Travel reviews by Ms A. from USA

"This was the first camp I visited on my trip, and it was really wonderful. The tents are brand-new and extremely comfortable, the location is hard to beat, and all the staff I encountered were kind and helpful.

I was sick for the first full day of my stay, which could have made for a terrible experience. The lovely location and staff meant that the stay was still a pleasure, and once I was able to venture out, the animals in the area were outstanding.

In addition to the animals listed in the wildlife survey, I saw lots of jackals, funny vervet monkeys, and excellent birds including a lilac-breasted roller."

"I really enjoyed my three-night stay at Kicheche Bush Camp, and the variety and number of animals in the area was outstanding. I liked the location, found the staff friendly and helpful, and encountered one of my favorite guides of the whole trip - Patrick was especially knowledgeable about birds, and did a great job juggling visitors with a variety of interests.

Along with the animals listed in the wildlife survey, I saw excellent birds, baboons, a serval, crocodiles, two kinds of mongoose (banded and dwarf), and a blue headed tree agama.

My tent was spacious and generally comfortable, but suffered in comparison to the brand-new tents at our previous stop, primarily because the floor was very lumpy. I also noticed some insects inside the tent, specifically a few cockroaches and fair number of ants, in the front section facing the little yard. But it was still very nice overall - and I loved the little yard and hammock!

On the grounds, along the paths, I noticed what I thought were some kinds of insect eggs on tall stalks of grass. I take lots of macro photos, and after getting home and looking through my pictures from Bush Camp, it was clear that what looked like eggs were actually clumps made up of thousands of baby ticks.

I was never actually bothered by ticks during my stay, but they can be disease vectors (specifically, for tick bite fever). So, I would suggest removing these for the safety of staff and guests. The easiest approach would be to cut the (relatively few) affected stalks of grass and drop them in a mild pesticide solution. I am glad to provide photos of the ticks if it would be helpful."

"This camp was really interesting. The surrounding area looked quite barren when we first approached, but turned out to have a wealth of lions and other interesting animals, including a leopard very near camp and a large troop of baboons further afield. On a night drive, I saw African wild cat kittens, springhares, and bat eared foxes. We also saw bat eared foxes during the day, though they were fairly far off.

My tent was fantastic - the best of the trip - with hard floors, a nice open view, and even a (temperamental but great when it came on) ceiling fan. The shower was also especially hot and nice.

The meal/lounge space at Valley Camp was especially nice, and as a solo woman traveler, it was great to meet several female staff members. Having said that, all of the staff and guides were excellent."

"What a unique spot! I found The Emakoko an ideal place to wind down before traveling home. The view from Room 10 was amazing, the staff members were very nice, and the food was great.

While I did not see any of the animals from the wildlife survey during my day at The Emakoko, I did see a couple of very cute Sykes' monkeys, lots of hyrax, and some nice birds. I also saw several black rhinos in Nairobi National Park, on the side near the main gate."