Elewana Sand River Masai Mara

My wife and I spent 5 nights at Elewana Sand River Camp the end of April and beginning of May, 2024 prior to some work in Nairobi at Taraja Home for Boys. We chose Sand River because of the smaller more intimate size, river location and strong reviews, and could not be more delighted with our total experience that had an unexpected ending. We flew in from Nairobi and were met by Kip, our Sand River Camp safari guide. Kip was sensational as our personal guide, driver, and now friend. His experience and knowledge of Masai Mara made our safari extraordinary. While we knew we were in the wetter season, his skill kept us out of getting stuck in the mud (most of the time). An advantage of this season is the land is so green and many newborn animals, like a one day old baby elephant. Kip gave us many up close and personal experiences with so many animals. Accommodations were up to what you would expect at a 5 star lodge. Our room/tent was very comfortable, well kept and private from other tents. Food was exceptional at every single meal. As this was the low season, we actually had the camp to ourselves one night and enjoyed dinner outside by a campfire and the river. Staff at Sand River is beyond 5 star, extremely accommodating and anticipating our every need. Can't say enough about the entire staff, maybe the best we've experienced anywhere. If you are considering which camp to stay at, it is worth it here. So the unexpected part was the Masai Mara flooding. When we arrived, the river at camp was fast and high but not a concern, however, on our last night the river rose and flooded the lower areas of the camp, something like a 500 year flood in Colorado where we live. Again the staff checked on us at 5:00am to make sure we were safe and took good care of us start to finish. We highly recommend this camp and wish them a speedy recovery.

We went for our honeymoon and everything was simply superb. Our guide Charles was fantastic both as a person to chat and laugh with and as a guide allowing us to see so many wonderful animals, he was knew the best place to be and the best way to get there. Nicolene and her team were brilliant, always checking in and so attentive. Our main waiter Zia was also great as were all the other members of staff from housekeeping to the bar staff to security dotted around ferrying us to and from our rooms when required at night. Elewana Sand River will always have a special place in our hearts. Asante sana to all!

This Lodge is beautiful and right on the Sand River which was mostly dry when we were there in October. Our guide, Anthony, was fantastic. He was so knowledgeable and welcoming. He told us a story with a Swahili saying that I’ll never forgot which I will paraphrase as: “to lose the way is to find the way.” He really helped us understand the exploration and enjoyment of game drives. The experience of being at the Masai Mara is so profound and Sand River is private and secluded. Sand River has such lovely accommodations. Game drives were fantatic. Food was delicious.

Sand River is a great place to stay in Masai Mara. Elewana does a great job. We stayed here for 3 nights and they took great care of our group of 13 people. Ashina at Elewana helped plan our trip to Lewa and Sang River. She is fantastic and made planning our trip seamless, and provided so much helpful information. The staff at Sand River went above and beyond to make our stay exceptional. The four is excellent, and the tents are great with very comfortable beds and full bathroom facilities. Our safari guides Antony and Wilson were very knowledgeable and gave us great sitings of all of the animals we requested to see (lions, rhinos, hippos, cheetahs, leopards, giraffes, etc.). They went above and beyond to get us to the right spots. I would highly recommend Elewana and their Lewa and Sand River camps.

A totally fabulous experience. We stayed in Little Sand River, and it feels very exclusive. The pool may be a stride away, but the evening catch up around the fire pit whilst waiting for the delicious food was a special time. We were pampered by the staff, who really looked after us, and nothing was too much trouble. The guide we had was amazing, fantastic knowledge, and ensured we had great views of game. The Mara area is huge, and March is much quieter than later in the year when the migration has taken place, but we were able to track down everything we wanted to see.

The staff cannot be more amazing and attentive. I feel so bad because there was a couple at the resort that was miserable and complaining about things that were not the staffs fault at all and they had to just smile and take it. They are all amazing including my guide Charles. They all could not have made the trip better!

This was a truly great experience! I’d been promising myself a safari for years and finally got round to it - why did I wait?! Don’t expect tv’s, fridges and all mod cons - do expect to be woken by an elephant walking past your tent! The tents are “old fashioned” but great - the outdoor shower is a treat. Mine was a good walk away from the main camp and you need a guide at night to walk you down. Buffalo the issue - they and hippos the only ones that should concern you evidently (unless you do something stupid!) Staff are extremely welcoming and they deliver a great attentive service but the game viewing is extraordinary! One of only two camps within the park the safari was made complete by Antony, our driver and guide. Extremely knowledgeable, passionate and great company he managed to deliver a truly marvellous experience. Even driving and enjoying a “safari massage” on the bumpy roads you’re struck by the majesty of the environment. Memories that will stay with me forever and I’m already planning the next trip!

A graceful safari camp experience! The professional and caring team made the experience even more wonderful - John, Benjamin, Dan, Nicolene, who were always there with a smiling face and made everything possible, the fearless Maasai security, the most talented chef - big thanks to all of you! The camp is very secluded and tranquil, becoming vivid by the animals surrounding and inhabiting it - monkeys, birds, elephants that make you feel like you’re in another world. The tents are stylish, beautifully designed, comfortable and completely isolated. Outdoors shower facing the Sand River is a real bliss! The team designs everything around your game drives, adapting the meals and everything else accordingly. Thanks to them we had the unforgettable experience of having breakfast on our game drive while waiting on a leopard to come down a tree :) as promised, we hope we’ll be back soon! Heartfully recommended to everyone who’s looking for a unique experience in Maasai Mara National Reserve.

Wow, just wow. We started our honeymoon in Kenya here and we are so glad that we did. This is a beautiful camp with stunning views every direction that you look and with very clean and luxurious tents. The staff here really went above and beyond for us and really made our stay extra special and romantic. The chef (George) makes the most delicious meals; we kept eating even though we were very full. We especially loved chatting with everyone, having gotten into quite a few great discussions with some of the members of staff. Thank you all very much for everything (incl. those who we did not get to speak) with a particular shout out to Linda, James, Nicolene, Eric, Jackson, Dan, George, and Jentril. We would 100% return here if coming back to Maasai Mara.