Hotel Review: Entim Safari Camp, Maasai Mara, Kenya

A 30-minute flight with SafariLink from Wilson Airport in Nairobi dropped me at an airstrip near the Maasai Mara National Reserve, where my guide, Jamlick, picked me up and drove me to Entim Camp, a luxury safari accommodation within the Reserve. We drove through some bumpy terrain, including a couple of creeks. “Sorry for the Africa massage,” he said, laughing.

What I didn’t realize was that my safari had already started, as we stopped to view the animals we encountered along the way. Most notable was an up close view of a group of elephants, who walked around us, completely unbothered by our jeep.

We arrived at the camp around lunch time, and I was escorted to my tent for my two-night stay. My bags were delivered, and someone explained the room to me, although there wasn’t much to explain. As I looked around, I thought, “Wow, this is TRULY glamping!” There was electricity, a fully functioning toilet, a hot shower, lots of room for sitting, and my own personal veranda.

The tent closed with horizontal zippers at the bottom and a vertical zipper at the center. I was amazed that the interior stayed virtually bug-free during my stay, even though there were no mosquito nets over the two twin beds. At night, they lowered a second layer of canvas around my tent, which meant I had two zippers at the entrance. This provided privacy for the night.

Months before my arrival when I made my reservation, I asked them to place me in a tent close to the main tent since I would be traveling alone. They remembered and accommodated me with the tent right next to the lounge and dining tent.

At night, the hippos come out of the water and hang out close to the camp. For that reason, after dark, you aren’t allowed to walk anywhere on your own. When I was ready for dinner, I stepped out on my veranda and flashed the provided flashlight. One of the Maasai staff members then came to escort me to the main tent. Sure enough, my second night, with the help of the flashlight, we could see the hippos not that far away in my “backyard.”

But don’t worry – hippos aren’t carnivores, so they have no interest in approaching the tents or trying to get in. They are indeed very aggressive, but only when they feel threatened. When I did a safari in Kruger National Park many years ago, we couldn’t walk alone at night because the lions came close to the camp.

For meals, I had the same server throughout my stay – a soft-spoken gentleman named Charles. I was presented with a menu of three courses. There were three choices for each course. Every meal during my stay, the choices changed, and everything I ate was absolutely delicious. The chef visited my table a couple of times, and I had to gush about his talent.

Tilapia is abundant in Kenya, and Entim served the best version of it I’ve ever had. I also especially enjoyed the tiramisu made with Amarula, an African liqueur, instead of the usual rum.

I had a little bit of time to relax before meeting Jamlick in the main tent for our first official game drive at 4:00. He returned me just before 7:00 for dinner. The next day, we set out at 6:00 a.m. and kept going until 1:30 p.m. because we kept running into incredible animals and because I wanted to visit the nearby Maasai village.

The village was fascinating. Both men and women were singing a song of greeting when I arrived, and the men showed us the jumping they’re famous for. Then, they showed me how they make fire without a match and invited me into one of their huts. I was surprised to find that the people in this particular village are still living quite primitively with no hot water or plumbing.

They told me that a U.S. charity had come to teach them English so that they could communicate well with tourists. They had also been given a small solar light so that their children could see to do their homework at night.

They keep cattle and chickens but said they aren’t allowed to grow vegetables because the crops would likely attract too many wild animals. So the money they receive from tourists allows them to buy the vegetables they need. They also make all sorts of goods for sale to tourists. I ended up spending the equivalent of $100 because they had so many beautiful things. I bought two necklaces, a little bowl, and a small wooden elephant mask for my wall.

During my game drives with Jamlick, I had a great time joking with him. He had an extraordinary facility for predicting animal behavior, but then, he grew up in the Mara, was educated there, and has now been working for 11 years as a safari guide. I said, “This is your place.”

“Yes, this is my place,” he agreed.

When someone radioed to tell him they’d found leopards, he positioned our vehicle next to one that was lounging in some brush while most of the other jeeps were positioned close to one in a tree. The one close to me was the mother of the young male in the tree, who had carried his gazelle kill up there and draped it across the center. Eventually, he stepped out on a branch and lounged there. I couldn’t believe the branch was strong enough to hold his weight.

We stayed there for about an hour, as Jamlick felt strongly that the mother leopard would eventually get up, walk right past us, and make her way to the tree. Sure enough, the young male finally climbed down the tree, and Mom walked right by my window before joining him. Again, she was utterly unbothered by our vehicles.

I was lucky on my second day to see all Big Five animals in that single day, which I was told is highly unusual there. While it’s common to see lions, elephants, and buffalos, it isn’t as easy to find leopards. Finding a rhinoceros is even more unusual, but sure enough, during my last evening drive, we found a black rhino. This was an animal who was indeed bothered by our vehicles, however. I was told this species of rhino is shy and likes to hide.

During my game drives, I saw a male lion, two prides of female lionesses, tons of zebras, Thomson’s gazelles, topi antelopes, eland antelopes, impalas, baboons, warthogs, wildebeests, cheetahs, elephants (including a one-week-old baby), hippos, hyenas, a lone jackal, and lots of birds (including ostriches).

Highlights included watching a cheetah running after zebras in the distance (he was not successful), a hippo running at high speed out of a body of water, a hyena eating a topi surrounded by vultures, and a pair of male giraffes fighting over a female. See my photo and video essay for more images and footage of my experience.

When it was time to leave, I was a bit heartbroken that I had only booked two nights at Entim. Driving around the quiet Reserve was sublime, only to return to the camp for beautiful food and a good night’s sleep in my tent. The manager and other personnel checked in with me several times to make sure I was happy with my stay. The following is a video of the main tent area at Entim.

Besides game drives and visits to the Maasai village, Entim can also arrange a hot air balloon ride over the Reserve.

I would be more than happy to return to Entim camp and stay longer. it was truly a perfect stay with nothing whatsoever to complain about. If you’re looking for a safari camp in Maasai Mara, I highly recommend that you consider Entim.