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Mara Hippo Lodge – reviews, photos

C14, Keekorok, Kenya (Masai Mara Reserve), Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Hotel amenities
Mara Hippo Lodge
2.0 of 5 stars 32 Reviews
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32 reviews from our community

    Trip type
Traveller rating
    0
    5
    5
    3
    19
Date Rating
USA
Top Contributor
63 reviews 63 reviews
Reviews in 19 cities Reviews in 19 cities
60 helpful votes 60 helpful votes
“Two Stars in the Mara”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 October 2011

This is a small lodge that has varied accommodation options. There are some wonderful small houses/huts that I found to be very comfortable and clean. Yes, the electricity does go off each night at around nine and on again at six but this is the Mara! The tent section is a bit different, a bit more spartan but convenient to the reason you are there. The restaurant is fair but adequate and the food was ok. I stayed there for a couple of nights and it easily met my needs for the price. The opportunity to be there and witness the migration outweighed the minor inconveniences. I would stay again... the prices were reasonable considering the overpriced options everywhere else.

Room Tip: Choose one of the "huts" running water, clean room with comfortable bed and shower
See more room tips
  • Stayed November 2010, travelled solo
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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London
1 review
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“Total disaster!”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 August 2011
1
person found this review helpful

First of all the hotels website is very misleading, as it shows 5 star quality, when in reality I would not award it any stars. Besides the uncleaniness, there were also health and safety issues such as leaky toilets, showers without drainage, brown tap water, mould and monkeys in the dining room. As if this was not shocking enough, the site of the pool was apalling. This hotel should be viewed by 'NEMA.' Staff were as helpful as they could be, but there was not much they could do as there was no proper maintenance of the rooms. Every guest that arrived after us was also just as dissapointed at the conditions. The overall game drive experience was fine, however we were let down by some arrogant and lazy drivers.

  • Stayed August 2011, travelled with family
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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Kapelle, the Netherlands
Senior Contributor
32 reviews 32 reviews
Reviews in 13 cities Reviews in 13 cities
14 helpful votes 14 helpful votes
“They should be ashamed”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 August 2011

Very friendly staff, BUT poor accomodation. We stayed 3 nights in a tent, with no electricity during the nights. Hygiene in bathroom was terrible. Food was good, only if we were in time before a large group of others were visiting the restaurant. One morning they ran out of breakfast for the four of us, at 7 in the morning!

Bad maintenance.

No I would not recommend this accomodation, sorry for the really friendly staff. Rather spend just a little more money, but find something thats worth the money

  • Stayed August 2011, travelled with family
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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Ask Foxfamily4 about Mara Hippo Lodge
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Renamed to "Impala Wildlife Lodge," it's terrible, dirty, unsanitary, a health hazard”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 July 2011
3
people found this review helpful

BEWARE - The Mara Hippo has changed its name to the Impala Wildlife Lodge, probably because of the terrible reviews it received on Tripadvisor. I just went on safari and was booked into the Impala Lodge (Mara Hippo) for 2 nights (the Impala Lodge had no reviews available on Tripadvisor, which I found surprising), and we had to change lodges after the first night because it was so unsanitary. The water from the sink was brown, there was a cigarette butt in the toilet on arrival, the whole room smelt of sewage, and the shower was dirty and had no hot water (not that I would have showered in that bathroom even with hot water). The staff was very friendly but the place is very run down. Don't let the nice website and new name fool you!

Stayed July 2011, travelled as a couple
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Nuneaton, United Kingdom
Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
“Disgrace”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 March 2011
3
people found this review helpful

What can we say,actually it has made me and my husband ill,the toilet leaked sewerage when flushed it,had to use all towels to stop it going through to the main room
shower waste was full of pubic hair and dirt
my husband was refused entrance in the dining room for dinner,as I hadnt packed his trousers,so 2 nights we went hungry

  • Stayed February 2011, travelled as a couple
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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Additional Information about Mara Hippo Lodge

C14, Keekorok, Kenya (Masai Mara Reserve), Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Price range (per night):* INR2,501

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