Reviews of Kicheche Mara
(99%) From 21 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Kicheche Mara review
This location afforded the best viewing of animals ...so many animals including leopard (a first for me) and so much more. I again had the pleasure of our two incredible guides, Jimmy and Francis. I spent most of the time there with Francis, again because of a shared passion for the bird life.
We saw many families of animals, including mongoose, hyena, lion etc., etc. Even say a lioness transferring her very young cubs to a new location. These last days on safari were truly magical.
I would also like to mention the 2 wondeful managers, especially Tony, who took the time to introduce me to the local expert in medicinal plants (a long standing interest of mine, which has taken me to other parts of Africa to study traditional medicine). Tony did an excellent job of simultaneous interpretation and it was a fascinating time.
The only negative with respect to Mara North was its size (many more people than we were used to) and this led to a loss of familiarity. Meals were served at a very long table which made conversation difficult and it was noisy. Having said that, I do understand that business is business!
Brilliant Kicheche Mara Camp
Thanks to everyone for another wonderful stay at Kicheche Mara Camp, including Aki, Andy and Raymond - all very convivial managers. Thank you too, Michael for your thought for the day each evening and your consideration in providing one for me to read in Nairobi on my journey home!
Brilliant food. Amazing location and comfortable tents. Very well looked after throughout.
So many exciting wildlife experiences thanks to the knowledge and skill of Francis. Staying 6 nights again allowed for patience to wait, absorbing the atmosphere and letting situations unfold to generate a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the residents of this amazing corner of Africa.
Every visit seems to get better. I don't think I've ever seen so many lions!
Happy experience
Enjoyed my stay here. Aki was lovely, very kind and helpful, my guides David and intern John were excellent, the staff in general very attentive (and the animal sightings were brilliant). This tented camp has a great atmosphere, relaxed and friendly, and the staff really seem to care that you have a happy time here and go out of their way to make sure you do.
Read more about the whole safariMy favourite camp
I love this camp more than any other I have stayed at.
It is set in a beautiful valley with fantastic views from the tents. The staff are very welcoming and remember you when you make return visits.
Also, the wildlife viewing in Mara North is excellent.
Kicheche Mara review
The tents at Kicheche Mara were simpler affairs than those at the other two Kicheche camps where we stayed, smaller and with less natural ventilation and no enclosed sitting area, but their location above a shady tree-lined creek bed was arguably the most attractive setting we had. Although the food was a little more straightforward than at Laikipia, that wasn’t an issue with us, and everything was very good.
The gracious and outgoing manager, Raymond, was very hands-on, and our guide, Francis, was excellent. His intuition, determination, and patience paid off, leading us to witness an unforgettable kill by a single lionness. Francis could tell that she was interested in this particular hunt, and at his urging, we stayed with her over the course of several hours until it all unfolded just as he had predicted it might. Now that is superb guiding.
As at the other Kicheche properties, morning drives began at 6:00 AM, with breakfast in the bush and returns shortly after noon, just in time to freshen up before lunch at 1:00 (unless you were on a great sighting, and then lunch became secondary). This is exactly the type of camp we desired — it had everything we needed, but management never lost sight of the fact that we were here for the wildlife.
Only 4 of the 6 tents were occupied during our stay, but to Kicheche’s credit, they kept all their guides and vehicles operating, so we each had a private guide and vehicle, which was an exceptional privilege and really enhanced our experience there.
I could not be happier with the ethos behind Kicheche’s approach to safari. They’ve really got their priorities in order, and the fact that the majority of guests we met at both Mara and Bush camps were repeat customers (some had been coming for years) is a testament to their success in this area.
Kicheche Mara review
Another excellent camp. Location was fantastic. Felt at home straight away with the host Ray and all of the team. Guiding from Anthony was excellent. Very knowledgeable and a really nice guy. Tents were more than generous and kept nice and clean. Great leopard sightings. Cheetah and lions feeding. A real wildlife highlight to my trip. Thank you so much for a great experience .
Read more about the whole safariExceptional safari at Kicheche Mara
Kicheche Mara camp was tremendous. Great wildlife, fantastic setting. Camp managers Andrea and Manuela are wonderful hosts and it felt like being with old friends.Joseph is a brilliant guide who understands the requirements of photographers and has his finger on the pulse of the environment. The cuisine was great and plentiful.
I love the spacious feeling of the camp with tents well-spread along the valley among large shady trees. Wildlife visits all the camps but it is more visible here and very relaxed within the camp.
I would happily return to any of the three Kicheche camps in the Mara conservancies but especially Kicheche Mara.
It is difficult to imagine how a safari could be better.
Kicheche Mara - a really beautiful camp
The approach to the camp, and its setting, are really beautiful. Just thinking about it while I'm writing this feedback is so uplifting!
But this camp is not just a 'pretty face', it has real substance in the form of abundant and diverse wildlife shown to you by phenomenal guides.
This was my third visit and we are already planning our next trip.
Kicheche Mara
We stayed at 2 kicheche camps, the Kicheche Bush Camp and the Kicheche Mara. This is what I said about the Kicheche Bush Camp
"Fantastic. The managers, Darren & Emma are very personable and go out of their way to make sure that guests are looked after.
Nothing is too much trouble.The food and wine are first class. The guides all hold silver qualifications under the Kenya Professional Guide scheme. All of them regularly accompany professional photographers and as a result they instinctively put guests in the best position to view animals and to take photographs. They explain what animals have been sighted in the conservancy over the last few days and which are with cubs. They will then plan game drives which suit what the guest wants to view. You have the option to have packed breakfasts or lunches depending on what you want to see."
After staying at Bush Camp we stayed in the Mara Camp. Everything I wrote about the Bush Camp applies to the Mara camp where Andreas and Manuela are the managers. They are Italian and bring a delightful Italian influence to some of the dishes at this camp. They are both charming and knowledgeable about Kenya it's wildlife and people.
The mara camp is in an area which is ideal for sightings of lions, cheetah and leopards.
Brilliant stay at Kicheche Mara
Even if this is quite a big camp with its 8 tents, these are placed unusually far apart which gives each party a lot of privacy. The tents are huge, very cosy and nicely decorated and sleep up to four people. Maybe that´s why this camp was visited by many families during our stay.
Everything at this camp was run smoothly and super efficiently by the Italian managers Manuela and Andrea. They were the most sympathetic and relaxed managers we ever met. We cannot praise them highly enough. As we had problems as to where to hang our washing, they really listened and already the next day, they had introduced a discretely placed new washing line at all tents. A washing line for the laundry that the staff cannot wash, is something that we had missed at all camps we visited so far.
Food is excellent here and no effort was spared as to fulfil my dietary needs. The cook, who even came in person to our table, baked the most delicious special rice bread just for me. All the staff was great.
The highlights of our stay were the game drives with our outstanding guide David, who has a lovely personality. It was a pleasure to spend our days in his company. He was very responsive to our interests and every day made suggestions for us to choose from. Mara North was teeming with wildlife and among many memorable sightings, we witnessed the unfolding drama of two jackals chasing and killing an impala fawn, through outsmarting the impala mother and the whole herd. Next thing, the carcass got stolen by a passing hyena.
We spent the lion's share of an afternoon with the Offbeat lion pride, watching the older cubs stalking each other, jumping high into the air while playing rough, three of them even went up a tree, all of them together. We also had several heartwarming encounters with elephant mothers and their young, who were calmly surrounding us at close range. Their obvious trust was deeply moving.
Most of our time each day we spent watching and photographing a cheetah mother, probably Amani, with her two cubs. Mostly we were the only vehicle there, except for a film team.
