhausted. Our guide was Amos and his knowledge and love of his land and the animals we encountered shone through. Amos introduced us to quietly sitting and observing the beautiful animals, birdlife and surrounds. It was emotional and awe inspiring to be so close to lions, cheetahs, leopard, elephants, giraffes, hippos, buffalo, antepoles, topi, crocodiles, smaller rare animals and colourful birdlife. Seeing baby animals was wonderful, a lion cub, cheetahs, twin giraffes and a 3 day old elephant a highlight. This was a very special trip for our family of 7 which included my Mum, who is 81. Amos was an incredible guide and nature lover and had all the skills to find animals. |He welcomed, us up at the airport and waved farewell when we flew away. |Governers Camp was incredible and the team were genuine, friendly and professional. We had time to get to know them and we feel like family. Everyone was wonderful, special mention to Rebecca at reception, Daniel and Tom who welcomed us at every meal, which was always delicious! William (who brought our tea every morning with a smile even at 5:30 am) Jackson & Lkiken who walked us to our beautiful glamping tents each night. Your smiles and Jambo greetings will always be remembered! This camp was the ultimate luxury for our first African experience! And definitely do the sunrise balloon flight! It will be a highlight!

My adult daughter and I just returned from a 3 day safari (our first African safari). We have travelled to 39 countries, and this, by far, is the best trip we have taken. The staff consistently went above and beyond, quickly learning our individual preferences. Our safari guide (Duncan) was completely outstanding - personable, extremely knowledgeable and proud of his country!! This long-established, smaller and personal camp, deserves far more than 5 stars. Although it is a lengthy flight to Kenya for us (18+ hours) we absolutely will return to Governors'.

My wife and I stayed the Main Governors Camp in our September 2023 safari. The camp is located on the river with tents overlooking both the river and the Mara plains. Perhaps, more importantly, this is not a fenced off camp. This enhanced our stay as animals came into the camp during the night and early morning. The animals we saw in and around the camp included hippos, crocodiles, elephants, monkeys and banded mongoose.||The feel of the camp is very much colonial. However, the service is brilliant. The food is excellent and vegetarians are very well catered for. The camp is spacious and one for a great walkabout.||The rooms are spacious feeling more like suites but are simply large canvas tents. You can definitely hear the hippos wandering the site during the night.||Perhaps at the pricier end but I felt the very much worth the money for the luxury and the experience. Most definitely recommended.

We are a few weeks back now from visiting Governors and the heart still hurts with wanting to return. Having stayed in many camps across Kenya, SA and Tanzania Governors was still incredibly special. We travelled as a group of 6 with 4 adults and two children and flew in from the equally incredible Loldia House on the Governors plane. This alone is a great experience which only becomes better when you check in to camp. As always the staff play such a massive part in how you feel about a place and a very special mention to Paul, Gladys and Pesi for always looking after us be it at the bar, restaurant or not getting attacked by the cheeky hyenas on the way back to our tents! The kids just loved every second and the way the staff interacted with them being the only kids in camp was amazing and has shaped their views on safari for the rest of their lives. To our guide Kuluo just thank you! If you are lucky enough to get this gentleman as your guide then you are in for a treat! Kind, knowledgeable, humorous, patient, and with a real love of his job - he made our trip even more special and everyone of us was incredibly sad to leave. If you are halfway to booking a safari the chances are you are going to love it anyway but going with the two Governors Camps we were lucky enough to visit will guarantee you something even more special - a trip you will always remember with people you will always want to return to. Thank you from the Gordon / Rattue family and William And Eloise especially say thankyou

Fantastic experience - you really feel as if you are close to the animals with warthogs running around, and hippos strolling through at night. Tents etc lovely, food good and efficiently served - the Camp knows what it is doing and does it well. The staff make it though - super charming and helpful. They can't do enough for you to make the experience unforgettable for all the right reasons. Our guide Philip was excellent and a superb driver too and we felt very safe with him. Thank you to all who work so hard to make it such a great stay. PS if you go to the Masai Village nearby (nothing to do with the Camp) , be prepared for a hard sell in their community shop!

Governors camp, on the banks of the Mara river, is a real treat to stay. The tents are very good and even have hot water and a shower. The amount and temperature of water coming out of the shower is highly variable but before you criticise it it's worth noting that it comes from a small wood fired boiler that is lit by the overnight guards at around 5.30am. Waking up to the aroma of burning wood is delightful and underlines the way the owners have tried to remain true to the 50 year old ideals. The animals are permitted to roam through the camp and one morning we had to divert from our normal path to give a young elephant a bit of space. Warthogs are all around and even have piglets in tow. They run around at very high speed just because they can. The banded mongoose family were a real treat. The staff were incredibly helpful and after a few days began to predict our requirements. The food was very imaginative and well prepared/presented. Wines and beers are very good and plentiful but we didn't drink much because it was too warm. The game drives were outstanding and we saw the big 5 (minus the leopard), the ugly 5 and many more. The lions were amazing and to see cheetahs made up for not seeing the leopard. I'd recommend it unreservedly.

My husband Adam and I had the most amazing stay at Governors in September 2024.||The camp is beautiful, the tents are gorgeous and every single member of staff was so welcoming and kind.||Our guide Solomon was truly amazing in every way! He has years of experience and knowledge which made our game drives all the more exciting, but much more than this he has a brilliant nature and we felt as though we were spending time with an old friend. He also picked the perfect spots for us to enjoy our breakfast picnics and our sundowners - breakfast overlooking hippos and elephants and sundowners overlooking lion!||Each game drive seemed to be better than the last. In just one game drive we were able to see lions, leopard and cheetah! We were also lucky enough to see a river crossing and a kill.||Words cannot express how amazing our experience was, or how thankful we are to Solomon for creating such amazing memories that will last us a lifetime.||We are already planning our next trip and really hope we will see Solomon again.||We would also like to say thank you to Fred, John and Jackson. We were well looked after with many surprises along the way which we won’t spoil for future guests.||We are counting down the days until we can return.||Asanteni Sana,||Antonia & Adam ❤️|IG: antoniadolan_ & dolanphotographs