Masai Mara National Park (Kenya) > Reviews > Mara Simba Lodge

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
Family Friendly

Advantages:	An experience of a life time
Disadvantages:	Long times spent bumping on unmade roads, getting covered in dust, so be prepared

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

As part of a recent Safari holiday in Kenya, six of us travelled with Somak Holidays for two and a half days at The Mara Simba Lodge. Its well bumping down all those Kenyan dirt tracks for hours to get to the Mara.
The Simba Lodge is a recently built lodge on the edge of The Mara, it sits in among the trees created from local materials along the edge of the river bank. The communal areas are all open sided and overlook the river where crocodile baiting takes place at sunset. A log fire buns in the bar each night with a couple of musicians playing.
Rooms were great, very clean and spacious, food, wine and service were also to be recommended.
We went on two game drives each day, and our wonderful driver found us all the Big Five managing to jostle us in to good positions for wonderful photos.
The most exciting time we had was on a sunrise hot air balloon safari,leaving our lodge at 5.15am to join up with the balloon and crew at Keekorok. It was a truly breathtaking experience, and even though I am terrified of heights I felt remarkably safe. It was amazing floating above all the game, especially as the wilderbeest had just started their migration and we could see the streams of thousands of them threading their way across the Plains. Landing was interesting ! You land lying on your back and then roll out in a most undignified manor, ladies, don't wear a skirt! We were then treated to a magnificent champagne breakfast out in the open.
If you are there it is a definite must, something to treasure for the rest of your life.
The only downside of the Lodge was the extortionate amount that they wanted to charge us to phone home, £25.00 for the first three minutes, so tell people back home that you'll make contact from the airport.