Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs B from Ilminster

"Great experience right from the start.

We were met by our guide, Elisaban, on arrival and had our first game drive on the way to the Emakoko where we were warmly received by Anthony and the staff. We were very happy with everything, the lodge was beautiful, food excellent (had dinner outside by candlelight).

Can't recommend it highly enough."

"We arrived at the camp shortly before lunchtime and were greeted by Tricia (Yoga Instructor/Assistant to Luca and Antonella?). She rattled through various options of things we could do (most of which were costly - flight to Tsavo, etc) which, bearing in mind we only had two full days here, seemed rather excessive. Antonella and Luca joined us and a large outgoing yoga group for lunch but left as soon as they had finished eating. We did not see them again until they appeared for lunch the following day where again they left as soon as they had finished eating and we did not see them for the rest of our stay. They were very inattentive, not welcoming, made it plain we should 'private dine' in the evenings.

On our last day we wanted to speak to Luca regarding gratuities as their information clearly stated there is no need to tip the guides separately and we wanted to make sure our guides were well rewarded and also for him to confirm a suitable amount. Apparently they were not at the camp so, at lunchtime, Tricia dropped in and we asked if we could have a word with her regarding gratuities. She offered to discuss it then but we felt it inappropriate in front of the the staff. She promised to return after lunch and we waited for ages. Later in the afternoon we went to try and find her and were told she was 'doing yoga' so we had no option but to leave an envelope with a member of staff we did not know. We did not see Tricia again either. We have e.mailed Luca and Antonella and expressed our disappointment and asked for confirmation that the gratuities were received. Luca has confirmed this to us and answered rather defensively that they thought we wanted privacy. On our departure, Pashiet asked us if we wanted to speak to Luca and we said we would. He tried to contact him but there was no response so we left without seeing him. (Luca says he was walking down to see us).

Set against this, the guides and staff could not have been kinder or more helpful. Our game drives, sundowners and breakfasts were tremendous and real highlight of our two days. Pashiet and Simon could not have done more for us. So this most important part of the trip was a great success. They always went the extra mile to try and find us whatever we wanted to see. We loved the walk in the cloud forest. We have ticked 'good' for activities as the drives and walk were lovely but no-one took the time to find out if we would like to do anything else.

Our lodge was extremely nice and overlooked the waterhole where we saw lots of game coming and going which was delightful and we loved our afternoons sitting on the verandah watching.

The service was excellent.

Right from the start we were bombarded with the good works of Luca and the foundation by Tricia (even before being shown to our lodge) and we felt we were a means to an end which, when you pay this sort of money, you don't expect.

The food was very average, large quantities but on the two last evenings the meat was so tough it was inedible. We did have a nice fish meal on the first night (Luca's birthday). They made such a fuss of the fact that it was Luca's birthday that we felt too embarrassed to mention it Russell's 60th the following day.

Our overall impression is that the whole thing is for the glorification of Luca and his foundation and the guests were secondary to this. We left feeling surplus to requirements!"

"After our slightly disappointing departure from Campi ya Kanzi, we approached Kicheche Laikipia with some trepidation. Any worries were immediately dispelled. We were met at the airstrip by Albert, who was our guide for the rest of the trip and proved to be wonderful.

Arriving at the camp an hour later, we were met by Andy who showed us to our beautiful lodge and sat us down with a drink to gently explain how the system worked and what was available to us. All the time sitting by their lovely lake watching an elephant walk by on the other side. Sonja joined us for a late lunch which was absolutely delicious and we received some good advice from other guests, suggesting half portions in future!

The game drives with Albert were wonderful, including breakfasts and sundowners, seeing lots of animals, birds and plants, all in beautiful surroundings. Albert was so considerate, always seeming to know where to stop the vehicle for the best light for photos. His knowledge and gentle humour totally charmed us for the three days we were with him. When he took us back to the airstrip at the end of our stay, he even insisted on staying until our plane took off.

Andy meahwhile, sorted out an itinerary for us, including a visit to the rhino sanctuary and a guided walk with Ranger Robert. At this point Russell developed toothache and we had to disrupt everything and be driven to Nanyuki for antibiotics, ;meaning that Andy had to re-organise our itinerary which he took in his stride. Nothing was too much trouble.

The food was fantastic, as was the attention to detail. William and Nixon, our two serving staff were so professional and charming as was our night security, Bernard. They all always had a smile and a chat and were interested to hear what we had been doing. Once the guests who were there when we arrived had departed, we were the only ones left and there was always Andy or Sonja waiting to welcome us back and entertain us with their charming stories at lunch and in the evenings.

Andy and Sonja are the most charming hosts anyone could wish for and their lovely, relaxed management style obviously engendered great respect and affection from their staff which was reflected in their wonderful treatment of us. We were sad to leave and will be back if possible."

"We were met at the airstrip by our guide (Nabala) for the next three days, and had quite an exciting drive back to camp, including getting stuck in the mud and necessitating being towed out. Nabala proved to be a most entertaining and knowledgeable guide and always went the extra mile to find all the things we would like to see (even though his driving style did leave us a bit battered and bruised!!).

Roelof and Helen were charming and attentive hosts - one of them always there to greet us and hear about what we had been doing. Moses the manager was always on hand and absolutely brilliant, nothing was ever too much trouble, all our wants and needs carefully attended to by him, including wake-up calls with coffee in the morning, confirming flights and checking us in on the International flight and booking a restaurant for us in Nairobi. One of them always joined us for meals which were quite lively. The humour of the waiting staff was delightful.

We had a fantastic three hour walk with Roelof who, again knew exactly where to find everything and where to position us for the best light for photographs. The walk was incredibly informative and fascinating. One of the highlights of our stay here.

The lodge was lovely and we could watch the animals grazing in the distance (and hear lions roaring at night).

On our last morning we had a lovely breakfast in the camp (our first as the rest were on drives) with Helen, Roelof and two of their friends who were visiting. they gave us a great sendoff and we were sad to leave."