Bencia Africa Adventure – A Three-Day Safari – My Review
About My Three-Day Safari with Bencia Africa Adventure Safari
In December of 2022, I went on a three-day safari to Maasai Mara National Reserve with Bencia Africa Adventure Safari. I originally had booked my safari with a different company but chose to switch to Bencia Africa Adventure Safari after corresponding on WhatsApp with Alfred, who is one of the company’s employees. This page will offer an unbias review of my Maasai Mara Safari with Bencia Africa Adventure.
The reason I switched companies days before my safari began was accommodations. The company I had originally booked with had messaged me, explaining I would be sharing an accommodation with one or two random people. Sharing a room was not something that I was interested in, and nothing in the description of the package I booked mentioned a shared accommodation.
I began reaching out to various companies on WhatsApp and came across Bencia Africa Adventure Safari. Upon talking to Alfred, I knew that this company would go above and beyond to make sure that I had an amazing time at Maasai Mara National Reserve. Alred contacted numerous tent camps and lodges to make sure I would have the best accommodations and assured me I would not be sharing a room with anyone.
I ended up booking a three-day safari with two different accommodations. The first night I would stay at Enkorok Tented Camp, which was a semi-luxury accommodation. The next night I would be at a budget accommodation at the Miti Mingi Eco Camp. I was surprised to learn that the cost of this package was only $638, which was actually only about $40 more than the original package I booked.
Alfred confirmed that I would be picked up at my hotel in Nairobi at 7:30 am by a man named George, who would serve as our guide. I highly recommend Bencia Africa Adventure Safari. I have been on over 100 tours, and this one definitely ranks in the top five. Below are photos of some of the animals that I saw during my three-day safari to Maasai Mara National Reserve.
On the day of my safari, George arrived to pick me up just after 7:30 am. Already in the van were two friends from Japan who would be joining me on the safari. George explained that we needed to go to the Bencia Africa Adventure Safari office to pick up two other passengers so the Japanese tourists could pay for their tour.
We arrived at the office, and I decided to visit the office as well. I wanted to thank Alfred for his help and give him a tip. When I booked the tour, I thought I needed to pay the entry fee to the park. Alfred explained that everything was included except for tips.
After about ten minutes in the office, we returned to the van. Joining us was a newlywed couple from Nairobi who had lived in Kenya their entire life but had never visited Maasai Mara.
Also joining us was a man named John, who would serve as the cook for those staying at the Miti Mingi Eco Camp.
We departed for Maasai Mara National Reserve around 8:30 am, fighting the traffic of downtown Nairobi. While the drive wasn’t the most pleasant experience of my life, it was definitely worth it to see the amazing animals of Maasai Mara National Reserve.
Bencia Africa Adventure - A Three-Day Safari - My Review - Table of Contents
- About My Three-Day Safari with Bencia Africa Adventure Safari
- Getting to Maasai Mara National Reserve
- Accommodations at Maasai Mara – A Review of Enkorok Tented Camp
- Accommodations at Maasai Mara – Miti Mingi Eco Camp
- The Bencia Africa Adventure Safari Van
- Bencia Africa Adventure Safari – My Experience at Maasai Mara National Reserve
- Visiting a Maasai Village
- Maasai Mara Tours and Packages
- Support Buzzin’ Around the World – Visit Our Affiliates
- Earning Points and Rewards
- Related Content
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Getting to Maasai Mara National Reserve
The trip to Maasai Mara National Reserve is not that enjoyable. This statement doesn’t reflect negatively on Bencia Africa Adventure Safari, as I don’t believe the journey would be pleasant with any company. The traffic in and around Nairobi is horrendous, and it takes close to two hours to get out of the city. Just outside of Nairobi, there is a hill that descends into the Great Rift Valley, which has the worst traffic I’d ever experienced.
Thankfully, right as I was starting to feel nauseous, we stopped at an observation area to view the Great Rift Valley. The 20 minutes of fresh air was exactly what I needed to feel better.
I really enjoyed the Great Rift Valley viewpoint. The valley looked so different than anything I’d ever seen before. I was also thrilled to see that in about 5 kilometers, the ride would flatten out for a bit, and hopefully, my stomach would settle.
At the viewpoint, I purchased a bag of chips and a Coke Zero, which I hoped would help calm my stomach.
For about the next two hours, the ride was much more comfortable. I fell asleep and woke up as the van was coming to a stop. I had hoped we were at lunch, but quickly realized that the van was having mechanical problems. It turns out that we had just gone up a massive hill, and the van had overheated. Our vehicle was one of over twenty that had overheated at the top of the hill.
Thankfully, there were local mechanics on motorcycles who came around with engine coolant. Within 45 minutes, our van was working again and was back on our way to Maasai Mara National Reserve. While the mechanic was working on the van, I enjoyed watching the Maasai herd their cows across the road.
Around 2:00 pm, we arrived at Restaurant Olare, where we would be eating lunch. Our lunch was already paid for and served buffet style. George told us to take about 30 minutes to eat and look around the attached gift shop.
The food at restaurant Olare was excellent. I ate slow-cooked beef with rice, vegetables, and noodles. I also made a few purchases at the gift shop of carved animal sculptures from the local Maasai. Had I known that there would be many more opportunities, at cheaper prices, to purchase these items, I would have likely not bought anything.
The next three hours of the drive were pretty miserable. Shortly after lunch, the road becomes dirt and is very bumpy. George did his best to give us a smooth ride, and I tried to keep my lunch in my stomach by sticking my head out the open window.
We arrived at Maasai Mara National Reserve around 5:00 pm. George said that we were going to stop at Miti Mingi Eco Camp so the four other tourists could check into their accommodations. Once they were checked in, George said we would enter the park, and then after a short safari, he would take me to my accommodation. We did get slowed down a bit by what George called a “Maasai Traffic Jam.”
It was a long journey, almost nine hours with traffic and stops, but we finally arrived at Maasai Mara National Reserve. George took our passports and purchased our tickets to enter the reserve. While we waited, we were bombarded by Maasai selling crafts and sculptures. I ended up purchasing quite a few items for about 1/10th of the price I had paid at the gift shop.
We saw quite a few animals during the 90 minutes we spent inside the park. The next day, we would have a full-day safari, which would last 12 hours.
Maasai Mara Accommodations - A Review of Enkorok Tented Camp
As I stated earlier, I spent one night at the Enkorok Tented Camp and one night at the Miti Mingi Eco Camp. I thoroughly enjoyed the Enkorok Tented Camp and my stay in the Simba tent. Each tent was named and had multiple beds with mosquito nets. The tents had electricity that was available for 24 hours, as well as a shower and toilet. I felt that the Enkorok Tented Camp was very similar to a standard hotel room.
The shower at the Ekorok Tented Camp had good shower pressure and plenty of hot water. To get hot water, I had to let the shower run for about five minutes. Next to the shower was a cabinet and sink, and there were plenty of towels.
The Enkorok Tented Camp also had a flush toilet inside my tent that was very clean.
The night I stayed at the Enkorok Tented Camp was Christmas Eve, and dinner was served buffet style. Dinner included rice, noodles, potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and grilled steak. I thought this meal was excellent, and throughout the meal, one of the Maasai sang Christmas carols while playing the guitar.
Accommodations at Maasai Mara - Miti Mingi Eco Camp
The next night I stayed at the Miti Mingi Eco Camp. This camp was a budget camp and was not nearly as enjoyable. One of my biggest complaints about this camp is that the tents were all within a few feet of each other. My neighbors were quite loud throughout the night, which made it tough to sleep.
Also, the plumbing in my tent leaked, which meant I had to walk through a few inches of water to use the toilet. I did not take any photos of my accommodations at the Miti Mingi Eco Camp but picture a small gray tent with two beds and a shower and toilet.
I did enjoy the meals at the Miti Mingi Eco Camp, which were cooked by Bencia Africa Adventure Safari’s chef John. Below are photos of dinner and breakfast. Most of the visitors at Miti Mingi Eco Camp ate from a community buffet. Many of them came over and wanted to eat our food which was expertly prepared by Chef John.
The Bencia Africa Adventure Safari Van
I really enjoyed the Bencia Africa Adventure Safari van. In addition to the front seats, the van had three rows of seats. With only five passengers, everyone had their own window. The windows slid open, and the pop-up top allowed us an undisturbed view of the Maasai Mara animals.
My only complaint about the Bencia Africa Adventure Safari van is that it did overheat on the way to Maasai Mara National Reserve. That being said, it seemed like many of the vehicles overheated on the hill, and George, our guide, quickly took care of the problem.
The photo below (not our van) shows how the pop-up top makes it easy to view the animals. All five of us could stand and comfortably view the wildlife at the same time.
Many companies use modified Toyota Land Cruisers instead of vans. I thought our van worked fine for our safari. Throughout the safari, we had plenty of room and great views of the animals of Maasai Mara. I am not sure if Bencia Africa Adventure Safari uses Land Cruisers on some of their packages.
Bencia Africa Adventure Safari - My Experience at Maasai Mara National Reserve
The highlight of my three-day Maasai Mara Safari with Bencia Africa Adventure Safari was the second day. We spent 12 full hours inside Maasai Mara National Reserve, which included a stop for lunch that had been expertly prepared by Chef John.
Our guide George did everything he could to put us in the position to see as many different types of animals as possible. George had a CB radio, where he was in contact with other guides. This communication helped us know where the active animals were.
George and Bencia Africa Adventure Safari had stated that they couldn’t promise we would see lions and cheetahs. Within two hours of arriving at Maasai Mara, we saw a pride of lions on the prowl. George stated that this was “very rare.”
One of the things that I liked best about George and Bencia Africa Adventure Safari is that they followed the rules and didn’t harass the animals. George put us in a position to get stunning photos but never once did I feel we were bothering the wildlife. Many of the other guides drove at the wildlife in an attempt to get them to run or move around.
I can assure you that from my experience Bencia Africa Adventure Safari is a reputable company that cares about its customers and the safety of the beautiful animals.
Sometimes during our Maasai Mara National Reserve safari, we had to wait our turn. In the photo below, a lion was sleeping under a tree. While some vehicles would try to jump the line, George had us wait our turn. I appreciated his professionalism as I believe everyone should have a fair chance to see the wildlife.
As we were driving in search of elephants, I asked George how close we were to Tanzania. I had just looked at my map, and it appeared we were within a few miles of the border. George said that we could go to the border and that I could walk into Tanzania. It was fun to be able to technically add another country to my list of places I have visited.
After the Kenya/Tanzania border, we drove to the Mara River. This stop would be where we would eat our lunch.
We also had a chance to go on a 30-minute guided hike around the banks of the river. This hike was the only part of the safari that wasn’t included in the initial cost. I tipped the guide 1,000 Kenyan Schillings ($8) to guide us. The guide was an armed park ranger who was prepared to keep us safe if any animals threatened us.
I have an entire page that is dedicated to the animals that I saw on my safari with Bencia Africa Adventure Safari. That page can be viewed by clicking HERE.
During my time touring with Bencia Africa Adventure Safari, I saw the following animals: lions, cheetahs, hippos, elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, baboons, Cape or African buffalo, hyenas, impala, gazelles, topi, ostriches, crocodiles, warthogs, mongoose, and a variety of birds. The only animals that we didn’t see were leopards and rhinos. George stated that both of those were extremely rare.
Visiting a Maasai Village
On the final day, before we left to return to Nairobi, we had a chance to visit a Maasai Village. The cost of the Maasai Village was an additional 2,000 Keynan Schillings ($16). Visiting the village was a unique experience as I got to learn about Maasai society and witness the Maasai perform a ceremonial dance. At the end of the dance, I was invited to join in, which I did. I am not a good dancer, so this was definitely outside my comfort zone.
I recommend adding the Maasai Village as it is not that expensive, and the entire tour only lasts around 30 minutes. The Maasai tribe that I visited runs the Miti Mingi Eco Camp, and I was happy to support them financially and learn about their culture.
Maasai Mara Tours and Packages
If you would like to purchase this tour with Bencia Africa Adventure Safari you can do so by clicking this LINK. Please note that I am an affiliate of Viator. If you purchase a package using one of my links, I will receive a small commission. This commission is at no additional cost to you.
If you prefer to book directly with Bencia Africa Adventure Safari you can visit their website by clicking HERE. If you book directly with them, I will not receive a commission.
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