By Katt Hendershot, Operations Specialist for The Wild Source
In February 2025, my partner Aidan and I had the chance to visit Kenya, our first time in Africa. We arrived in Nairobi and spent a few hours at Four Points to rest and shower before transferring to Wilson for our flight to Mara North. Bush flights are often described as simple transfers, but they are an amazing first introduction to the Mara. Spotting our first elephants from the air cemented that we were really in Africa.
We landed at the airstrip and enjoyed a game drive to Offbeat Mara, a serene camp by the river. During our two-night stay, we saw typical plains wildlife, especially large herds of elephants. A highlight was a coalition of four lion brothers on a kill they had stolen from hyenas. Our tent felt secluded and had a very comfortable bed. The bucket showers were wonderfully warm, and the staff was attentive. The food was delicious!
We also had the chance to stop at the sister camp, Offbeat Ndoto, and enjoy lunch, a delicious buffet set on a small peninsula under the trees. Their family tent was especially impressive, with a private deck for meals and plumbed showers
Our next stop was Mara Toto, a luxurious camp perched in the treetops overlooking a river full of hippos. Our room was spacious, and we were provided with a Canon camera to use during our stay, along with Swarovski binoculars. Our guide, Frank, was both knowledgeable and fun to be with. Knowing we had not seen a leopard yet, he took us all the way to Mara North after hearing of a sighting of Ndutu, a famous female leopard. Though we did not find her, he still gave us some incredible sightings. During our stay, we enjoyed a hot bush breakfast with a large spread and eggs cooked to order right there.
On our last night, we were treated to a romantic bubble bath with champagne and chocolates during a wonderful rainstorm. Later, we had a special dinner in the kitchen where we chatted with the staff and learned about growing up in Kenya. The food was magnificent, and we had the best dawa cocktails of the trip. I also had the chance to speak with Nancy, a female guide who had an incredible back story.
Male lion saying good morning! (Video Credit: Katt Hendershot)
The next day, on our way to what I like to call the “custody swap,” where you switch vehicles to meet your next guide, we followed a cheetah for a while before it was chased off by a family of warthogs. Our new guide, Wild Source guide Peter, was incredible. Within a few hours of meeting him, we spotted a leopard with two cubs at sunset, one of my favorite sightings of the trip. We also saw playful hyena pups around the vehicle as their mother slept. Four brother lions had killed a hippo earlier that morning, and we returned several times to watch them feeding. We even saw a serval in daylight.
Our camp for the next few days was Enidura, which truly felt like going home. The food was homey, a welcome change after several days of delicious but more upscale meals. I had the best meatball sub of my life. Sitting by the fire at night, overlooking the Mara River, was a special experience. I felt deeply connected to our human ancestors, gathered by the fire under the stars, listening to the hippos.
Male lion chases of jackal from hippo carcass (Photo Credit: Aidan Pence)
We then drove to Eagle View in the Naboisho Conservancy for a tour and lunch. From there, we left with Ping, one of our Wild Source guides, and continued to Mara Siana, a new camp in the Ripoi Conservancy. The camp is owned by Jackson Looseyia, a legendary guide featured on BBC’s Big Cat Diaries, along with two other renowned guides, Salaash Morompi and Fred Ronko. Together, they bring more than 75 years of combined experience.
Dinners were family style, rich with conversation and the palpable wisdom of the legendary guides whose stories filled the air. Drives around the conservancy were stunning, with lush valleys of green grass and white wildflowers alive with the hundreds of fresh babies from giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, lions, and more. The lion pride was incredible. They are still being habituated and are more skittish than the lions in the Mara, but you can tell they are a fierce and powerful pride. I’m excited to see how they grow in the coming years. One of my favorite moments was watching a young lioness dig intently but unsuccessfully for mongoose.
The rooms were beautiful, featuring dark wood floors and countertops, very hot water, and decks with wonderful views. We were even visited by the camp cat, Kitty, a brave little bush kitten who helped keep the mice away. The conservancy is small but very exclusive, and almost all of our sightings were private. The few other vehicles we saw were from the camp. We also had our best night drives here.
We left Mara Siana and flew to Nairobi, where we spent the night at Four Points before an early morning departure. It was an incredible privilege to visit these extraordinary places and have such an amazing time on safari and I can’t wait to go back!