Reviews of Kicheche Mara
Wildlife sightings and reviews
95 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
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"Kicheche Mara review"
A bit sensitive, but we didn't like that the camp manager, "Mama Rachel", talked down about the staff while in their presence! This happened more than once, and it was rude and felt awkward. Unfortunate given how incredibly friendly, respectful and polite all of the staff were.
While all aspects with respect to the camp and facilities were slightly preferable here to Bush Camp, the one limitation was that the wifi was limited to the main camp area... a small thing, but when you are confined to your tent at night, having that access to be able to catch up with loved one, etc., was an appreciated convenience at Bush Camp." See all these reviews: 14n in Kenya
"Kicheche Mara review"
Tents are well appointed and spaced. I have never been provided with wellington boots on safari before - they were used every night, along with the umbrella....
One of the reasons that I like safaris is that there is usually no internet or cell phone reception. However, every camp we went to in Kenya had wifi. So with that in mind, it was inconvenient, bordering on annoying, that this was only available in the communal areas, as we spent so little time in them! It meant that any internet activity had to be at lunch/pre-dinner time, which, when the meals are communal, was tricky. Now that they have three more tents, communal dining is an issue as there are really too many guests to sit at one table. The food was varied and good, but we had been spoilt by our previous two camps.
It was very clear that the ethos is for game viewing first and foremost, everything else fits around this. So sundowners were taken in the vehicle, rather than as the whole African experience, which I wholeheartedly agreed with. This was due to an excellent cheetah sighting on the first night, but the weather on the next two....
Game drives were action packed, as were the photographic opportunities. Lions were everywhere. We will return." See all these reviews: 14n in Kenya
"Kicheche Mara review"
Very beautiful and tranquil. luxurious and more tailored towards comfort and a tourist experience of being looked after and waited on. Some very lovely touches with own water bottles, hot water bottles, ponchos, morning coffee and cookies to our tent. Great areas to chill out in the shade, plenty of board games and other activities like archery. I liked the shop area of locally made products. Food portions smaller but we preferred that as 3 courses and very little waste.
The drives were fantastic. We had one guide Jimmy, the whole stay, great fun, friendly and very knowledgeable.
One tricky part for us was the tent situation. We had. 2 separate tents for our family of 5 which we knew in advance but we didn’t realise how spaced out they were bearing in mind it wasn’t safe to be outside without a night guard Present once dark. It was our choice to put the kids in one ( our eldest is 18) and us in the other but still it would have been helpful to have known this in advance so we could have planned the sleeping arrangements.
We opted to visit a local village on market day. Well worth it, very interesting and educational experience for all. This was about 120 dollars extra which was ok to spend but having this pointed out in advance would have been helpful. It was mentioned in the tent leaflets but it also needs pointing out by the staff.
Possibly one less day would have worked as well but we had a fantastic time. The wildlife spotting, time spent watching their behaviour, the close proximity to the animals; breakfasts on the savannah and sundowners were all absolutely incredible and unforgettable experiences." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya; 5n in Zanzibar
"Kicheche Mara review"
I have criticism of the Conservancy policy of allowing 5 vehicles next to animals; its gone up from 3, and it does lead in my view to harassment. It’s a pity the guides think it necessary that everyone has the same experience. Our guide David was excellent and knowledgeable; he arranged a walking safari, and indeed was sensitive to the request not to follow the other vehicles and do something different.
The unrestricted landscape and views were great. Again animal sightings were good, including lion hunting, two magnificent male lions, a Cheetah family and an elusive leopard." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya
"Kicheche Mara review"
"Absolutely the best of the four camps we stayed in"
The rooms were beautiful with elephant sightings each day. The public spaces were accommodating and welcoming. Plus it has the great advantage of being in a wet area, with some light rains while we were there. As a result everything is green and the animals are thriving.
Guide - Saruni was amazing = totally fearless in going up hill sides, fording streams to get the best viewing of a great assortment and quantity of animals. His knowledge level was also first rate.
Wonderful place and experience." See all these reviews: 16n in Kenya
"A great place to stay"
Meals at Kicheche Mara were very good and we enjoyed the food. Lunch was served outside and we sat with other people. However the communal dining for the evening meals was suspended and we had individual tables. Andrew explained that the reason was that some people were still uncomfortable being in close contact with others indoors.
Our driver/guide was George and we were again fortunate to have the vehicle to ourselves for the whole of the time we were there. George was an excellent guide. We saw lots of wildlife including excellent leopard, lion and elephant sightings. The cheetahs were elusive and had not been seen by anyone for a few days. George excelled at getting us into really good positions for photography. He was obviously a keen photographer himself and on occasions I was happy to let him take over my camera and take some photos for me!
We were in an electric vehicle for most drives and drove over some incredibly rough terrain. Using EVs is an interesting innovation, although as the animals are not yet used to the different engine sounds, some of them are more wary than they are of the diesels. We did have to return early from one drive as the vehicle was running low on charge due to driving over the rugged terrain. It was actually quite nice to have a bit longer in camp that day as the game drives are usually long: 5-6 hrs in the morning, (taking breakfast out with us), +3hrs in the evening - all very worthwhile.
On our last morning we managed a game drive with breakfast before flying out of Mara North." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya
"Kicheche Mara review"
Saruni, who was our guide in 2020, picked us up from the airstrip and excelled himself as always by getting us up close and personal with a cheetah mother, cub plus dead impala on the way to the camp. Regrettably we learned that this particular mother's original litter was 6 cubs and only one was now left. Cheetahs really do have a hard life.
As we have come to expect from Kicheche, the camp was very comfortable and efficiently run by Andrew and his team. Food was excellent, from the picnic breakfast, through lunch to the communal dinners in the evening. Tents were very comfortable and spacious with solar powered showers.
Peter was our guide for the three night stay and proved himself more than capable of locating the wildlife in the area despite the tall grass and somewhat inclement conditions. We had some spectacular sightings of lions, both young and old. Watching the older lionesses attempting to cross some fast flowing rivers was an interesting sight, given their aversion to getting wet." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya
"Kicheche Mara review"
Wonderful and caring staff, excellent food, superb guide/driver, accommodation of the highest of standard, it is hospitality at its very best.
The location could not of been better, watching elephants from the veranda of your tent just shows how well immersed the camp is within its surroundings. Waking up in the morning to hear that hippos and elephant have wandered past your tent whilst you sleep only adds to this wonderful experience
The vehicles are superbly maintained and perfect for wildlife viewing and for photographers.
Guides are all of the highest standard and work so hard to enable clients to get the very most out of their time at camp. They understand photographers and position their vehicles perfectly for light and composition, working tirelessly so you come back with a smile and memories to last a lifetime." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya
"Kicheche Mara review"
Amazing wildlife with driver/guide Dominic, in particular several cheetah families with cubs of various ages and leopard with young cubs. So many lions. Amazing knowledge of individual cats/prides. Superb catering again. Andrew was a wonderful host as Camp Manager, ably assisted by the rest of the team.
Yet again an unforgettable experience." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya
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