andBeyond Bateleur Camp

The camp was spectacular and we had many a wonderful game drive and a welcome home every time. Great food, beautifully appointed tent and great staff. We had sightings of a lion mother with cubs on a kill, a lioness walking up the road with her tin y 3 new cubs, giraffe with a baby, lots of elephants with lots of baby's, hyena den with lots of baby's, etc. etc. The only disappointment being that the migration was a month late - so wasn't really happening. We arrived at the banks of the Mara river to what looked like a shopping centre car park - so many vehicles you could not get parked. Some wildebeest were on the other side and would venture down to the edge of the water, look at the crocodiles, and turn back. Can't say I blame them. We came a couple of times and waited, but it was a waste of time, so we never came back. The game drives made up for the disappointment. Finally, the Hot Air Balloon trip was fantastic, as was the breakfast out on the plain. What an experience

"It was a good trip overall and the Bateleur camp was amazing. Our high expectations were exceeded and the few days we had in the Mara were terrific. It was a wonderful experience."

We were at Bateleur for 3 days, and each and every second was amazing. Our guide Eric was very knowledgeable, and took us through the Mara to see almost every animal. We were in close proximity with Lions, Elephants, Rhinos, and every other animal you could think of. Eric was great, he got us as close to the animals as he could, and we were able to get amazing photos. The vehicles were packed with cold drinks, and blankets. They were very large and comfortable, and the family we shared our vehicle with was very nice, and there was plenty of room for all of us. Of the great moments on our drives we saw a female lion sleeping in a tree, a female lion with four baby cubs, and three female lions with a fresh kill, we also saw one male lion. We were able to see a Cheetah that was about one hundred yards away. We saw a huge pack of elephants, probably more than 20, we were as close as 10 feet from them. Eric also took us to a Maasai village, where we had a tour of the village, met the people, saw the inside of the huts, and were able to see how life continues to be today. The village experience was very good, but definitely a bit of a tourist trap, where you are asked to purchase things and haggle over a very unreasonable price. Back at Bateleur, the meals were better and better every day for lunch and dinner. Joseph the chef was amazing. He made meals that were fit for royalty, and enough food to feed an army every time. Masibo continued to make us feel at home every second we were there, along with the rest of the wonderful staff. On our last evening, when we were the only couple left at dinner, the entire staff came out with a special cake for our anniversary, and sang to us. It was so over the top that it brought tears to our eyes. We had never been treated so well in our lives. We loved our time here so much that we considered changing our reservations to stay another day, but that being too difficult we reluctantly left the next morning. On the way out the staff again came out to sing, and we were sent off to the landing strip. There we were given box lunches for our trip, and the bar on the landing strip was opened for service. Our send off was again A+, with nothing we would have changed, or could even imagine before having arrived there.

Bataleur Camp is fantastic. The accommodation, hospitality and small touches really make the lodge stand out from the rest. They even surprised me with a birthday cake and song the last night we were there, as they noticed that my birthday was a few days away.

"Great place, and we saw huge herds of elephants. The light plane ride was great ... there were elephants almost waving us good bye from next to the strip! Would like to come back here for the migration."