Reviews of Kicheche Laikipia
Wildlife sightings and reviews
76 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Kicheche Laikipia and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"Brill"
"Kicheche Laikipia review"
Physically it is delightful, with a proper camp feel (and a body of water in front to attract animals) and at the same time beautifully decorated. The staff are all very friendly and welcoming and the small size creates a lovely group atmosphere at shared meals. Often guests are combining Laikipia with other Kicheche camps so there's a lot of cross over talk which gives a feeling of being part of the Kicheche 'family'. The food is great - in variety and taste.
There is a wide variety of animals, though some effort was needed to find the cats - but we did have the unusual spectacle of a cheetah tucked away in the bush eating its kill. There is a den near the camp which allows extensive viewing of the interaction of hyenas and their pups (on a previous occasion it was occupied by a pack of wild dogs with pups which we spent hours watching).
It's a great place for rhino lovers - we had six sightings on one day. As with all Kicheche camps the guiding is superb - finding the animals, positioning the vehicle to best see and photograph them, and staying out all morning with a picnic breakfast so you spend almost all of your day actually on safari. The extra thoughtfulness towards guests' experience showed in them making two hour long journeys to take myself and another guest separately to the airport when we were on different flights so neither of us had to wait there for two hours." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya
"Kicheche Laikipia review"
Everybody was welcoming and friendly and seemed to be genuinely passionate about making our stay as good as it could be. The little extras are often what makes the difference and Kicheche seems to have thought of them all.
The conservancy itself was beautiful and Simon was always able to find us something to marvel at or a perfect quiet spot to eat and drink the latest goodies from the kitchen.
We would all go back in a heartbeat!" See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya
Black Rhino
3 sightings
Buffalo
10 sightings
Cheetah
2 sightings
Eland
2 sightings
Elephant
10 sightings
Giraffe
10 sightings
Lion
3 sightings
Spotted Hyena
4 sightings
White Rhino
2 sightings
Wild dog
2 sightings
Zebra
10 sightings
"Kicheche Laikipia review"
A wonderful start to the safari experience in Kenya. I liked that the camp was small and easy to get around.
Great guides, especially Simon, who shared my great interest in birds in addition to the animals.
He is incredibly knowledgeable." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya
"Louise, Splodge, plus Peter for game drives!!"
Peter, the game guide was extremely knowledgable and found some stunning locations for bush breakfasts and sundowners!." See all these reviews: 14n in Kenya
"Kicheche Laikipia review"
Our guide, Peter; was top-notch and very hard working (not to mention very friendly and jovial), and we had superb sightings (a porcupine being chased by a hyena at dawn, week-old lion cubs coming out of the den for the first time and cavorting around) solely because of his diligence.
Of the three Kicheche camps we stayed at during our trip, our tent set-up at Laikipia was probably the best — the tent was very spacious and hot water is available on demand — no bucket showers here (not that we have any problem with those). The food was also a little fancier and more creative here than at the other lodges (although we happily cleaned our plates throughout the trip).
As at the other Kicheche properties, the management here did an excellent job of meeting all our needs within an informal, relaxed and unstuffy framework. To my surprise, except for our first afternoon/evening, we were the only guests in camp (it was late January — low season), but no shortcuts were taken as a result. We still had a lovely buffet lunch every day, drinks around the camp fire every evening before dinner. With lions roaring at night, and a family of elephants visiting the waterhole in front of the camp every afternoon, and just us and the staff, it was a very exclusive experience. The manager, Louise, even organized a special sundowner at the top of one of the highest points in Ol Pejeta so that we could all see the lunar eclipse one evening. Very nice.
We’d happily stay here again." See all these reviews: 14n in Kenya
"High drama at Elephant Corner!"
The location is stunning overlooking a dam where lots of animals and birds come to drink and bathe. Most lunchtimes we were entertained by elephant, giraffe, buffalo and antelopes as well as the (always noisy) Egyptian geese and pelicans.
Ol Pejeta is an old cattle ranching area and the many water troughs around attract lots of wildlife and offer lots of photo opportunities. Guide Peter was excellent, especially in positioning the jeep for good pictures.
Staying five nights enabled us to reach most parts of the conservancy. It was quiet and we saw hardly any other vehicles while we were there. We had good sightings of many birds, also black and white rhino with offspring.
A special highlight was the discovery of lion cubs less than a week old 10 minutes from camp along with dad and his two lionesses. We had a very special sighting of the little ones. It was amazing to see the lionesses sprint off to help the male when an intruder male (and a large pack of hyena) threatened to make off with his stallion zebra kill at Elephant Corner.
The bush breakfasts were outstanding with different selections every day including baked egg with spinach and pea pastries. The choice of location for these was very good, notably two by rivers and one by a lake where we saw zebra, elephant and eland at close quarters.
Kicheche was our favourite of the three camps we stayed at on this trip and the food for vegetarians was the best we’ve had in Africa." See all these reviews: 16n in Kenya
"Kicheche Laikipia review"
"An unexpected treat"
The reserve is beautiful, with some wide open plans, and there are good herds of elephant and eland; I also had some good lion sightings. I did a walk one morning with one of the rhino conservation scouts, which I would recommend.
My guide was quite young, and perhaps didn't appreciate just how experienced a safari-goer I was, but with a vehicle to myself, I could also make suggestions or requests as needed. The overall experience was not quite as remote as I had hoped for - perhaps that is more the case in northern Laikipia, where I was due to go; here you can see twinkling lights of the town in the distance, and the reserve is still used for cattle grazing so there are many artificial watering holes, which can be a little jarring - but it was very pleasant nonetheless and I very much appreciate their last-minute hospitality." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya
"Kicheche Laikipia review"
The guides - Andrew and Albert - were very knowledgeable and Andrew provided a lot of insight into Kenyan culture as well; very interesting and informative conversations. We were told that the guides make a difference in one's safari experience and Andrew and Albert did not disappoint. Also, Andrew had a photographer's eye which was very helpful in for those of us who are not so expert at taking pictures." See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya
Holiday styles & special interests in Kenya
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Other lodges in Laikipia
Alternative places to stay in this same area.
Laikipia Wilderness
Laikipia Wilderness is a rustic owner-managed bush camp, in excellent wild dog territory, offering outstanding guiding.
Lewa Safari Camp
Lewa Safari Camp is a comfortable and homely tented lodge, located in the Lewa Conservancy and offering a relatively exclusive safari away from mass tourism.
Sosian
Sosian Lodge is a distinctive, estancia-style ranch house on a former cattle ranch, with great opportunities for riding, relaxing and seeing wild dogs and other savannah wildlife.
Lewa Wilderness
Lewa Wilderness is a comfortable, fenced safari lodge with nine cottages, great views and a huge range of activities.
El Karama Lodge
El Karama is a comfortably rustic, very personal, riverside eco-lodge on a game-rich private ranch in Laikipia, an hour’s drive north of Nanyuki airport.
Ol Pejeta Bush Camp
Ol Pejeta Bush Camp is a simple camp, with comfortable tents, delivering an authentic wilderness experience backed up by good food and guiding.
Il Ngwesi Eco-Lodge
The community-owned Il Ngwesi Eco-Lodge sits atop a small hill in the remote Il Ngwesi Group Ranch, a two-hour drive north of Lewa Conservancy in north-eastern Laikipia.
Sirikoi
Sirikoi is a small, very high-quality safari camp with excellent service and food and a wide selection of activities.
Borana
Borana is a comfortable and striking lodge on the Borana Conservancy in eastern Laikipia, offering pleasant accommodation with good food and service and a very wide range of activities.
Porini Rhino Camp
Porini Rhino Camp is a small, simple, well established tented camp, with a keen focus on sustainable and low-impact tourism.
Lewa House
Lewa House is a very comfortable, boutique safari lodge located on the Lewa Conservancy, north of Mount Kenya.
Solio Lodge
Solio Lodge is an exclusive and luxurious bush lodge set in the private Solio Game Ranch in southern Laikipia.
Loisaba Tented Camp
Loisaba Tented Camp is a luxury safari base of tented rooms, ranged along a ridge in the Loisaba Conservancy, facing Mount Kenya. The camp was completely rebuilt in 2016.
Kifaru House
Kifaru House is a small, stylish safari lodge in the Lewa Conservancy, with beautiful views across the landscape.
Tassia Lodge
Tassia offers a unique wilderness experience in a remote location: come here for cultural interaction, stunning views and something a bit different.
Loisaba Star Beds
Loisaba Starbeds is a simple camp of 4 rooms with pull-out, open-air 'star beds', located near a dam in the Loisaba Conservancy, in northwestern Laikipia.
Sandai
Sandai is a pretty, owner-run homestay, set between the Aberdare Range and Mount Kenya, offering a range of activities at extra cost.
Karisia Walking Safaris
Karisia Walking Safaris operates camel assisted, multi-day walking safaris from its main camp, Tumaren, set in a remote part of Laikipia.
Sweetwaters Serena
Sweetwaters Serena is a large, older tented camp – the largest camp in the Laikipia region – in the eastern part of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
Lodo Springs
Lodo Springs is a spectacularly located luxury lodge in a remote spot in the Loisaba Conservancy, sister lodge to Loisaba Tented Camp and Loisaba Star Beds.
Sanctuary at Ol Lentille
The Sanctuary at Ol Lentille is an unusual safari lodge in northern Laikipia, consisting of three exclusive villas, and offering a huge range of activities.
Governors' Mugie House
Governors' Mugie House – a substantial, luxury safari lodge – is one of only two properties in the Mugie Conservancy in northwestern Laikipia.
Thomsons Falls Lodge
Thomsons Falls Lodge is a simple hotel dating back to the colonial era, located above the falls of the same name, near the western Laikipia town of Nyahururu.
Ekorian's Mugie Camp
Ekorian's Mugie Camp is a pleasant, family-friendly safari camp in a remote location in northwestern Laikipia.
