Governors’ Camp occupies a bend of the Mara River in the Musiara sector of Kenya’s Maasai Mara, set deep in riverine forest, and the water does most of the talking. Lions of the Marsh Pride hunt the wetland a short drive away. Hippos grunt through the dark below the tents, and crocodiles bask on the mud through the heat of the afternoon.
Hippos grunt through the dark below the tents
Aris and Romi Grammaticas opened the camp in 1972, on ground colonial governors had kept as a private retreat, which is how it took its name. The template held: canvas on raised platforms, hardwood furniture, lanterns lit along the paths after dark. The family still holds a stake today, alongside Wilderness, which took a majority share in 2016.
The marsh and the river never dry, so Musiara holds resident game the year round. Drives run in open-sided 4x4s inside the reserve, working leopard in the riverine forest, cheetah out on the plains and the Marsh Pride at the wetland edge. From July to October the wildebeest arrive, and the crossings happen close enough to reach early in the morning.
Balloons lift off from the camp itself at first light.
The BBC crews who filmed Big Cat Diary based themselves here. Balloons lift off from the camp itself at first light. An hour over the plains ends with breakfast laid on the grass and a game drive back. The camp keeps its own aircraft, which shorten the run from Nairobi to the Musiara airstrip and make day flights to Mfangano Island on Lake Victoria workable.
The tents stand along the high bank in a line under the trees, canvas on raised wooden platforms with polished dark wood underfoot, woven rugs, brass fittings and printed cotton. Mesh windows keep the air moving and let the river in: hippos surfacing below, fish eagles overhead, baboons crossing the lawn at midday. The family tents turn the other way to face the plains, a double room at one end, a twin at the other and a lounge between the two. Some are fitted with ramps and grab rails for wheelchair access.
Breakfast is cooked over coals on the riverbank, croissants and eggs to order with Kenyan coffee while elephants work the far side of the water. Lunch is laid out under the forest trees, roasted meats and grain salads. Before dinner a fire is lit on the river’s edge. At night the sound is hippos below the bank, and lion out on the grass. Dinner itself is plated and multi-course, taken by candlelight under the mess tent. Private breakfasts and dinners are set up out on the plains, and coffee comes to the tent at dawn, delivered by hand.
At night the sound is hippos below the bank, and lion out on the grass.
Drives out of Governors’ Camp are not fixed to a timetable. Inside the reserve the guides follow what the wildlife is doing, which is why the sightings hold up well outside the migration months. Walking happens beyond the reserve boundary rather than within it, and naturalists lead guests out into the ranchland and conservancies, usually ending at a bush breakfast. A spa tent handles massages and facials. Children of any age are welcome, and the camp’s club for younger guests runs footprint tracking, bird identification, tree planting and beadwork.
The river bend in front of the tents carries pods of hippos and large crocodiles all year. Beyond them the plains around Musiara hold topi, impala, waterbuck, warthog, Masai giraffe, buffalo and zebra, with spotted hyena working the margins and elephants moving through the forest. July to October brings the wildebeest and the crossings that come with them, though the marsh keeps the predators close in every other month of the year. Maasai homesteads at Mara Rianda, outside the reserve, can be visited by arrangement.
accommodation
Canvas tents stand on raised wooden platforms, some along the high river bank, others facing the plains. Classic tents come in twin or double, family tents pair a double and a twin around a shared lounge, and a suite sits apart. Floors are dark polished wood, with cotton linen, private verandahs, universal sockets and power around the clock.
activities
Game drives in open-sided 4x4s inside the reserve, following the Marsh Pride, leopards in the riverine forest and, from July to October, the crossings. Balloon flights leave from camp at dawn. Walking with naturalists happens outside the reserve boundary, along with visits to Maasai homesteads at Mara Rianda.
conservation
The Mara Rianda Charitable Trust, founded in 2004, built and funds the local primary school and medical centre with the camp's support. Guides contribute sightings to the Mara Predator Conservation Programme and the Mara-Meru Cheetah Project, and the camp backs the Mara Elephant Project and the Kenya Bird of Prey Trust.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
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You fly. Scheduled light aircraft leave Nairobi's Wilson airport for Musiara airstrip, the strip that serves the camp, in around forty-five minutes, and the drive in from there is short. We can also charter privately, typically a Cessna Caravan or a Pilatus PC-12, which is worth doing when international arrival times are awkward or the party is large enough to fill the aircraft.
The scheduled Mara flights are circuit routes rather than direct hops, so they sometimes touch down at another strip on the way and the timing moves a little. Soft bags only, and around fifteen kilograms a person including hand luggage.
Yes. The Mara sits at roughly 1,500 to 1,650 metres, and both TravelHealthPro, the UK's official travel health service, and the CDC treat Kenya below 2,500 metres as a malaria area, national reserves included. Both recommend antimalarial tablets for it. The riverine setting at Musiara means mosquitoes are around at dusk in a way they are not on drier ground.
We plan trips rather than practise medicine, so the decision is one for you and your doctor or a travel clinic, and it is worth a fresh check close to departure. Long sleeves after sunset and repellent on exposed skin are sensible whatever you decide.
Yes, children of all ages are taken, and the camp runs family tents that pair a double and a twin around a shared lounge. Babysitting can be arranged.
The camp is unfenced and sits on a river bend, so children need an adult with them at all times, and the staff are used to escorting guests between tents after dark. Tell us their ages when you enquire and we will get the tent configuration and the length of the drives right for them.
Warm days and cool mornings, with dawn game drives cold enough to want a fleece even in the dry months. The long rains fall roughly from March to May and the short rains around November, usually as heavy afternoon storms rather than all-day grey. The months between stay dry and dusty.
Pack neutral colours, layers for the early starts, a hat and strong sun protection, and something waterproof in the green months. Binoculars matter here more than most places, because a lot of the good watching is at distance across open ground.
July to October is the famous window, when the wildebeest are in the reserve and the Mara River crossings happen, and Musiara puts you close to that. It is also the busiest and dearest stretch of the year, and the crossings are unpredictable by nature, so we would never sell them as a certainty.
The rest of the year is quieter and, for many people, better value. The Marsh Pride, the resident plains game and the leopards in the riverine forest are there in every month, and the green season from November and again from March turns the plains properly lush with far fewer vehicles about.
rated five stars by our clients
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
