Reviews of Kicheche Mara
Wildlife sightings and reviews
97 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Kicheche Mara and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
100% success
69% success
91% success
4% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
92% success
6% success
5% success
0% success
0% success
"Kicheche Mara review"
Every meal was a delight.
I was overwhelmed by the sheer abundance of wildlife and the beauty of the plains, and loved that the camp was tucked in the valley." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya
"Another winner "
The tents are huge and very comfortable and the staff at camp is always friendly and impeccable. The meals are very tasty and the bush breakfasts are heavenly.
Our guide, Paul was outstanding. He always managed to position the car in the best spots for wildlife viewing and photography : in the middle of a herd of elephants or surrounded by a pride of lions." See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya
"Magical memories in the Mara Conservancies"
The tents are huge and very comfortable and the staff at camp is always friendly and impeccable. The meals are very tasty and the bush breakfasts are heavenly.
Our guide, Paul was outstanding. He always managed to position the car in the best spots for wildlife viewing and photography : in the middle of a herd of elephants or surrounded by a pride of lions.
With Paul, we also went fly camping. It is by far the best experience we had in any safari in Africa . The fly camping is located in the Naibosho Conservancy, so we got to visit that area too. We started with a bush walk accompanied by Paul and Peter ( an armed ranger) . While walking , you are totally attuned to your surroundings and to the wildlife that is curiously looking at you. We arrived at the camp that had been set up by the staff of Kicheche Valley and were hosted by Esther, Keke and Julius(?) .
We had a dome tent with comfortable and warm cot beds. Washroom facilities consist of washbasins, bucket shower tent and drop loo tent. A campfire is lit up and sundowners and dinner were served : soup, stew, ugali and baked potato. Delicious! During the night , lions were active in the vicinity of the camp but we enjoyed the thrill of it. The next morning we went on a morning drive before breakfast in the Naibosho Conservancy .
Fly camping is really a not to be missed experience. It is comfortable in its simplicity, totally authentic and far from anybody else." See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya
"Kicheche Mara review"
Beautiful faciities; the service was awesome, the food delicious!" See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya
"Kicheche Mara review"
"Kicheche Mara review"
Everything - the tents, lodge, guides, meals, and staff were exceptional." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya
"Kicheche Mara review"
"Kicheche Mara review"
Feels slightly less accessible that others because tracks are much more rough and we had unusually heavy rains. We actually had to switch airstrip to leave but Andrew, manager, took care of it all.
Lots of big cats to see but make sure to head to Mara river for Hippos, birds and different landscape." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya
"Kicheche Mara review"
Very nice first impressions - a lovely oasis in the bush.
Well spaced tents with ample privacy.
All in all a first class camp - the food was really good as was the guiding." See all these reviews: 20n in Kenya
"Kicheche Mara review"
We were greeted by Anne, our house manager, Charles (our server in the dining area), Frank (bartender) McKenna and so many friendly outgoing faces and voices that were a part of the Mara welcome crew. Charles almost immediately started teaching us both swahili and Masai ways to say common phrases and told us some more local culture and history of what he was clearly proud of with the Masai tribe. We had continued amazing food, drink, desserts, snacks everything this time from a couple of female chefs that were constantly checking in to make sure what they were providing met our satisfaction. There was never a doubt as our expanded waistlines can attest to.
Our tent was Kanga and we appreciated being one of the closer tents to the main area of Kicheche Mara. The velvet monkies immediately showed interest in our tent so we learned the importance of keeping things zipped up and tight as they showed themselves to be very curious and mischievous. That was a special part of staying at Mara, with no fences you could hear the animals and see the animals that enjoyed being within a safe and respectful distance to your tent. A few cute bush bucks stayed close by and grazed behind our tent on the fresh green grass. Similar to KL we were greeted with cards, flowers and beautiful facilities at our tent. We were always comfortable and took advantage this time of the fans, water bottles at night and laundry service which was so helpful to keep things fresh and clean after our rides and adventures.
Paul had a truly special gift of being able to communicate and understand the thoughts, movements and reactions for all creatures great and small. We trusted him from the beginning and were thrilled at how we literally felt like observers in their day to day life not bothering them but rather there to appreciate them. We had so many special encounters with so many animal families, babies and even solo wanderers. He was determined for us to see everything including the leopard but despite valient efforts the leopard will be something we return to try and see.
He took us to a special Thursday market day and again made us feel so at ease and privileged to get to meet and understand the people he had grown up with and still clearly stayed close with in the Masai tribe. We learned so much in a such a short amount of time and we were constantly asking questions and probing Paul for even more info and he was always so gracious to share it all. He had such a joy every day whether it be early in the morning or later in the evening after a long day. We always felt like he truly wanted this to be the most amazing adventure for us. It absolutely was!
Every staff person we interacted with made it their goal each day to talk to us about what we'd seen, how we were doing or share some special tidbit of information that just added to our great adventure. These Kicheche camps truly set themselves apart from any place in the world we've ever been in terms of hospitality, quality of stay (soup to nuts) and leaving us wanting more and more." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya
Holiday styles & special interests in Kenya
From birdwatching breaks to walking holidays, find great ideas for your trip in Kenya.
Other lodges in Maasai Mara Conservancies
Alternative places to stay in this same area.