Maasai Mara Hotels and Lodges, Accommodation in Maasai Mara Game Park

MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE

Masai Mara National Reserve is undisputed the richest and most popular game sanctuary in Kenya. It is widely believed to be the greatest concentration of wildlife in the world. There is a profusion of all types of game in Masai Mara. There are large herds of Elephants, Buffalos, Zebras and Giraffes. Also found in great numbers are cheetahs, Hyenas, Warthogs, Primates and many species of Antelope. The Game Reserve is particularly known for having a large population of the black manned lions. Luck is however essential for spotting the shy and elusive leopard and hostile rhino. Masai Mara also abounds with birdlife; about 450 odd species have been recorded. A spectacle to behold is the annual migration and the crossing of the Mara river by over one million wildebeests together with approximately 200,000 Zebras and large Antelopes. This dramatic event takes place during the months of July and August. The animals, with unshakable resolve to reach the sweet grass across, plunge into the swollen river to face a flotilla of crocodiles. It is unique and memorable experience. Some have described it as one of the most awe-inspiring sights on earth. Accommodation facilities in Masai Mara are plentiful and range from luxurious 5-star lodges to Spartan tented camps. Hot air balloon excursions are available in the Game Reserve.

ACCOMMODATION IN MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE

DAVID LIVINGSTONE RESORT

OFFICIAL CATEGORY (Ministry of Tourism classification): TBA

LOCATION: Not far from the Equator, the lodge lies at 1640 Meters above sea level. Situated on 134 acres of private land in the Koiyaki Lemek Wildlife Trust.

Access From Nairobi
A 45 minute flight from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport to the resorts own airstrip by scheduled flight available twice a day or chartered air service or a scenic 5 hr drive from Nairobi through the Great Rift Valley into the Savannah Plains.

From Mombasa
A 2 hr flight from Mombasa daily at 8.30 am. Air packages from Mombasa are available on a daily basis.

DESCRIPTION: Resting along the meandering Mara River, The David Livingstone Safari Resort, is an oasis of peace and tranquillity in the worlds greatest wildlife spectacle, the Masai Mara Game Reserve. The Resort is a interface between you and the primal spirit of adventure in the Great African wilderness. Located on concessional land on 4 shimmering hippo pools, with a resident population of over 200 hippopotami and several crocodiles, the resort is an ideal base to experience the Masai Mara.
The David Livingstone Safari Resort is committed to good guest satisfaction. The staff ratio is one staff per room ensuring attentive yet unobtrusive personal service.

NUMBER OF ROOMS: The Lodge’s 82 en suite rooms all have views of the Mara River from their verandas.

Room Amenities AND Décor: The rooms are decorated in vibrant local style with bright fabrics and rugs: thick beams support the thatched roofs and on those chilly nights after long hot days, guests find the comforting surprise of a hot water bottle, slipped between their sheets during dinner. Simply comfortably furnished with twin or double beds, hot showers and flush toilets and private verandas

FOOD AND BEVERAGE FACILITIES: The Main restaurant serves a Champagne Breakfast daily as you watch the hippo play. Lunch and Dinner are also served here. Picnic lunches, Bush Dinners and Barbeques are set up in the middle of the vast African wilderness almost anywhere in the Masai Mara.
The cuisine is an international fusion of fine dining from the world over, freshly prepared with the finest Kenyan ingredients. Almost all vegetables, fruit and meat are organic and purchased fresh from small farms around Naivasha and Narok where the fertile volcanic soil of the Rift Valley nurtures them with nutrition and minerals. A full cooked breakfast or a healthy option, a 4 course luncheon and a 6 course dinner with a health option is available daily. The bush dinners have a typical African menu where you can sample fine Kenyan dishes under the starry nights in the middle of nowhere.

This resort boasts to have one of the best stocks of wine in the Masai Mara and constantly thrive to improve it. Wines of the world, American, Australian, Chilean, Spanish, French, Italian and Kenyan and South African Wines to compliment your every meal as well more to take home with you are available. Diners can see hippos cross the river from their tables as they sit down to first class meals prepared by the international chefs. At all times of the year five families of hippos spend their days basking in the deep pools below the bar and restaurant.

SPECIAL FEATURE: Sustainable tourism is the motto and mission here and as part of the Resorts contribution to the Masai Mara, they have initiated a tree nursery as well as tree planting program where they intend to plant 30000 seedlings in the year 2005, as soon as the nursery is ready. In the year 2005, every guest at David Livingstone Safari Resort will plant an indigenous tree. Apart from the above, they also support a lot of community related projects, they endeavor to train and use members of the local community by providing them employment in various fields, training them in various vocations, supporting road rehabilitation, scholarships and educating them on the importance of wildlife sustenance.

GENERAL FACILITIES:
Currency
Kenya Shillings is the base currency. However this resort accepts US Dollars, Sterling Pounds, Euro, Swiss Francs and South African Rand. They also accept MasterCard and Visa

Language
The official language is English while most people understand Kiswahili, which is the vernacular. Many of the staff speak a variety of languages including French, Italian, English, German and Japanese.

Electricity and Water
They have 240 V cycle electricity in all the rooms and main buildings. They also provide complimentary mineral water in the rooms.
The ice is made from mineral water too as the purity of normal tap water cannot be guaranteed

Duka is a Swahili word that means shop. At the resort there is a Duka which is an oasis for the shopper. Good quality wood carvings and handicrafts, African fabrics and artefacts, Music from Africa as well as a variety of souvenirs, safari clothes and other African art is available for purchase.

RECREATIONAL FACILITIES:
Game Drives
Safari, the Swahili word that means travel, adventure and even experience is the order of the day. Game Drives with our guides who are all members of the Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association, will share their experience and knowledge with you on a 4 wheel drive game drive in our vehicles.

Balloon Safaris
Float away in a hot air balloon over the plains early in the morning and get a bird’s eye view of this exciting views of the animal world down on the ground. See the hippo returning after a night of feasting or even a lion preying for its morning breakfast. After a presentation of this wonderful theatre, enjoy a cooked Champagne Breakfast in the middle of the Mara.

Dr. Livingstone's Safari Walk: Talk a walk on the wild side. The resort has resident naturalist who will take you along the Mara River where you will see an amazing variety of Bird and insect life as well as all the flora of our area and its many medicinal uses.

Night Game Drives
A game drive under the starry African night is a must when you visit David Livingstone. After dinner armed with a warm blanket you drive off to witness what happens in the dark African night. Aardvarks, Hippo, African Kangaroo or Spring Hares and Rabbit all come out to feed. Cheetah, Lion and Leopard, Hyena and jackals hunt under the cover of darkness. Enjoy!!

Masai Dancers And Masai Village Visits
Almost every evening there are Masai dancers entertaining guests with their beautiful dances in their beautiful tribal attire.

Spa
A brand new spa is currently under the development process at the David Livingstone Safari Resort. Currently we have a variety of relaxing body massages available at our Massage Centre

Surrounding the Lodge is one of the natural wonders of the world: the world’s biggest land migration passes the very gates. Wildebeest and zebra in search of grazing cross the plains and rivers under the eyes of ravenous lion and crocodile. While on game drives in your custom made car/van across the plains of the Maasai Mara, through herds of elephant and eland, giraffe and impala – the sheer concentration of animals will astonish first time visitors and delight those returning.

CONFERENCE FACILITIES: TBA

CLIMATE: Warm during the day and cool at night. Long rain season end of March to end of May, short rain season in November.
Who was David Livingstone?
Legendary explorer and missionary David Livingstone had a superhuman drive and curiosity that took him from top to bottom of Africa from the Atlantic to the Indian Oceans. He was the first white man to see Victoria Falls - which he named after his queen - and he never gave up, no matter how hopeless was the task ahead. He documented his travels and showed unusual respect for Africans, which made the slave trade so repugnant to him.
It is more for these reasons that David Livingstone's exploits are so well remembered, as some of his geographical theories had some major flaws; he misidentified the source of the Nile and was convinced the Zambezi River was navigable. He also admitted that he had made just one Christian convert in all his years in Africa and achieved little in his campaign against slavery. He was a poor husband and father, inflicting the hardships of exploration on his wife and infant children, then leaving them in England for years.
After his death some of the tasks he set himself were achieved and the Sultan of Zanzibar signed a treaty with Britain to abolish slavery, and Christianity became rooted in sub-Saharan Africa thanks to anti-malarial treatments brought by missionaries.

ILKELIANI
OFFICIAL CATEGORY (MINISTRY OF TOURISM CLASSIFICATION): TBA

LOCATION: Ilkeliani is located in the vast savannah country of the Maasai Mara just by the Talek River. Infact the camp is so centrally located that game viewing happens all year round.

DESCRIPTION: iLkeliani is an exclusive luxury tented camp for visitors who want a true bush experience. The camp is centrally located within the Maasai Mara eco-system. Game viewing at Ilkeliani is a rewarding experience all year round.

NUMBER OF ROOMS: 12 ensuite and well spaced tents. Room décor: The tents are privately situated on the banks of the Talek River. Each tent is secluded under the luxury of indigenous trees with its own private viewing deck.

Room Amenities: Five tents have double beds while seven have twin beds; each tent has a veranda and day beds overlooking the Talek river with great views of the extending Maasai Mara.

Special feature: Famous as an all year round game viewing spot.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE: Dine in romantic candle light with fine wines and gourmet meals by the riverfront. Morning nature walks, with bush breakfasts and evening sundowners by a camp fire allow you time to take in the magnificence of the Maasai Mara. Ilkeliani also has a private bar and lounge.

GENERAL FACILITIES:
Solar powered electricity
Friendly and efficient staff

RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES:
? Riverfront dining
? Private bar ANDlounge
? Game drives
? Nature and cultural walks
? Sundowners by a camp fire,
? Manyatta (Maasai village) visits

CONFERENCE FACILITIES: None

CLIMATE: Hot during the day and chilly in the evenings.