Governors' Il Moran Camp

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Governors' Il Moran Camp, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Governors’ IL Moran is widely regarded as the premier camp in the Masai Mara. Hidden under ancient trees, deep in the forest, are just 10 tents. They line the winding banks of the Mara River. You’ll be the personal guest of our manager, who’ll look after all your needs.

The camp is situated along the banks of the Mara River, right in the heart of the Masai Mara Game Reserve, with the best game viewing right on your doorstep. Governors Il Moran Camp has been awarded a Silver Eco Rating by Eco Tourism Kenya for our environmental practices both in camp and with our neighbourng community.

Governors’ IL Moran Camp has ten vast, luxurious tents that feature super ‘king size’ beds fashioned from ancient fallen olive trees, and Victorian style baths. During the day, meals are served on the banks of the Mara River under the giant evergreen trees. Dinner is served by candlelight on the open deck, overlooking the Mara River. IL Moran is an ideal camp for honeymooners and couples who are looking for a very special safari experience.

Game Drives

Three game drives per full day on safari, these take place inside the Masai Mara National Park. Picnics / packed meals can be provided for those who would like to head out on full or half day game drives. Snacks and drinks are also provided in the cars.

Hot Air Balloons

The adventure begins just before dawn. Departure is from a perfect natural launch site behind Little Governors’ Camp, and flames from the hot air balloon burners light the darkness as the crews inflate their craft. The first pink tongues of sunlight flicker across the skies as the hot air balloon fills, then rises. Suspended in a basket beneath the rainbow-coloured canopy, you’re off for a wildlife viewing adventure with an entirely different perspective. What amazes most first-time balloonists is the absolute stillness: the silence as you float above the plains, the forest and the rivers of the Masai Mara.

Even if you’ve flown elsewhere, this is a unique experience. The flight lasts an hour or so, drifting wherever the air currents take you, and with ample opportunities for photography and video filming. Then your Governors Balloon Safari finishes with a flourish. In the time honoured tradition of balloon flights the world over, you toast your return to earth with a delicious breakfast (complete with sparkling wine), cooked wherever you land. The Balloon Safari ends with a game drive on your way back to Little Governors Camp. We also offer Hot Air Balloon Safaris for those staying at other select Masai Mara camps.

Walking Safaris

Governors’ Camp Collection offers guided walking safaris in a private concession area adjacent to the Masai Mara Game Reserve. Our guided walking safaris enable you to leave your vehicle behind and take a walking safari with one of our experienced and qualified naturalists for the true thrill of the bush.

Down on the same level as the animals you will experience the untamed beauty of the Mara. Here the scenery differs from inside the Reserve and picturesque acacia trees dot the hilly landscape. You will also be accompanied by one of our Masai Scouts, who provide a wealth of information on the traditional medicinal uses of plants and Masai folklore. You will track game, unsure what waits round the next corner: giraffe, buffalo, hyena, zebra or even lion.

Whilst out on a walking safari, you can catch the scents and sounds of the wild Africa and uncover a hidden, fascinating and interconnected world of plants, tracks and insects. At the end of it all waits a sumptuous bush barbecue breakfast complete with champagne. You can enjoy some game viewing as you are driven back to the camp through the Masai Mara. Walks take around 1½ to 2 hours and can either be booked in advance or at camp reception.

Visit Manyatta

Just outside the Masai Mara National Reserve is a Masai community called Mara Rianda. There is a traditional Masai homestead or Manyatta which consists of 48 traditional houses surrounding a cattle enclosure. The Masai community welcomes guests who would like to visit the manyatta and see a tribal way of life that has remained unchanged for centuries. Visitors are always struck by the grace and beauty of the Masai people, and the colourful lifestyle they lead. There is also a bustling curio market where guests can buy traditional Masai beadwork.

In order to visit the Manyatta guests must pay for an entrance ticket. This money is extremely important to the community and they have used it to build a nursery school for 120 children aged between 3 – 5 years. They have built two classrooms, accommodation for 3 teachers and a toilet facility. They have also paid for desks for the school.

The money from the ticket entry also helps the community members to buy food, pay for secondary school for their children, and pay for cows the mainstay of the Masai economy. During times of drought when Masai cattle suffer the money earnt from ticket sales helps the community enormously to stay on their feet. Overall this revenue supports 98 different families comprising of 300 individuals.

If you would like to visit the manyatta, this can be arranged with the camp manager.

Governors’ Camps, set in some of the most beautiful parts of Africa, provide the old-fashioned pace of life accompanied by the best of 21st century support in the heart of some of East Africa’s Prime Wildlife Areas. Air services bring you to your camp effortlessly, and ingredients for gourmet meals are flown in daily. Accommodation is in huge tents in the Masai Mara, in traditionally designed luxury rooms constructed in the local Luo style at Mfangano, in the old settler farmhouse at Loldia, and cottages on the slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes at Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge. Service is personal, attentive and friendly. Security and safety are ensured with constant communications and medical back up.

Governors’ Camp Collection is proud to have consistently been recognized with many travel awards and accolades. A Governors’ Safari will introduce you to the thrilling pleasures of some of the world’s most magnificent wildlife spectacles, pampered in luxury, but in tune with the simple rhythms of life.

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