Matty Grund and Dominika Hüttnerová both returned from Kenya after their first ever safaris!
Their memories include a baby rhino, a cheetah successfully hunting, and some stunning safari camps.
Our travel designers Matty and Dominika prefer different things during their holidays, just like all of our clients. So their Kenya safaris were far from the same.
Returning home, Matty and Dominika both agreed they will definitely go on another safari, that it wasn’t only a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Sharing their photos and experiences, our two travel designers explain the surprises and favourites from their recent trips to Kenya.
Matty Grund stayed at Giraffe Manor, Angama Mara, Mahali Mzuri and Hemingways. Dominika enjoyed two days of safari at the new Angama Amboseli, plus two days at Angama Mara.
The First-Time Safari Experience
What is it like to go on your first safari, especially after you have seen so many other places in the world?
Matty Grund
For sure, safari is an amazing experience. There were so many surprises!
I encountered lots of babies! Baby elephants, baby hippos, baby everything, even a baby rhino in the Masai Mara!
It surprised me how all the animals live next to each other, just metres away. Cheetahs walking around antelope, lions in the middle of all the other animals.
I loved how you can go so deep into nature, especially at Mahali Mzuri. Wake up, open the curtains and hippos were in front of me!
You see the animals, hear the animals, everything is so clear and so close. There are so many details to enjoy. I simply couldn’t imagine them before going on safari.
The camps are great. Nice design, excellent food, good service, and beautiful locations. Just not Giraffe Manor – this place is all hype and I don’t recommend it.
Now I’m inspired to explore more of Africa. Rwanda and the gorillas is high on my list. Also a park called Odzala Kokoua in the Congo, recommended by the famous conservationist and filmmaker Paula Kahumbu, who I met in Kenya.
Dominika Hüttnerová
What an experience! I went with my mum and 100% I’m going on safari again.
For the next safari I’m going to stay longer. We had a very busy program. We wanted to see all the animals and try all the different experiences. So it didn’t feel like I also had time to relax.
Amboseli and the Masai Mara are closeby but they’re like completely different worlds, in terms of animals and landscapes. It’s very interesting, definitely worthwhile exploring more than one destination.
We witnessed lions mating, which was fun. Unfortunately no rhinos, as they were hidden in the bushes.
On one game drive we could see zebras, gazelle and other antelope. Suddenly they all started running. And the cheetah was so quick. It was crazy. In a few seconds the cheetah had caught its prey. It was such an unscripted and unimaginable scene to witness.
The hot air balloon over the Masai Mara was our best experience. We saw lots of animals, landed close to some hyenas, and enjoyed a breakfast picnic on the plains.
Reviewing Different Safari Camps & Properties
One very important feedback from both Matty and Dominika is the difference between a national park and a private conservancy.
Matty said: Mahali Mzuri is a conservancy, which is a big advantage. There aren’t any limits on what you can do. We could drive off road, game drive at night, go wherever we wanted, whenever we wanted.
This helped us see more animals. Whereas Masai Mara National Reserve is only open from sunrise to sunset, you must stick to the trails and high grass limited our view.
Angama Amboseli is a private community-owned conservancy. Driving off road and doing a night safari were great experiences. Some of the sounds in the dark are amazing. As were the hyena sightings.
Angama Amboseli
I loved the layout at Angama Amboseli, says Dominika. They only have ten tended suites, for a max of 20 – 25 people.
Everywhere has perfect views onto Mount Kilimanjaro – such an incredible view when I woke up!
It felt very private and although it was almost full, we didn’t meet other guests. Animals can roam between the tented suites because there are no barriers around the camp. It’s cool, although you need a guard to walk anywhere after dark.
Angama Amboseli has no fixed schedules. You can eat when you want, go out on game drives when you want, do the safari you want.
Angama Amboseli is brand new and the hospitality was very warm. Everybody addressed us by name and we were treated like family, rather than guests.
The safari started the moment we landed at the airstrip. We had a game drive to the camp, with a beautiful bush picnic on the way.
I recommend Angama Amboseli for a first-time safari. We were amazed by our first elephant, but there is nowhere near as much wildlife as in the Masai Mara.
It’s a nice destination for two nights, I wouldn’t stay any longer. And definitely come here at the start rather than the end of your safari.
Mahali Mzuri
In the Mara I saw many elephants, lions, cheetahs, rhinos, hippos, hyenas, and countless other species. Including the ugly five!
Matty experienced two lodges in the Maasai Mara. He says, I preferred Mahali Mzuri to Angama Mara because it felt deeper into nature. Animals were walking around us, just metres away, and I could hear them all through the night.
Mahali Mzuri is part of Richard Branson’s Virgin Limited Edition. The tents are smaller than Angama Mara, although I preferred their style, which is very cosy and African, dominated by warm and bright colours.
We enjoyed destination dining for every meal, which was fantastic. Breakfast on safari, lunch in the bush, barbecues and sundowners in different places.
Wildlife viewing was better here, mostly because it’s a private conservancy, so we could follow animals further by driving off the trail.
Overall I highly recommend Mahali Mzuri. In fact, they are constructing new tents that will open in 2026, so I want to return and stay for a second time.
Angama Mara
Angama Mara is located high on a ridge, overlooking all of the Masai Mara grasslands. The views are incredible.
For Dominika this quieter location was an advantage, especially for a longer stay. Matty preferred being on the grasslands at Mahali Mzuri, because “you see more details and it’s deeper in a wildlife area.”
Angama Mara offers a huge menu of things to do, says Dominika. You can enjoy sundowners spots, the pool and spa, and a photography studio. It’s not just a wildlife safari.
She recommends four nights, so you have time to relax as well as varied activities, like a game walk with a Masai tribesman, learning about their culture and how they use different plants.
Another is lunch in the organic gardens. “We picked the food with the chef, who then prepared it all. And what a view!” adds Dominika.
I 100% recommend the sunrise hot air balloon over the Mara. it was the best experience on the entire trip. You fly very low and can easily see many animals – we almost landed on a clan of hyenas, which was scary but the crew are so experienced working and living among wild animals.
Marketing Director Stephen Bailey also visited Angama Mara in 2022. He describes it as “an opulent tented lodge, overlooking the plains. Spacious, relaxed, elegant and full of things to do.”
He recommends to also stay two nights at Angama Safari Camp, a mobile, exclusive-use camp located inside Masai Mara National Reserve. The facilities are limited but you have the Masai Mara for yourself after dark.
Giraffe Manor
Matty’s conclusion is that Giraffe Manor is not worth it. The price per room is crazy and the accommodation is poor quality.
I think Giraffe Manor is just an Instagram famous thing.
It’s located in Nairobi, where most people have to spend a night, either post arrival or pre departure. So you would think Giraffe Manor is a good choice.
However, most flights from Europe land or depart late at night. Giraffe Manor check in is strictly at midday. If you arrive earlier, you must wait until they open the hotel gate. Check out is strictly at 10am. You must pay hundreds of euros extra just to stay in the hotel garden.
There are only 12 rooms, all quite small and old. Feeding giraffe directly from the window is only possible in nine of the rooms.
The giraffes come to the hotel between 7am and 9am, for the famous breakfast feeding. Then they leave to the adjoining giraffe conservation centre. At 5pm they return for feeding from the rooms.
Anybody can visit the conservation centre to meet and feed giraffe, for an entry fee of $25. Instead of paying $2500 for a small room at Giraffe Manor.
Worst of all are the limitations Giraffe Manor puts on an itinerary. It’s booked up around nine months in advance and only bookable if you stay at another safari property from the same collection. This is unnecessarily restrictive in a country with many great properties.
Once you go on a safari, you see hundreds of giraffes anyway, so Giraffe Manor is only for taking Instagram photos and videos.
Hemingways
Hemingways Nairobi is a much better choice in the capital city. It’s an all-suite concept and the overall hotel quality is far higher than Giraffe Manor. At around a quarter of the price.
It reminded me of Miami in style, continues Matty, with a nice big hotel pool, mix of guests and locals at the bar, plus a restaurant area overlooking the gardens.
This is a nice relaxed hotel that is conveniently located in Nairobi for pre or post safari. And you can still easily go to feed giraffe if you want.
Your Kenya Safari
Matty and Dominika have more to share, like their first-hand experiences of flying between safari destinations on local flights.
Touching down on dusty airstrips close to elephants is part of the safari! But you must be aware of stops on route and consider the value of private safari transfers, especially if you are four or more travelling together.
What about your safari options in Tanzania? Or the gorillas of Rwanda? Our team has the experience to create your trip. And the local partners, like Angama, to deliver a custom safari of a lifetime.
Except, safari isn’t a one off. Experience it for the first time, and you’ll be going back.
