If you had read my previous post you would know that we organized our safari through Mojhi.com. They provided us with many options for the accomodation and we chose the tent at Julia’s River Camp without thinking twice. It helped that the tents are quite spacious and have a proper bathroom with hot water.
Julia’s River Camp is located in Masai Mara, in the middle of where all the action happens. It has no fences so there is no guarantee that you wouldn’t wake up next to a buffalo or a gnu. The first thing we were told when we checked in is that it’s not allowed to go out of the tent after sunset. The reason being the freely roaming animals. As the name suggest, the camp is right next to a small river where a family of hippos live. They particularly like walking around at night time. And I am quite sure I heard one roaring right behind our tent around 2 am. Needless to say that I couldn’t sleep afterwards. There are also two families of lions living nearby. We saw them both, luckily only during day time.
The “room” comes with two very important items, the mosquito spray and the flashlight. The latter is used to attract the attention of the masai in case you want to go to the restaurant or elsewhere when it’s dark. He comes to pick you up and accompanies you all the way. Another importan object in the tent was the whistle, it was to be used in case of emergency (read as a concrete threat of being eaten alive).
The evenings at the camp were very relaxing. Everyone was gathering at the restaurant, which is also reception and lobby. It was the only spot with wi-fi and electric plugs to charge batteries and phones. The menu was set and food itself was amazing. It was definitely catered to Western taste. And after the meal we liked sitting next to the camp fire with a cup of tea. The breakfast was amazing as well, it included crepes with nutella, eggs, toast and fruit.
I am happy that we chose Julia’s River Camp. I wouldn’t say that I had the best sleep of my life but it was undoubtedly a one of kind experience. And strangely, considering the location, we had some of the best meals while in Kenya.
