A Stay At Karen Blixen Camp – Is It For You?

We stayed at Karen Blixen Camp as part of an unforgettable Safari trip to Maasai Mara. Here’s our peek into what to expect when staying here as part of any Kenya safari adventure to help you decide if it’s right for you.

As a Mara North conservancy, this unique camp is a luxury choice for sustainable tourism with its Gold Rated Eco Certification! Its name comes from Out of Africa author which tells the life story of a Danish woman who came to Kenya in the early 1900s.

Tucked into the Oloololo Escarpment foothills, next to the Mara River, these wildlife-rich lands are stunningly beautiful and a perfect location for a safari camp. If you love the idea of nothing around but nature, this is your place!

Getting Here

The journey to most Mara North Camps from Nairobi is an adventure in itself. Choose from two transport options from Nairobi: a flight or travel by road.

As the road trip takes 6-8 hours (each way), we suggest flying (45 minutes) to Mara North airstrip, closest to the camp.

Flights: You will likely fly into Nairobi’s International Airport. Flights to Masai Mara leave from a different airfield called Wilson Aerodrome which is fairly close by. Check Nairobi flights prices and schedules from your local airport.

Expect your transfer by car or minivan to take around 30 minutes (traffic can be heavy). Normally your safari tour operator will arrange this for you – just ask.

If you have had a long flight to get to Kenya why not spend a day or two in the capital before heading to the bush? To help you decide, here’s an article with ideas of how to spend your time in Nairobi.

Aircraft to Mara North Airstrip

We flew with Safari Link and we were Stop 3 from Nairobi which was a bonus rather than a hassle. Think about this jaunt like a bus or train journey with a couple of stops before it’s your turn.

Flying at low altitudes between camps you’re going to see so many animals from the air if you’re lucky enough to hop between camps.

Planes touch down, unload/reload passengers, and are off again in 5 minutes or less. These aircraft vary in size depending on payloads so it might be a 14 seater or as large as 30+ capacity. We experienced both in our round trip.

Transfer to Karen Blixen Camp From Airstrip

This is no ordinary transfer! Your land cruiser and driver/guides from Karen Blixen will be waiting for you. On landing, they will greet you, load up your bags, and set off for the camp which is around 7 miles away.

Be ready with your camera again as you drive from the airport. There are animals everywhere and the driver stopped frequently to let us watch them. So in reality you are having a first safari drive from the airport to your ‘hotel’!

The roads are rough and so be prepared for some bumps as you are driven around. The vehicles are very comfortable with roof shade and we had the same vehicle and guides throughout our stay.

What To Expect On Arrival

You will be met on arrival with a welcome drink, refreshment towel and a big smile. The reception area is next to the restaurant (bush garden) and it takes a couple of minutes to check in.

You will likely meet the manager who will add their welcome. Next, you will get a short tour of the public areas before being shown your private riverside tent.

They will also go through your itinerary and confirm it’s what you expected. For example, the number of safari drives, private or shared vehicles, and dietary needs.

Luxury Tents

These are luxury accommodations in so many ways. Each of the 22 tents has privacy facing the Mara River. A large raised terrace area with a day bed, casual chairs and roof shade is perfect for relaxing when you return from your safari.

Entering into the tent, you will have a large bed with ample space around it. Luggage racks, armchair, wardrobe area, inside sink, dressing area and toilet.

The solar powered hot water systems feed private showers located in each tent. They are encased within a stone wall area connected to the back of each tent. Having an outdoor shower is quite a delight once you get used to it!

There are electrical sockets to recharge phones and cameras, along with a fresh drinking water dispenser, towels, soaps, and other toiletries.

Families are welcome at Karen Blixen Camp and the resort will happily add beds for kids 12 years and under within a single tent. They also have a double tent option where a verandah connects two tents.

Camp Safety and Security

There is a security checkpoint for all vehicles entering the camp and it is open dawn to dusk. Walking around the camp is easy with paths to each tent from the communal areas.

Look out for visitors around your tent during the day. They are great fun to watch as you sit outdoors in between safaris.

The main risk here is encountering larger wildlife at night although you may not see anything close up, there are plenty of them around. Hippos can be quite noisy at night as they come out of the water and seem to party a little!

To keep us guests safe, the camp policy is that you are accompanied by a Masai Warrior to/from your tent in the hours of darkness.

Our tent was 5 minutes walk (if that) from the main reception and Steve (Masai Warrior) was our walking partner during our stay. He was extremely friendly sharing loads of interesting stories about Masai life.

Dining at Karen Blixen Camp

Every meal during our stay was presented as a work of art: fresh, colorful and bursting with flavor. Produce is trucked in weekly from Nairobi so is local and in peak condition.

There is a single bush garden restaurant with views of the River where all meals are served. Here’s our entertainment courtesy of the resident hippos as we ate lunch.

We never felt the dining areas too busy as everyone comes and goes at a slightly different time based on their safaris and activities during each day.

You do have an option to dine at your tent if you prefer.

Another wonderful experience at Karen Blixen Camp is that you will have a dedicated dining room server for your stay. Job, our server, looked after our every need from vegetarian options to creating ginger based local drinks for a sore throat.

Having a pre-dinner cocktail or glass of wine in front of the roaring fire quickly becomes an end of day ritual, with an excellent range of wines.

When you book you can pre-select the type of ‘package’ for drinks. We selected the basic package and enjoyed house beers, wines, soft drinks, fresh juices along with tea, coffee at any time.

Camp Facilities and Services

The camp feels well designed to group public areas while giving a sense of privacy. Here’s what to expect in terms of public area:

• Reception Area, with Maps, Wildlife Locations, Sustainability Projects
• Bar Area and Lounge open to outdoors with roaring fire at night.

• Dining Area open to outdoors with river views
• Spa and Wellness Facilities – Massages are Available.
• Outdoor Swimming Pool with Sun Loungers
• Shop with Masai handmade items

Safaris At Karen Blixen Camp

We’re all likely coming on safari so, of course, daily safari drives are top of activities on offer. But, there’s lot more beyond driving around. Here’s what you can choose from:

Day Time Game Drives – early morning or afternoon adventures. Expect to spend around 4-5 hours out in the bush looking for and observing wildlife. We also booked an all day game drive which included a delicious picnic overlooking the expanse of open Masai lands.

Night Time Game Drives – this is another option although we didn’t do these. We preferred the late afternoon game drives which included sunset drinks and sightings of lions and jackals hunting at dusk.

A Hot Air Balloon Safari is a lifetime safari dream. The team at Karen Blixen can organize this for you, weather permitting. We have done hot air balloon trips before but other guests booked and loved it, seeing a tremendous amount of wildlife just below them.

Bird Watching Drive – you’re going to see birds on a main game drive but if you have a specific interest in a species or birding generally, the camp can tailor your time.

Bush Nature Walks – with a guide and armed security staff member you can venture out into the bush for a short walk through Masai Mara paths.

Dinner in Bush – while the meals served at the main camp are fabulous and the setting unique, having dinner in the bush is a wonderful memory.

You can even watch the ‘Out of Africa’ movie – the story of Danish Karen Blixen whose life in Kenya inspired the film. Enjoying this classic on an outdoor screen with dinner and drinks. Now that’s a Maasai Mara memory!

Staff and Guides

The guides at camp are professionals and know the lands around here like the back of their hands. It’s not easy driving through some of the terrain as its rough tracks, undulating grasslands and streams that you’re crossing.

They did a fantastic job making our daily adventure comfortable and giving us enough time at each stop to enjoy watching the animals, take photos and chat about each type of wildlife we saw.

We also have to add they were fun, engaging and it was easy to see they love working here and interacting with so many incredible animal groups.

Non Safari Activities At Camp

But you can create an incredible itinerary for your stay at Karen Blixen by adding in a couple of other experiences. From massage and spa treatments to visiting a Masai Mara village and learning a little of how they live, just ask.

The staff at camp also have some cool non safari activities on offer that most kids will love from how to light a fire bush style, to Masai beading activities, walks and outdoor activities to use up all that energy.

FAQs

Another East African Safari Gem

Taking all the above into account, we can happily confirm that Karen Blixen Camp is a fabulous choice when coming on a Kenya Safari.

From the traditional tent decor to incredible food and fantastic wildlife drives, nothing is too much trouble to make your stay unforgettable.

And if you’re up for more remote wildlife experiences, check out our Uganda Gorilla Trekking trip. Full of tips and help to plan another African adventure.

FYI we paid for our stay and this review was not compensated.