Mahala Mzuri Camp
I have recently returned from a great holiday that Lindsay booked for me to the wonderful resort of Mahala Mzuri in the Masai Mara. This resort is owned and run by Richard Branson and it was one of the best experiences of my life!
We flew out with Kenya Airways Business class and they were superb – great staff and fantastic service and food – would recommend them above BA! On arrival in Nairobi we were collected and transferred to Wilson airport – we were told that we would not arrive in time for the 0800 flight so had a bit of a weight at Wilson for our departure – we feel that we could have made the 0800 flight but the traffic in Nairobi at that time of the morning was heavy.
There is not much at Wilson airport just a snack bar which was not much – however we took our flight at 11 am to Kichwa Tembo Airport and was met by the Branson staff and taken to the camp.
I must say that apart from the food which was a little disappointing this camp lives up to its name – the staff were attentive and friendly, and our guide Jackson was just outstanding. He was so knowledgeable and made the fantastic game drives even more special with his extra tales and experience. We saw so much game and wildlife and I was not disappointed and loved it all! We felt very safe at night as there was a Masai warrior on guard to check about any animals that might wander in to the camp as we were not allowed to go anywhere outside the tents from 6pm to 6am which was great. It wasn't far between the tents and the bar and restaurant, but he made us feel safe. I met a couple there who went to Cottars – my other proposed choice – and this one as part of their honeymoon and she said that the views and game drives at Branson’s camp were better – the 1920's experience was fantastic at Cottars but for views and game drives this one was better.
The only disappointing thing about the whole trip was the very early morning call that I received about our transfer ready to collect us, but this had been cancelled by Lindsay but obviously did not get through to the driver! We stayed at the Crowne Plaza at the airport and they offer a free shuttle service which we used. Overall a fantastic trip!