菲斯露營酒店(Fisi Camp)

We stayed at Fisi Camp for three nights in 2018 and were delighted with our stay. The staff were friendly, the local community were happy to see us on our drive to the gates, the food was good and the animals in the Sopa region of the Mara (where the camp is located) were phenomenal. The only downside was the poor conditions of the guides' sleeping quarters which were raised during our last visit and were assured were being improved. We therefore chose to return in 2022 for five nights (we left after three) and we brought our friends along too. What a mistake! Whilst the guest tents were unchanged from our initial visit, this is also true of the guide's accommodation which we had been told four years ago was being improved. The food tasted okay whilst at the camp but the day we left one of our party developed severe sickness and diarrhea - it turned out to be giardia - a parasite picked up from unclean drinking water or food cooked or washed in unclean water. Unclean water that is contaminated with faeces! Just as well we left early otherwise we might all have contracted it. The doctor advised that the infection would have occured within 48 hours of symptoms starting so the only place it could have been picked up from was Fisi Camp. As mentioned, we left the camp after three nights, we would have left after two if we could have. The reasons for this lay outside the camp itself however they made the camp an unpleasant place to stay so are pertinent to a review of our experience of staying there. Firstly, the Sopa region of the Masai Mara has been decimated. Local Masai take their cows, goats and sheep into the reserve to eat the grass (even though this is against the reserve rules). This means there is no grass left for the wild animals. The Sopa pride of lions has moved on and the hundreds of wildebeest we witnessed during our last stay were nonexistent! It takes over an hour's drive into the reserve to begin to see anything beyond agricultural animals and the odd lone zebra or impala. This area of the Mara is nothing like our previous visit and we would not return. Despite the lack of animals, we had planned to remain in the camp and undertake longer game drives to get to the Talek and Mara Triangle regions where the animals were plentiful. However, on our way to the gates on our second day, we encountered the hostility of the local community. At three points along the road to the gate, children hurled rocks at and into the vehicle (narrowly missing a fellow passenger's head). They also purposefully blocked the roads with sheep, cows and goats and would not move unless they were given money or food. The Masai working at the camp were also unfriendly and standoffish. This community directly benefits from Fisi Camp and its guests through school sponsorships and deliveries of maize. In turn, it repays the guests of Fisi Camp in this way. We did not save up for four years to come on a dream trip to be treated in this way by the local community.

We are travel bloggers and have stayed in many places around the world, but Fisi Camp exceeded our expectations. Having lived in Africa, we went to Kenya not wanting a pool and luxury, but an authentic African experience. Fisi Camp gives you that and more. Ken and Marie the owners were great and their story about starting the camp was incredible. The guides for our game drives were Daniel and Alison and we would regard them as the BEST guides in Africa. We were lucky enough to see a crossing at the Mara river of wildebeest, many lions, a leopard kill, a cheetah hunt and much more. Also, just hanging around the fire at night with the Maasai was wonderful and getting to know them was incredible. We are already planning on going back and will definitely be staying at Fisi Camp.

We loved our stay at Fisi camp, just at the entrance of the Masai mara reserve. The view from the camp is really nice and the environment is quiet and peaceful. The safari tents are clean and comfortable with good beds and mosquitoe nets and they all include a private bathroom. The food is good and the staff is extremely nice. Fisi camp also helped us find a friendly driver/guide who picked us up in Nairobi and was really knowledgeable about wild life in the park. We warmly recommand Fisi camp. Good value for money!