This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more

Skip to main content

Talk to an expert 1-800-242-2434 Lines open now

User menu
Kicheche Valley
Kicheche Valley
Kicheche Valley
Kicheche Valley
Kicheche Valley
Kicheche Valley
Kicheche Valley

Kicheche Valley: Our full report

The newest of three Kicheche camps in the Mara region in Kenya, the upmarket and unfenced Kicheche Valley ...

... Camp opened in 2011. The camp is set in a secluded, wooded valley in the eastern part of the Mara Naboisho Conservancy. A spring close to the central dining and lounge area attracts plentiful wildlife.

Unlike Kicheche Bush Camp and Kicheche Mara Camp, Kicheche Valley is a much more permanent structure, with a crazy-paving central area. Solid platforms of timber decking, built atop foundations of rock on the hillside, support the six identical, very spacious guest tents. Octagonal in design, these have huge mosquito-screen ''windows'', and are very comfortably furnished in a mixture of styles. Inside are double or twin beds, a writing table and chair, and a good-sized sofa. One note we found slightly jarring is the pale laminate flooring and pale wood furniture in the tents, which, while practical, this feels oddly suburban and out of keeping with the otherwise generally rustic, mellow tones of the camp. There are no family tents at Kicheche Valley, however triples can be accommodated.

The bathrooms are fitted out hotel-style, with round white ceramic double basins on a pale wooden stand. Hot water is provided on request from a wood burner behind each tent and showers are fully plumbed. At the front, on the deck, a pair of wicker veranda chairs and a small table provide the perfect spot for scanning the trees in the valley, or the savannah beyond.

The camp uses filtered and purified water for guests' drinking water which are provided in large water dispenses in each tent and in the main area – though bottled water is available on request at no charge. 24-hour electricity for charging batteries at wall sockets in the tents is another feature.

Kicheche Valley is a hosted camp, and the staff and management bend over backwards to accommodate the wishes of their guests. Standards of service are as high as they are in the other Kicheche Camps.

The central dining and lounge area consists of a single large tented terrace with comfortable armchairs and sofas, decorated in muted earthy colours, scattered over the crazy paving, and a dining table where guests and hosts eat. Much of the décor around the camp is based around central and West African furniture and artefacts with some more local Swahili touches, but the camp style is overall fairly homely. Overall, it has an earthy, relaxed style.

A small shop sells crafts from communities around Nairobi and this is run by a local masseuse. She also offers various treatments in the small spa which vary between from US$20 to US-$40, which is excellent value.

When it comes to activities, game wildlife drives are top of the list, both day and night, along with game walks with an armed ranger, and bush breakfasts. For guests who stay here during the migration season (roughly defined as July to October inclusive), you may wish to spend a full-day visiting the main Maasai Mara National Reserve to try and catch the wildebeest herds - a popular option. There is an additional charge for this. Like Kicheche Bush and Kicheche Mara camps, Kicheche Valley's vehicles are fully open-sided, four-seater Land Cruisers and there's also one six-seater vehicle for larger groups. The camp tries to offer each party of guests a private vehicle, although this can't be guaranteed if they are full. There's also one six-seater vehicle for larger groups. Guests have a guide assigned to them for the duration of their stay.

On a previous visit to Kicheche Valley in June 2017, we did a short early morning walk out of camp and down into the valley and returned over the hills and back into camp in time for breakfast.

It is also possible to walk from Kicheche Valley to Kicheche Bush Camp and stay overnight at Kicheche Fly Camp. Guests depart Kicheche Valley Camp after lunch, walking about 14km to the fly camp, where the staff will have cooked a meal over the fire. The following day you can then either walk another 14km on to Kicheche Bush Camp, or return back to Kicheche Valley Camp, in time for lunch. This can be an exciting experience, however worth keeping in mind that you will be walking at altitude and a good level of fitness is required.

The acacia woodlands of the Naboisho Conservancy attract high numbers of elephant and giraffe (the biggest population in the Mara eco-system) and the the conservancy's mixture of habitats makes it a paradise for birders. Birdlife around Kicheche Valley is excellent, and if you include the rest of the conservancy, you have a really good chance of seeing species that are rare in the Mara such as bush pipit, northern white-crowned shrike, pygmy falcon, white-headed buffalo weaver, the spectacular crested eagle, martial eagles and Verreaux's eagle owl. Hyraxes on the rocky outcrops around camp are popular with many guests.

Big cats are another draw here. Naboisho has three resident lion prides, totalling some three dozen cats. Three more prides periodically move into Naboisho from Ol Kinyei Conservancy and other areas nearby. Cheetahs are also commonly found in the Naboisho Conservancy, with two different families being seen on our most recent visit in 2019.

In common with all properties in the Mara ecosystem, guests can book early-morning balloon safaris. These lasts approximately around one hour, followed by a bush breakfast with sparkling wine and then a game wildlife drive, arriving back at camp around mid-morning. There are several launch areas and you can expect to be woken as early as 4.00am.

Visits to Nkoilale village cost US$25, which is paid at camp and shared between Nkoilale Community Projects and the village itself. The camp's community relations are very good and there's no hard sell, or indeed any selling of crafts at all, during the visit, which is a refreshing contrast with some of the very commercial villages nearer the national reserve.

Kicheche staff are also very happy to show guests their back- of- house, of which they are very proud. Deservedly so, because in July 2016, Kicheche Valley was awarded the gold eco standard rating by Eco-tourism Kenya and is one of only a select few lodges to have received this award.


Our view

Kicheche Valley is a high-end safari camp, embodying chic rusticity, and is the most comfortable of Kicheche’s three camps in the Mara. We loved the wooded location, the well-established feel of the main dining and lounge areas, and the manager’s enthusiasm for their vegetable garden. This is a great camp for returning Mara enthusiasts who want to relax and enjoy being pampered rather than cram their days with activity.

Parita Masani

Parita Masani

Kenya expert

Geographics

Location
Maasai Mara Conservancies, Kenya
Ideal length of stay
Four nights if the migration is in the area (from August to October) and three at other times of the year.
Directions
Kicheche is very near to the Ol Seki (Naboisho) airstrip. Allow 15–30 minutes’ transfer time.
Accessible by
Fly-and-Transfer

Food & drink

Usual board basis
Full Board & Activities
Food quality
The camp has a good reputation for its food, and they grow their own herbs, pumpkins, peppers and salad crops, so everything is very fresh. Most meals take place in camp, however Kicheche Valley plan to introduce bush dinners – which are likely to be quite a special experience. We did not have the chance to eat here on our most recent visit in February 2019, however in June 2017 we were very impressed by the food.

Most guests go on an early morning wildlife drive with a picnic breakfast, which might include sausage wraps, frittatas, fruit and cereal. If you dine in camp a cooked breakfast is available too.

Lunch is usually light and healthy. Previously we had a choice of either a roast vegetable pizza or a meat pizza along with a beetroot salad and a green salad. This was finished off with an almond tart served with cream.

Dinner is more formal, with heartier courses. We had pumpkin and sweetcorn soup served with freshly baked bread rolls. This was followed by tasty roast chicken served with cheesy mashed potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables. A dessert of roast banana and homemade chocolate and mint ice cream finished off the meal.
Dining style
Group Meals
Dining locations
Indoor and Outdoor Dining
Further dining info, including room service
Yes
Drinks included
Most drinks are included apart from selected wines, spirits and Champagne. The camp provides filtered and purified drinking water for guests. Bottled water is also available on request at no extra charge.

Special interests

Solo Travel
Experience fantastic day and night game drives on a solo safari holiday at Kenya’s Kicheche Valley Camp. The single supplement here is relatively low, so solo travellers can enjoy a safari holiday at a cost not much higher than anyone else.
See ideas for Solo Travel
Birdwatching
Your Kenyan birdwatching holiday can begin in the camp itself, with unusual and rare species (bush pipit, northern white-crowned shrike, white-headed buffalo weaver, pygmy falcon and eagles) seen in the trees and nearby spring.
See ideas for Birdwatching
Wildlife safaris
This is a very game-rich area, with excellent big-cat viewing (resident leopards near camp), a major elephant corridor in the northwest of the conservancy and the biggest giraffe population in the Mara. Moreover, there are very few other tourist vehicles using the conservancy.
See ideas for Wildlife safaris

Children

Attitude towards children
Kicheche Valley has an adult atmosphere and prefers children over the age of 12.
Property’s age restrictions
No formal age restrictions, however best for age 12 and over.
Special activities & services
Children’s activities such as nature walks and fire-making, can be organised, as can special meals.
Equipment
None
Generally recommended for children
Kicheche Valley Camp is quite a grown-up camp in a wild area, so it's not ideal for very young children – although the camp is relaxed about having them to stay. We think it would be better for older, more mature children; the camp is unfenced and there are some quite high drops from the tent platforms that would make them unsuitable for little ones. We feel that on balance Kicheche Mara Camp would be more suitable for families.
Notes
Children are their parents' responsibility and must be fully supervised at all times.

Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Kicheche Valley

Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Kicheche Valley have kindly recorded their wildlife sightings and shared them with us. The results are below. Click an animal to see more, and here to see more on our methodology.

Giraffe

100% success

Lion

100% success

Wildebeest

100% success

Zebra

100% success

Buffalo

98% success

Spotted Hyena

96% success

Cheetah

96% success

Hippo

96% success

Elephant

94% success

Eland

94% success

Leopard

75% success

Striped Hyena

9% success

Wild dog

9% success

Black Rhino

6% success

Aardvark

5% success

Pangolin

2% success

Communications

Power supply notes
The camp runs on solar power with a back-up generator. There is 24-hour power throughout the camp, so guests can charge electronic devices in their rooms.
Communications
There is cellphone reception in the camp, and there is also WiFi in the main area.
TV & radio
No
Water supply
Borehole
Water supply notes
There is running hot and cold water, with plumbed showers and solar water heaters.

Sustainability

Kicheche Valley sustainability

Reducing environmental damage in Naboisho

With a vision of becoming a true green oasis for guests, Kicheche Valley is a Silver-certified luxury camp, situated in the heart of a secluded valley of the Naboisho Conservancy in Kenya.

With a clear set of principles for operating in a responsible manner, efforts to improve and expand environmental measures are continuously made.

A simple, yet effective solution to plastic waste emerged when the team at Kicheche Valley introduced 20-litre water dispensers and re-usable drinking bottles for every guest. Moreover, a sneak peek to their recycling policy shows all old items including vehicles, tents or furniture are consciously re-used.

The camp is powered by solar energy providing electricity for lighting, appliances and refrigeration and recycled charcoal/paper waste briquettes or charcoal from woodlot is used as alternative fossil fuels for cooking. Fresh and organically-grown vegetables are sourced on-site for an ultimate explosion of authentic flavours which create an incursion into Kenyan cuisine. Organic farming is done carefully and no chemicals are added to the soil which is tested and monitored by locally-employed gardeners to avoid soil contamination.

See more great sustainability projects in Kenya

Health & safety

Malarial protection recommended
Yes
Medical care
There are first aiders in camp, a comprehensive first-aid kit on site and first-aid kits in all vehicles as well. There is a doctor based at Sarova Mara Camp, about an hour’s drive away.
Dangerous animals
High Risk
Security measures
Guests are escorted around the camp at night. There is always an askari on duty in the day, and several at night.
Fire safety
There are fire extinguishers in every tent and staff are trained how to use them. They also carry out fire drills in case of a bushfire and there is a fire break around the camp.

Activities

  • 4WD Safari

    4WD Safari

  • Birdwatching

    Birdwatching

  • Cultural excursion

    Cultural excursion

  • Fly-camping

    Fly-camping

  • Guided walking safari

    Guided walking safari

  • Hot air ballooning

    Hot air ballooning

  • Night drive

    Night drive

Extras

Disabled access
On Request
Laundry facilities
A full laundry service is included, with items being hand washed and line dried. For cultural reasons ladies underwear is not accepted.
Money
Valuables can be locked away in the main office safe. There are no currency exchange facilities.
Accepted payment on location
You can settle extras in any major currency. They accept Visa, MasterCard and Amex credit cards with a surcharge of 5%.

Other lodges in Maasai Mara Conservancies

Alternative places to stay in this same area.


Kicheche Bush Camp

Kicheche Bush Camp

Kicheche Bush Camp is a smart and intimate tented camp with a relaxed atmosphere and the perfect base in the Mara for keen photographers.


100% (97 reviews)
Kicheche Mara

Kicheche Mara

Kicheche Mara Camp has just eight tents and a rustic and comfortable feel. It is set by a stream in a pretty area of the Mara ecosystem's Mara North Conservancy.


98% (84 reviews)
Naboisho Camp

Naboisho Camp

Naboisho Camp is one of the most luxurious of the handful of camps in the Naboisho Conservancy. It offers day and night game drives, game walks and full creature comforts in the bush.


98% (48 reviews)
Offbeat Mara

Offbeat Mara

Offbeat Mara is a small traditional camp that appeals to safari traditionalists, located in one of the Maasai Mara’s quiet conservancies.


98% (41 reviews)
Elephant Pepper Camp

Elephant Pepper Camp

Elephant Pepper Camp is a small 10-tent bush camp, put together in the traditional "campaign" style, and including a large honeymoon/family tent.


99% (16 reviews)
Encounter Mara

Encounter Mara

Encounter Mara is located in the private Naboisho Conservancy – a game-rich area of the Mara ecosystem – and offers a contemporary take on the traditional, low-impact luxury safari camp.


93% (16 reviews)
Serian

Serian

Serian is a luxury tented camp on the east bank of the Mara River in the Mara North Conservancy. It is the sister camp of Ngare Serian, on the west bank.


97% (14 reviews)
Mara Plains Camp

Mara Plains Camp

Mara Plains is one of the very best camps in the Mara ecosystem. Located in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy, just outside the Mara reserve, it has access to three wildlife-viewing areas.


100% (13 reviews)
Basecamp Eagle View

Basecamp Eagle View

Basecamp Eagle View is a community-focused safari camp in the Naboisho Conservancy, with a strong emphasis on responsible tourism and a spectacular location.


96% (10 reviews)
Kicheche Walking Wilderness

Kicheche Fly Camp

Kicheche Walking Wilderness Fly Camp is a temporaray dome tent camp set up for participants in Kicheche's two-day walking safari between Kicheche Valley and Kicheche Bush Camp.


95% (8 reviews)
Porini Lion Camp

Porini Lion Camp

Porini Lion Camp is a pioneering, community focused eco-camp, with excellent guides and game viewing, in the predator-rich, Olare Motorogi Conservancy.


83% (8 reviews)
Hemingways Ol Seki Mara

Hemingways Ol Seki

Magnificently located tented lodge on a bluff looking south across the Naboisho Conservancy toward the Maasai Mara National Reserve.


95% (8 reviews)
Ol Kinyei Adventure Camp

Ol Kinyei Adventure

Ol Kinyei Adventure Camp is a satelllite of the larger Porini Mara Camp. Both of them are located in the Maasai-owned Ol Kinyei conservancy, the oldest community conservancy in the Maasai Mara ecosystem.


98% (8 reviews)
Saruni Wild

Saruni Wild

Saruni Wild is a rustic and traditional safari camp in the Lemek Conservancy, with just three tents and limited electricity.


97% (7 reviews)
Ngare Serian

Ngare Serian

The luxurious Ngare Serian and its sister camp Serian face each other across the Mara River on the western side of the Mara North Conservancy


96% (5 reviews)
Porini Mara Camp

Porini Mara Camp

Porini Mara Camp is a small, pioneering eco-camp in the first private conservancy in the Mara region, with comfortable accommodation and a range of activities.


96% (5 reviews)
Offbeat Ndoto

Offbeat Ndoto

Small and intimate, Offbeat Mara is set in a valley above the (often dry) Olare Orok River within the Mara North Conservancy.


100% (5 reviews)
Cottars 1920s Camp

Cottars 1920s Camp

Cottar's 1920s Camp is a classic, luxury tented camp with a 1920s safari theme, located in its own conservancy on the southeast border of the Maasai Mara National Reserve.


92% (5 reviews)
Karen Blixen Camp

Karen Blixen Camp

Karen Blixen Camp sits on a meander of the Mara River in the Mara North Conservancy, just beyond the northern boundary of the Maasai Mara National Reserve.


90% (4 reviews)
Basecamp Leopard Hill

Basecamp Leopard Hill

With six beautiful tents, Basecamp Leopard Hill is a smart safari camp in the Naboisho Conservancy in the Maasai Mara ecosystem.


100% (4 reviews)
Leleshwa

Leleshwa

Leleshwa was a delightful, boutique safari camp on the picturesque banks of a tributary of the Talek, with an extensive, little visited game area on its doorstep.


90% (2 reviews)
Mahali Mzuri

Mahali Mzuri

Mahali Mzuri is a strikingly modern tented camp in the Virgin Limited Edition group, in a remote part of the Mara ecosytem's Olare Motorogi Conservancy. It has lovely views and all the luxuries of a five-star hotel.


100% (2 reviews)
Saruni Mara

Saruni Mara

Saruni Mara is a luxurious permanent lodge, on the remote northern edge of the Mara North Conservancy, with stunning views, good guiding and very private and comfortable rooms.


80% (1 review)
Mara Nyika

Mara Nyika

Mara Nyika is one of the newer additions to the Naboisho Conservancy and offers a luxurious and exclusive safari.


100% (1 review)
Basecamp Wilderness Camp

Basecamp Wilderness

Basecamp Wilderness Camp is a simple, traditional tented camp, set in a remote valley in the Naboisho Conservancy in the Mara ecoystem.


100% (1 review)
Mara Bushtops

Mara Bushtops

Mara Bushtops is a luxury safari hotel on a private concession, outside the Maasai Mara National Reserve, with the emphasis on comfort, relaxation and good food and wine.


No reviews yet
Cottars Private House

Cottars Private House

Cottar's Private House is one of the few truly luxurious, modern private houses in the Mara ecosystem, spoiling its guests with first-rate staff, a swimming pool and wonderful views.


No reviews yet
Entumoto

Entumoto

Entumoto is a high-end tented camp, with a swimming pool, situated in a very pretty location on the east side of the Maasai Mara ecosystem.


No reviews yet

Login to Expert Africa

Sign in with password

Sign in with email link


New to Expert Africa? Create an account

Forgotten your details?

It's free & quick to set up

  • Save your wish-list
  • Send us an enquiry
  • Pay online for your trip
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Give us feedback on your trip
  • Full site benefits of the site

Need some help? Talk to our team

Africa