Reviews of Julia's River Camp

The staff at Julia's are super friendly, welcoming and helpful. Everything was arranged super smoothly and the team was very helpful also in advance to help us prepare our stay. It's a great location with good rooms/tents. We liked how quiet and low-key it is - and the local connection.

The logistics of safari are complicated, we appreciate that - but somehow the food didn't feel commensurate with the price paid.

Perfect stay, right on the river to see the hippos too :)

The staff as phenomenal!!!

The location was amazing, inside the Masai Mara nature reserve. We could see and hear hippos, crocodiles, baboons and we even saw a lion from our camp while having breakfast one day. The tents are very comfortable, with hot water, and the staff (the game drivers and camp staff) is beyond sweet and helpful. The game drivers made sure all our game drives were epic. My 5 year old made friends with all the staff, and would roam around the camp with them, going to see the animals around. He thoroughly enjoyed his time, and they all took such great care of him. Big shout out to all the security guards, who made our trip unforgettable!

Good place for photographers

Awesome place. Great camp

We have just stayed here for 3 nights as part of our month long Kenyan self drive. We are hardened African Safari guys, who have done ground tents in remote locations with no water (and dig your own toilet) to similar camps like this so not writing as novices. Having read some of the great reviews before booking, we had high hopes for this place - unfortunately we were disappointed. Whilst the camp is in a truly great location on the Talek River that’s where the word great ends. There’s a big difference between eco /authentic and dirty and forgotten! For starters it isn’t actually in the park despite their assurances it is - it isn’t!!!! The Talek Gate is a good 35 minute drive away or it’s a 2 hour drive out past the airstrip where you can cross the river into the park. Chairs around fire are old and torn. Cleanliness is generally lacking throughout the camp - see pics. Whilst the staff are really friendly and helpful, there’s a lack of supervision or management I feel that means there’s more listening to mobiles than cleaning etc. Food was average to very poor and the first nights dinner was freezing cold! They don’t cook the food at Buffalo Camp so it’s brought over from another camp so this probably explains the coldness. Tents are outdated, look old and tatty and you can’t lock. Beds are small and sheets and pillows were dirty. Basics like hand soap bottles by the hand basin were dirty and empty. We had no cold water in the shower so it was scalding and we had to use bottles of cold water to rinse down. Toilets don’t appear to be fixed to anything so when you sit down they almost fall over - it’s all a bit cheaply done. Cracked toilet seats and generally dirty bathrooms aren’t a great look for over £300 per night. Loud music and general noise from staff quarters isn’t in keeping with the signs around the camp asking guests to keep their voices down and isn’t great when you are trying to relax on the balcony!

Julia's Camp is wellsituated on one of the two rivers in the Masai Mara. It is a rustic camp but the service and the food were good.

Although we checked that they had credit card facilities before we arrive when is came to pay the machine did not work.

The camp is very basic. Do not expect too much. There's for example not really a lounge area where you can sit and relax, apart from the dining area....but if you plan to not be at camp a lot, it is ok. The location is a bit tricky to find as there is only one or two signs and you kind of drive up and down to get to it. The tents are an ok size with decent bathrooms and hot showers. Bonus. There is no plug points in the tents so if you want to charge something, you have to leave it in the dining tent. The staff was extremely friendly and tried their best to accommodate us with all our requests etc. The beds comfy. The nice part is, you hear a lot of animals at night. It is very cool. We had hippos and hyenas right outside our tent. They have guards at night to escourt you if you need to leave ypur tent. Close to Talek gate but far enough out of town so that you dont hear the loud music from Talek. Peacefull and quiet. The food was ok for the price. The packed breakfast they made for us was very nice. For the price we paid, it was good overall. As long as you know that this is not a luxury campsite.

The coffee they serve you, are the cheapest you can find in Kenya, they can maybe upgrade that a little. Drinks selection is very poor. Wine quite pricey for the quality. No power points in rooms. Lots of plastic and rubbish in the river and on the banks, the staff can perhaps just clean that up.

This tented camp was in a beautiful location. We enjoyed cooked to order breakfasts and amazing game drives organized by the camp. The showers were great!

The staff was extremely kind, the place is beautiful and it’s really camping in the wild with the comfort of a bed and the safety of security staff