Rekero Tented Camp, Maasai Mara Kenya October 2008     Camp: Rekero Camp Nights:    4 Assessment Criteria Satisfaction  in % Comments Pool -   they put the camp down entirely once per year Tent/ Room 90 just great (1 bed wld have been enough) Restaurant atmosphere 90   Food 100   Management & Staff 100 don't know what to be improved Camp/ Lodge 100   Originality of reserve 80   must be perfect with migration, a bit of a shame that it is a bit crowded in comp. to Bots. Diversity of reserve 100   Vehicle 90 hatch, not open... Guide - communication 100   very skilled Guide - information 100   Guide - cust. orientation 100   Wildlife - quantity  80   mara empties after migration passed by Wildlife - diversity 100   Wildlife - extraordinary occurrences 90 rhino, cubs, hunting lion, fighting hippos...   Rekero Camp is a superb small and extraordinary luxury camp. It hosts 9 guest camps and is led by the 2 owners, and a British manager. All three of them are doing their utmost to serve their guests and let them feel like being home (well - at least in regards to the facilities - you never feel home, because of the breathtaking atmosphere). Rekero Camp is a tented camp; each tent has an ensuite bathroom with a European-style-WC and a shower. The tents are located very separate with a view towards the river. It is save to walk around in the camp during daytime. At night, Maasai-Guides are escorting one. They are equipped with their traditional weapons and some of them carry a radio in order to have direct connections with the other guards. These guys do secure the camp from the outside by observing the area. At night it can easily happen (in fact it seems kind of normal) that buffalos and hippos are cruising through the camp. One can hear them while being in the tent which gives one this amazing feeling of being part of the African nature. For us it's the best way to be on safari: sleeping in the tent. Rekero is high-end. Service, food, location, attention, vehicles, guides - all is top notch. I think, what is so extra extra with this camp is, that the owners are taking their key-staff such as guides to "educational"-vacations while the camp is shut down. Last time we were told that the Maasai were taken on the cost of the owners to the sea in order to get to know about the ocean and the wild life in there. Most likely they came across for the first time what it is to be a tourist. To us this is important: a perfect guide knows how a tourist/ visitor feel and how special these moments are for them. This is even more important when it comes to wildlife we think. A normal day in Rekero is like this: very early wake-up (they bring fresh coffee or tea to the camp), get together in the main camp for more coffee. Without a rush leave the camp soon thereafter. 2 hours of game drive. Breakfast somewhere in the bush (i.e. at the Mara, that’s were the hippos and crocs are in - great!). Then some more game driving. Get back around noon, lunch in buffet-format but excellent. Siesta-Break. Afternoon game drive, stop before sunset somewhere for a gin-tonic sundowner and come back to the camp. Gathering around a fire for snacks and drinks. Dinner in the main tend (it can get a bit chilly outside). Go back into the tent and find everything illuminated by candles and oil-lights. Needless to say that this has a price. In the Maasai Mara Game Reserve it is allowed to go off-road. This is in contradiction to the Serengeti and the non-private national parks in Botswana. I would expect that the off-roading will come to an end soon, as there is a lot of traffic in the Maasai Mara during the season. What is different to places like Chobe National Park in Botswana is that in Maasai Mara vehicles keep a gentle distance to the animals. They don't corner them and leave them the opportunity to leave the spot without going through the crowds. This helps as well all photographers and video-filmers as the spot is not spoiled by cars and people. Given the number of vehicles in the Mara the discretion is remarkable.  Moreover the nature is being left alone by 7pm. There is no game-drive allowed in the park during the night hours. click here: BACK TO Kenya and Tanzania Main Page