Olare Mara Kempinski Masai Mara

Olare Mara Kempinski is an exceptionally clean and comfortable place to stay. The staff are incredibly kind, offering warm hospitality and wonderful surprises throughout the stay. The safari experience was fantastic—they put great effort into finding a variety of animals, providing detailed explanations, and ensuring we had the best possible viewing positions. The selection of drinks and menu options was extensive, and every meal was delicious, making each day a delight. One of the highlights was being able to soak in a bathtub while on safari—an unforgettable luxury! Even the other guests were friendly, adding to the overall atmosphere and making this trip truly memorable. I highly recommend Olare Mara Kempinski to anyone looking for an extraordinary safari experience.

I recently stayed at the Olare Mara Kempinski for a three-night safari with my partner. The staff, facilities, and location were lovely and enabled us to have the most personalized safari experience to date. Location: Located in the Olare Conservancy in the northern Mara, the lodge benefits from an exclusive setting with only four other camps permitted in the area. This meant we only encountered a handful of other vehicles on most drives. Wildlife: The limited human presence meant Giraffes, Zebras, Elephants and Hippos frequently passed by the lodge. We also spotted Lions and Wildebeests on most drives, with a Cheetah on the last day. Staff: Dominic, the General Manager, ensured our trip was personalised, complete with dinners by the fire and day trips. Moses and the restaurant staff quickly learned our preferences for drinks and meals. Our guide, Dixon, was fantastic and his extensive knowledge of the Mara and ability to locate animals was truly impressive. We also appreciated his flexibility in extending drives, especially after rainy days. Food & Drink: The quality of the meals was exceptional, particularly given the camp's remote location. The three-course menu, which changed daily, offered variety and was on par with other Kempinski properties we've visited worldwide. All soft and alcoholic drinks were included and available throughout the day. The wine selection was excellent, however I would encourage that the menus are made available such that the drinks options are more visible to guests. Rooms: The rooms feature large king beds, private terraces facing the river, high-pressure hot showers, and a bath, with toiletries consistent with other Kempinski hotels. We were kindly upgraded to Room 12, which provided a front-row view of the hippo pond and giraffes and elephants traversing the savanna. While the hippos can be loud, earplugs easily mitigated any disturbance. Wider Facilities: The design beautifully balances safari-style tents on the outside with luxury hotel decor on the inside. The main lobby area offers ample seating, a lovely fire in the evening, and a veranda perfect for evening drinks. My partner thoroughly enjoyed her massage at the spa overlooking the river. There is a non-heated pool, though we didn't use it. One recommendation would be to retreat the wooden flooring around the camp, as it is starting to look quite weathered.

Olare Mare Kempinski surpassed our high expectations in every way. Our game drive guide Danson took us for a ride on arrival at the Orok airstrip and immediately found a pride of lions. Each following day brought us closer to wild animals in the bush, from lions feeding on a giraffe for three days (with hyenas patiently waiting to finish the remains), exotic birds of incredible blue, red and yellow, herds of zebras, giraffes, elephants and even five lions hunting a young hippo (incredibly the hippo escaped, although without its tail). All this possible thanks to the fantastic driver-guides, who used their years of experience and deep knowledge to create a hugely successful safari for us. The camp offers spacious, luxury tents situated at some distance from one another, providing intimacy and total immersion in the bush (a hippo crossed our doorstep as we returned one evening). The food prepared by Chef Kevin was consistently outstanding, the service offered always has a personal touch and genuine courtesy from Moses and Mark, and the spa treatments from Lynette were excellent. We even had hot water bottles put in our beds each evening. The entire camp was graciously and expertly managed by Leakey and Dominic. At our request Dominic even arranged a surprise visit to the local Masai village church on Christmas, where we were invited to participate in the celebration. In short the staff at Olare Mare Kempinski created a fabulous and truly unforgettable experience and we are already planning our return. Thanks again from Andre and Kamilla!

Stayed here in August for 4 nights to finish our honeymoon and it was just incredible. This place is in a conservancy so much less traffic out on safari and you can get right up close to the animals. The facilities were fantastic, all the staff were incredible with such warm hospitality. It was a beautiful setting and the honeymoon suite tent was absolutely stunning. Would love to return one day!

We have been to many camps in South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. We love safari and this camp is extraordinary. Such luxury and attentive service. The general manager is Leakey and he was so welcoming. Our guide was Danson and our game viewing was wonderful. I love that because we were on a private conservancy that we had the ability to off-road and get up close and personal with the wildlife. We were attended to by Benson and Kelvin and our chef, Kevin was out of this world. Everyone went out of their way to make sure we had whatever we needed. There were special touches such as breakfast served at the edge of the property by the river and candlelit dinner by the fireplace. Each time we left our beautiful tent and then returned our room had been transformed. It was such a special place and one in which we would gladly return.