KENYA: Choose Where To Stay As You Watch The Wild Beast Migration.

With this year’s wildebeest migration already started, you still have a wide range of budget-friendly hotels and bush camps to choose from.

It’s the trip of a lifetime, a time to explore the wildlife kingdom, but you would not want the Maasai Mara adventure to leave a huge dent in your bank account.

With this year’s wildebeest migration already started, you still have a wide range of budget-friendly hotels and bush camps to choose from.

You will be amazed how affordable some of these low and mid-end accommodation facilities are, and the services they offer. A number offer full-board accommodation and have swimming pools, bars and spas. And with luck, you may spot lions hunting zebras from the comfort of your bush camp.

Keekorok Lodge: It is one of the oldest properties within the reserve. It was opened in 1962 and can be accessed through the Sekenani gate or via the Keekorok airstrip. The lodge, part of the Sun Africa chain of hotels, has a total of 85 standard rooms, 12 chalets, an executive suite as well as a presidential suite.
Staying in a single room will cost you Sh20,000 per night, a double room goes for Sh29,500 while a triple room costs Sh39,000.

Ol-Moran Tented Camp: It is located along the Ololaimuita River within the Maasai Mara ecosystem. It has 15 spacious and exclusive tents for single, double and triple bed occupancy. If you want to fly to the camp, it is near the Keekorok airstrip.
Sleeping at the eco-friendly camp will cost you Sh7,500 if you are alone, Sh12,000 for a double room and Sh16,000 for a triple room.

Mara River Lodge: It is located inside the Lemek Conservancy like its name suggests and sits close to the Mara River. Its location is ideal for animal lovers as you can easily spot basking hippos and crocodiles.

The lodge has 80 rooms and is part of the Koiyaki Lemek Wildlife Trust. From June to September season, it charges Sh9,000 per person sharing a double room while single rooms go for Sh12,350 per night.

Rhino Tourist Camp: Located within the main reserve, it provides single, double and triple rooms as well as family accommodation.
Of their 45 rooms, 11 are made of stone for those who are skeptical about sleeping in tents. Single occupancy at the camp will cost you Sh6,000; a double room goes for Sh7,000 and for a triple room you pay Sh9,000. The family room has four beds for two adults and two children and costs Sh12,000 per night.

Simba Oryx Nature Camp: It is located at the border of the Mara game reserve and has 10 luxury tents that are well spaced from each other; staying there you get the impression that you are literally living in the wild. Each tent has its own solar-powered system for lighting and for hot water.

Through the camp’s glass front, you can see the animals any time of the day as they roam in the wilderness.

If you are single, a tent will cost you Sh14,300, the double tent goes for Sh23,000 and a tent with triple beds will cost you Sh35,000 per night.

Enchoro Wildlife Camp: It is located at the east gate of the Maasai Mara Game Reserve.

It is one of the bush camps that provide comfortable, tented accommodation. From the camp, you can view the Oloolaimutia Hills. Charges are Sh4,000 per person sharing spacious tents that have a bathroom and toilet ensuite.

Maasai Mara Sopa Lodge: It provides cottage-style kind of accommodation with 87 double rooms and 12 suites.

The lodge, which is part of the Sopa Lodges chain, is located within the main game reserve and can be accessed either through the Oloolaimutia or Sekenani entrance gates. A night at the Mara Sopa will cost you Sh14,680 for a single room while the double room goes for Sh19,800.

The AA Lodge Mara: It is located within the game reserve and can be accessed via the Sekenani main gate or via the Siana airstrip. The lodge that sits on 30 acres has 42 tents and 36 cottages.

A single room goes for Sh18,000 per night, a double room for Sh24,000 while the triple bedroom costs Sh33,600.

Ashnil Mara Camp: It is part of the Ashnil chain of hotels and located near the Mara River. It has 40 luxury tents with ensuite bathrooms, walk-in closets and a sun deck where you can relax while admiring the serene environment. A double tent will cost you Sh14,000 per person sharing while a single tent will cost Sh18,000 per night.

Sentrim Mara Game Lodge: It is located in the Maasai Mara Game reserve and easily accessible through the Sekenani gate. It has 64 rooms and sits on 100 acres of land.

The rooms include three family houses, each of which contains two bedrooms and a living area. Residence in a double room will cost you Sh16,650 while a single room will cost Sh10,400 per night. The lodge is part of the Sentrim chain of hotels.

Karen Blixen Camp: It is an eco-friendly camp with luxury tents that have a view of the Mara River.

Located in the Mara North Conservancy, the camp has 22 tents set on top of a wooden platform each with a spacious verandah.
A single occupancy tent will cost you Sh32,390 while sharing a double room is Sh26,990 per person sharing.