Reviews of Kicheche Laikipia

"We have never been on a rainy season safari before and so did not really know what to expect. I guess we assumed that there would be big showers with periods of no rain in between. It was like that for the first day or so, but then deteriorated into more or less constant rain. The upshot being that the roads rapidly deteriorated. Several had multiple bypasses and by the end of our stay, the main road into camp was treacherous.

The day before we arrived our flight had been changed to a different airstrip, as the usual one was quite muddy from all of the rain. As we came in to land, the pilot circled around and the tarmac strip disappeared from view. A few minutes later we landed at the muddy strip, complete with puddles, pot holes, deep grooves and mud. We therefore had to wait while our vehicle arrived from the other airstrip. Luckily there is a lovely cafe and by the time we'd had a cappuccino, we were off.

As we had an early departure from Nairobi, the camp manager had packed a breakfast for us, which meant we could linger and have a long game drive en route to camp. The morning drives in general were long, including one 7 hour marathon. with the evenings more like 2.5 to 3 hours. Food was excellent and on individual tables, which makes a nice change to communal dining.

The camp is small, which made it an intimate place to stay. As it was not full, we had a private vehicle for the duration of our visit. William was a very patient and knowledgeable guide, who clearly had photographic experience, as well as a good relationship with the rangers, who knew the whereabouts of the lions!

It was lovely to see rhino outside of South Africa and we were not expecting to see so many and with magnificent horns to boot. Photographing them on open plains was also unique. The rain also made for interesting sightings. One wet morning, we saw more bat-eared foxes on a drive than we have in nearly 25 years of safaris. A termite eruption also kept the birds (and photographers) busy.

We opted for a game drive transfer, which was the wettest of all of our drives. It was extremely dark, but we did see a very soggy pride of lions at the end, which made it worth it. By the time we got to the airstrip, the weather had not improved. There was fog/mist on the ground and the rain clouds were very low. As we sat with our breakfast, the time of the flight kept moving further into the future and the weather was not getting any better. After 2.5 hours, we moved to the nearby 5 star hotel for coffee and subsequently lunch. As we were finishing this, news came that the flight was 30 minutes away. Excellent. We were all dreading not only missing a night in the Mara, but having to drive all the way back to camp on a very bumpy, wet road and possibly going through the whole thing again the following day. The flight landed as scheduled, but two other passengers had not arrived. They had been driving for 8 hours and had to keep turning around due to flooded roads. In the end, we left 6.5 hours late, but hanging around a 5 star hotel whilst being fed and watered was not a hardship compared to what the other couple went through to catch the flight.

We will definitely return, but probably in the dry season!" See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya

"An amazing camp. So friendly and a very personal service.

Nothing was too much effort to ensure that we enjoyed our stay.

The location was WOW !!

Safari guide was so knowledgable and willing to help us see as much as we could, and what we wanted o see.

Lots of little touches to go above and beyond our expectations. Food was wonderful and plentiful.

We loved this camp." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya

"We loved this camp! The staff is wonderful and camp manager Anita is fun and eager to accommodate any guest's wish she can. The tent was nice with a beautiful view; the food was delicious and plentiful, with lunches served just meters from the many elephants, buffalo, and even lions who appear at the lake throughout the day.

We were treated to a "back of house" tour, getting to visit the "operations" parts of the camp, like the garden, the kitchen, communal areas for the staff, and other BTS facilities. It was very interesting, and the only camp that we saw anything behind the scenes. We had laundry done here, all of which came back sparkling clean and ironed!

The game drives were terrific, with plenty of wildlife to see. We really loved our guide Peter, who was so lovely and so knowledgeable. I'm a photographer, as is Peter, and he was always aware of putting the vehicle at the best angles and being aware of the best light. He was great at finding lots of animals for us to get excited about! Rhinos are a big draw here in Laikipia and we saw quite a few.

We tried a night game drive twice but it was very windy (and cold!) which subdues the movement of the animals, thus limiting what we saw. I'd recommend trying one but if it's extra windy, I wouldn't prolong the drive. Though Peter was game! At night we did see a few hyenas, foxes, jackals, a bush baby, and a very rare sighting of a polecat.

We'd happily go back to Kicheche Laikipia!" See all these reviews: 17n in Kenya

"The accommodation was fantastic. Such a lovely, big, spacious tent. Very comfy beds. Great view out to the waterhole from our tent as well as from the main camp area where we sat and had lunch, afternoon tea, and drinks around the campfire. One evening the elephants even came right over to say goodnight! All the staff were so polite, helpful, and organised.

All the little extras made it such a fabulous time - hot drinks and cookies brought to our tent in the morning to get us going was great, and with flasks provided so we could take our drinks with us out on safari. The drink holders in the truck were very useful for storing these!

Picnic breakfast out in the bush was way more than we were expecting - we had a wide variety of freshly made food, tea, coffee (even with a percolator!) and juice. Lunch and dinner back in camp were delicious, freshly cooked three course meals- we definitely didn't go hungry on this trip!

Of course we didn't come for the food (as amazing as it was) - we came to see all the animals of Ol Pejeta, and that certainly didn't disappoint. As soon as we stepped off the plane there were zebra and giraffe right by the airstrip. We saw so many black and white rhino - including a mother with a young calf.

Loads of elephants - including as mentioned those that liked to come and visit our camp to have a drink and play in the mud. We also saw three different groups of lions - including an amazing experience of seeing two male lions have a short but dramatic fight over a lioness.

All in all, an amazing place and perfect in every way." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya

"We stayed at 3 Kicheche camps during our trip, with Kicheche Laikipia being the first. We lost two days at camp due to getting food poisoning in Kigali. The staff, especially Tobin and Naftali, were so gracious and welcoming upon our arrival. They made sure that we had a chance to select bland menu choices when the regular menu might include foods that would upset our recovering tummies. They asked each morning and evening how we were feeling. We felt very cared for in this situation.

The tents are spacious, comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. I loved that the Kicheche tents were decorated in what seemed to be very native African colors and prints. Hot running water and flushing toilets were such a luxury! The hot water bottles in our beds in the evening and in the vehicles - along with a warm poncho and blankets from the tents - made the morning and evening drives more enjoyable. It gets cold when the sun is down in Laikipia!

Ol Pejata Conservancy is simply gorgeous. Within 10 minutes of leaving the air strip when we arrived, we were parked in the shade watching 8 lions rest and play. Simon was an amazing guide who was fully committed to providing us with the best animal viewing experiences possible. He is very knowledgeable and answered tons of questions about the animals, camp, the conservancy and so much more. We were really lucky to see a striped hyena and a pair of mating lions during our visit. So many different animals and the density is astounding.

One of the best features of Kicheche Laikipia is the watering hole. There were always a variety of different animals hanging around getting a drink, but the best sighting was when we were eating lunch and tower of 18 giraffes came along for drinks. It was such a great lunch show!

We highly recommend Kicheche Laikipia and can't wait to return!" See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya; 4n in Rwanda

"The tents were lovely. The staff were also very nice.

The food varied from excellent to okay. They didn’t cook us anything different when it was the fish course at lunch.

Just prior to departure on our last game drive we were informed that since the other couple sharing our jeep were going to the rhino sanctuary that we would be dropping them off there and then going for a game drive and picking them up.

When we arrived at the sanctuary we found that the other couple had to use our vehicle to go round, therefore we had to sit in the garden and wait. By this time there was only time for a sundowner and a drive back. So effectively we saw very very little and missed out on a game drive." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya

"This was my second stay at a Kicheche camp - the first was at Bush Camp in January 22.

This camp is in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, which specialises in rhino and has a high density of the threatened Black Rhino. The camp is very small, only six tents, (although I think some of these are doubles for families), which are well spread along sandy paths either side of the mess and dining tents. As at all Kicheche camps, an askari (guide) will always walk you to your door between dusk and dawn, which is just as well because wildlife does wander in, (I certainly heard leopard and hyena close by), despite the fence which is designed to keep out bigger beasts such as elephant and buffalo.

The camp overlooks a small reservoir, which had water in it when I was there (it rained quite a lot), but only ever a lone antelope that I saw.

The new manager, Anita, is wonderful. A white South African, career safari camp manager who literally throws her not inconsiderable weight into the job. What makes her so good is her sensitivity to the mood/character of her guests. She played a very inoffensive, very funny, practical joke on me which could have been a disaster (I hate practical jokes) but it was so finely tuned and so well done because she had so quickly and correctly sussed my humour - it was hysterical. That, to me, is the sign of a true hospitality professional.

Anita’s deputy is a HUGE man who I always called Naff, although I may well have misheard the introduction. He is also brilliant, as are all the camp staff. Look out for Jamu in the restaurant - he will remember your favourite cocktail/sundowner/wine until the day he dies.

Food is good, unpretentious and largely successful. I found the breakfast choices difficult since it’s not something I normally eat and I don’t like granola. But then I cracked it with delicious fresh salad of tropical fruit, yoghurt and local honey. There is no communal dining table as I’d had previously at Bush Camp. Guests are seated with their travelling companions, so I was Billy No Mates (when Anita didn’t join me) but would far rather that than be seated with someone not of my choice (which happened later, at Kicheche Mara). The evening mess tent (there’s a different one for lunch) has lovely log fires at each end - one by the big bouncy sofas, another in the dining area itself.

The ‘tents’ are as I recall them at Bush Camp - well-appointed, comfortable, down-to-earth and a teeny bit rustic/colonial. Wellies, brollies, torches all supplied. Good charging facilities for phones, camera batteries, et al. The Kicheche group is part-owned by a wildlife photographer, so the camps are particularly well geared for photographers’ needs. This includes their guides, some of the best in Kenya, who are trained to position their vehicles for the most beneficial angle/light. Sounds tedious, but you don’t know it's happening until you realise how good your normally very amateur pictures are turning out.

Beds are comfortable and you’ll find a (somewhat overfilled) hot water bottle waiting for you after dinner. (I thought mine was a visiting mammal the first time, such was its shape, size and radiating heat).

Showers are also good, although it takes a while for the solar generated hot water to come through, which is a bit disconcerting when signs make you gently aware of the preciousness of water. I brought this up with Anita who said all water is re-used.

I had my wonderful guide, Simon and his vehicle, all to myself. That was a rare and really special treat.

Simon is mad about birds. I wasn’t (and had actually said as much on my Expert Africa wish list) - but Simon very gracefully converted me, so much so that I spent the next nine days looking for a Malachite Kingfisher - which I finally found.

Simon also went out of his way to find me leopard (a no show) and to take me close to Black Rhino, which had been my main reason for choosing this camp. We watched, and I would even say interacted with, more than ten individuals, including mothers with calves. All of the rhinos at Ol Pejeta are ear-notched and given a number, and each individual has to be located and recorded EVERY DAY by the Ol Pejeta rangers, so it was a real pleasure to be a part of this as Simon and I noted each animal we saw, radioed its position, or told the rangers as we came across them face to face.

As to Ol Pejeta itself, I would say there is traffic. It’s nothing like the big reserves such as the Mara, but parts of the conservancy are open to campers and there are school visits to the Northern White rhinos, etc. All to the good, and Kicheche Laikipia is in its own area, so it's not a problem.

Go to the Rhino Cemetery. I was in tears reading the plaques on cairns that commemorate the deaths of so many rhinos (not) killed (but left to die) by poachers, and how these animals were sacrificed for such a small but ludicrously over-priced and worthless portion of their vast and irreplaceable bodies. It is unbelievably moving, especially when you drive away and find yourself within a few feet of their living cousins.

The Ol Pejeta landscape is a mix of wide open plains and scrubby bush, which is why, according to Simon, it’s quite hard to find leopard - these cats don’t like open country, and since there are few tall trees, they stay low in the bush and are hard to see.

On the other hand, the open plains should be prime cheetah country but a coalition of three brothers had recently been ‘lost’ - two thought to have been killed by lions, one thought to have moved to the Mara, so we saw no cheetah. Hopefully things will improve and there'll be lots of new cheetah for you to see!

In summing up: I'm not sure this is the camp for 'newbies' looking for a sure-fired ticking off of the ‘Big Five’ - although they are all there. I missed leopard (and cheetah) but saw many elephant, buffalo and lion, and of course the rhino. Go here for the rhino because they are guaranteed like nowhere else, for great hospitality, good food, enthusiastic service, spectacular guiding, BIRDS, all of the plains animals and more - bat-eared fox, black backed jackal, baby hyena - and night drives, where you can learn about the difference between a predator’s eyes - close together, front facing and reflecting the red of the torch filter - and those of its prey - wide apart, side set and glowing white. Like this, I saw a serval, a pair of porcupine, mongoose, jackal and hyena.

This camp isn't luxe but to me it's the best of its kind. A lovely, quiet place with great management, faultless guiding and good hospitality. A great place to slip into safari mode or wind down before returning home." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya

"Comfortable tented camp overlooking a water hole, so plenty of animals and birds to watch from the communal area.

Food exceeded expectations. All staff were very friendly and helpful.

A special mention to Peter, our wonderful guide." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya

"We loved this small camp. Louse runs a very tight ship but the atmosphere is super relaxed. The food is fabulous and there are opportunities to relax with other like-minded guests over a drink to swop stores around the fire.

The staff are lovely, nothing is too much trouble and everything is planned very well from the morning wake up tea tray to the escorting in the dark to and from tents to the timings for meals and safari trips from the camp.

We loved our tent - nice and private and spotlessly clean - it had everything we needed.

Our guide Simon was simply brilliant - an incredible knowledge and love of nature and an astonishing eye to spot creatures large and small. Simon was patient with all our many questions and having picnic breakfasts was superb and he found great spots for our sundowners.

Nothing to fault here, a fully 5* experience." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya

"Everyone at the camp were very friendly and helpful, guide very good and lots of wildlife." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya