Review: Mara Toto Camp, Kenya

When I found out there was a camp called Toto, I was convinced the stars had aligned.  I mean, Toto, the greatest company of all time—the Japanese manufacturer of the greatest invention in human history: the electronic toilet.  Clearly, my life had been leading up to this one moment.  In reality, “Toto” actually means “baby” in Swahili because the camp is small, but I’m not about to let facts ruin a good story.

And is it ironic that a camp called Toto came into existence because of a flood?  This camp used to be known as Mara Expedition, but after flooding hit the area, they moved it, rebuilt it, and renamed it Mara Toto.  It’s almost poetic—reborn from the water.  Unlike its Japanese namesake, which is more about making sure things disappear, permanently.

Setting

Mara Toto is nestled in a secluded spot along the Ntiakitiak River in the Maasai Mara.  It’s less than a five-minute drive from its more exclusive sibling, Mara Plains.  Both camps sit close to the boundary of the Maasai Mara National Reserve, but the key difference here is that Mara Toto is not on a private concession—it’s in the wild west of the Mara Reserve.  In the Reserve, chaos reigns.  It’s basically a free-for-all, with vehicles piling up at popular sightings like it’s a Black Friday sale.  There are no restrictions on how many vehicles can gather around a sighting, so be prepared for things to go from crowded to stampede in no time.  On top of that, the Reserve operates on a strict 6:00 AM to 6:30 PM schedule, which means no off-roading or night drives—basically, you’re locked into daylight hours and main roads.  What are we?  Whatever the opposite of vampires?  Humans?  No, forget that.

Toto also has access to the private Mara North, but it is a 30-40-minute drive away.

Getting there

After leaving Mara Nyika, I embarked on what should have been a 45-minute drive to Mara Toto, but in true safari fashion, the journey turned into a three-hour adventure.  We had the privilege of witnessing a baby topi being born—a rare and beautiful moment.  It perfectly summed up the essence of a safari: patience.  I couldn’t help but feel sorry for another vehicle that passed by, commenting, “This is going to take a while”, before driving off.  Not even 10 minutes later, out popped the topic.  Pardon me, did I say I felt sorry?  I meant I manically laugh at them.  Fools.

Facilities

First (and final) impressions were very positive.  Mara Toto is a serious step up from Nyika when it comes to design—so much so that it reminds me of when Sitatunga Private Island came along and marked a new era for Great Plains.  The facilities themselves aren’t vastly different, but the design is where it truly shines.  It’s smaller than Nyika, but boy, it looks better and turns it into an attractive offering.

Toto immediately greets you with an elevated bridge that guides you through the camp – straight to the main area or go right to the rooms.  A small river winds around the property, offering a peaceful backdrop—at least until you go into the Reserve.  Sensibly, everything is elevated in order to avoid more flooding and shutting the camp down yet  again.

There’s a boutique near the entrance, but otherwise all the facilities are in a small area.  That area has some lovely touches—a boma for those fireside nights, outdoor dining that’s nicely shaded during the day so you’re not roasting under the sun, and a cosy indoor library/lounge tucked behind.  The dining table is large should you somehow get trapped into some non-mandatory communal dining, and the décor is much more refined here, with lighter, better furniture that adds to the sense of luxury.  Like the other Great Plains lodges, there’s a help-yourself bar and there’s no internet – it’s restricted to your room.

As for spa and gym?  Nope, still none of that.  But I did have a massage in the room.  There was no consultation and I mentioned I wanted upper body focus, and yet she spent half the time on my legs.  Oddly enough, it was actually good.  Maybe us men don’t know what we want either.

Rooms

There are only four rooms at Mara Toto.  Each has this big, solid wooden door to greet you, and the moment you step in, the living room just floods with light thanks to all the netting.  It feels like a place you actually want to spend time in—lighter colors everywhere, way more inviting than the usual dark safari lodge vibe.  The downside?  It’s hot, and while there’s a fan blowing, there’s no overhead fan, so you’re basically getting warm air circulated.  At times I assumed I was having a cardiac arrest, but that was just my body trying to cool me down.

The living area itself is cosy—a soft rug underfoot when you walk in, with a sofa, coffee table, two chairs, and a minibar.  There’s also a desk in the corner, but don’t think you’ll be working from here—it’s more decorative than functional.

In the bedroom, the bed faces outward, with a luggage area and two wardrobes behind it.  There’s another desk in the corner, this one actually set up for work, and plenty of plugs.  The room even has a pillow selection, which is a nice touch, and another cosy rug on the floor.  That said, there are no plugs by the bed, which always annoys me, especially as it’s the only part of the room with a fan.  Have mercy and let me waste my free time on YouTube whilst semi-cool.  They did throw in some dumbbells behind the bed, so I guess I can pretend to work out while I’m here.

Outside, there’s a small dining area off to the right of the main door, down a few steps.  The balcony in front of the room has some nice touches—a bike in the shade, two swinging chairs, a canoe-like sofa, and a couple more chairs.  Oh, and that famous bike—this one comes with a screen, so you can pretend you’re cycling somewhere interesting.

The bathroom has a separate room for the toilet, and a large shower set in the middle of the room, similar to what you’d find at Nyika.  But once again, far more spacious and with more luxurious materials.

The most annoying element is having to turn each lamp off individually at night like you’re treasure-hunting for sleep.  There should be some division of the United Nations that mandates against that by now.

Overall, the room is beautiful and once again, like Sitatunga Private Island, shows Great Plains is on the right path.

Food

The system is the same as other Great Plains camps: breakfast mostly out in the bush, which can transform into a surprise bush breakfast at any moment.  Lunch a single plate, which they’ll modify if you wish, followed by one dessert.  For dinner, you pick your meal at 4pm, before the drive, which makes way more sense than deciding when you’re still stuffed from lunch, which is what they did at Mara Nyika.  You have a single starter, choice of three mains, and a single desert.  I never felt hungry here, and the quality was excellent.  Although too excellent, as even though I didn’t feel hungry, I was tricked (that’s the excuse I’m going with) to snack on all the goodies they kept offering on the game drives and before the 4pm ride.

Strangely, they kept forgetting to show me the menu and ask what I wanted, so perhaps that’s what they do it that way at Mara Nyika, so no one can escape the process.  For the first lunch, they didn’t even show me the board and served it straight up, which then continued on throughout.  Honestly, though, it was spot on.  Dishes varied like baked chicken leg with thyme and cherry tomatoes, red quinoa vegetable pilaf, mango and avocado salad with mixed greens.

They were on top of my allergies right from the start, which was great.  I used to look at paying these rates and all inclusive and feeling I wanted to get my moneys worth, whereas now I am grateful I get exactly what I need, rather than excessive.  It’s also better for the environment which is what these companies preach too.

If you asked me whether the food is better here or at Nyika, I honestly couldn’t pick—both are top-notch.  Although, Nyika did have honey for breakfast, and here, the cinnamon bun was hard enough to crack a tooth.  The bread tasted a bit stale too, so the pastry chef could use some work.  Ok, so that answered the question, Nyika was better.  But the meals themselves were excellent.

Service

Like other Great Plains camps, they keep things simple.  You have a small team looking after you, like a dedicated waiter for all your meals, and spend the majority of your time with the guide.  Douglas, the manager, was really charming and charismatic, handling things smoothly. William, the waiter, was absolutely lovely and always on it, with a big smile on his face.

The weather was particularly bad one evening and they setup a dinner outside by room, under the canopy – candles everywhere, all just for me. Would’ve been romantic if, you know, I had someone with me.  Or at least a sock puppet to keep me company.  Even though it was chucking it down the area is very well covered.

The biggest thing Great Plains really needs to fix is how they pass along information between their lodges. It’s the same issue I encountered in Botswana—they should be taking note of preferences, so I don’t have to start from scratch every time I move camps. It also wouldn’t hurt if the guides paid more attention to the small requests. I’d ask for something simple and then the next day, it’s like I never mentioned it. I’m not asking for anything nefarious here, like crushed elephant tusks, just some honey.

Activities

As far as sightings go, watching a lion through a closed plastic window in the rain from 100 meters away?  Yeah, I’ve had better.  My guide was enthusiastically narrating what he could see through his binoculars—lions near a buffalo, dragging away a body while hyenas moved in.  He may as well have sent me a telegram while I stayed in bed.  Because guess what?  We couldn’t off-road to get a proper look.

Then came the river crossing on the Reserve—the usual 40 vehicles jockeying for position.  Absolute chaos getting there, but once you’re in place, everyone stays in line, and you can at least enjoy the sight without a circus around you.  The experience is incredible, with wildebeest literally stomping on crocodile heads, and the crocs having the nerve to move out of the way.  They must be on Ozempic like the rest of the world, because they couldn’t care less.  Nothing!  Put them on the payroll next time.

We had rain both evenings, and the last one was such a write-off I started asking other guests what they saw, thinking my river crossing encounter would outshine them.  Turns out, they watched a pride of six lions hunt a wildebeest.  Last time I ever ask anyone that question.  That put me in my place.

On the final morning, we drive past Mara Plains where all hell is breaking loose with lions and hyenas, but we don’t have traversing rights, so we just had to keep going.  They need something like Singita/Londolozi, where you swap one vehicle in for a proper look.  But still, we managed a phenomenal lion and hyena encounter in Mara North—one of those moments that almost makes you forget the earlier chaos.  Almost.

The bottom line is that while I can complain about who gets access to what, the actual sightings and overall experience were nothing short of phenomenal.

Yep, that’s a crocodile in the middle there.

Other places to consider

Mara Plains

Maasai Mara, Kenya

4/5

Angama Mara

Maasai Mara, Kenya

Mara Nyika

Maasai Mara, Kenya

3.5/5

The Good

• Food
• Service
• Spacious, luxurious rooms and facilities

The Bad

• It is not on a private concession

The Luxurious

• Incredible animal sightings

Conclusion

I arrived and knew within minutes that this place would surpass Mara Nyika.  I actually wanted to go around and photograph everything.  It deserves the attention.   The entire issue is the conservancy and getting to Mara North taking 40 minutes, when Mara Plains is nearby and you could stay there instead.  If Mara Nyika had the same facilities/design then it would be an absolute no brainer.  However, one point I must always relate to, is that a lot of people come on safari maybe once ever or once every number of years, and if you really want to be in Kenya and the Mara, it’s a solid option as you will end up seeing almost everything you want and then some.