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
100% success
68% 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"
The staff are exceptionally friendly, welcoming and attentive. I stayed there briefly 3 years ago with my grandson and every staff member who was there then remembered us and our time with them and asked about him. The relief manager was excellent and went out of her way to be inclusive and helpful and the permanent manager was terrific in celebrating the honeymoon of two of the guests. The food was delicious.
Our guide was excellent in his knowledgeable tracking and positioning - several times amazing us with where he drove off to only to find the animals heading straight in our direction. He felt very committed to giving us the best animal viewing and at the same time to the welfare of the animals. There was a great variety of animals and we saw many lions and cheetahs (though we missed the leopards)." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya
"Kicheche Mara review"
We loved how the emphasis here is on game drives and everything else is secondary, well it was in our jeep anyway (I'm sure you can chose to be out for less time if you want to?). Most days we left at 6am and didn't return until just before lunch, taking breakfast with us. In the afternoon we went out from 4pm until just before dinner, enjoying a sundowner every night wherever the viewing was at its best. The first night we spend it next to a pride of 20 lions.
Our guide George was brilliant, he made sure we saw everything we wanted. He was an expert at predicting where the animals would go next so whilst everyone else were chasing the animals getting pictures of their backside, George had us positioned perfectly to watch the animal come to us. This happened on numerous occasions and it meant we got great pics. Not only was he a great guide but a very nice person who was a pleasure to spend so much time around and very knowledgeable.
We spend one full day in the reserve and surprisingly actually saw less animals than we had in the conservancy. It was also very very busy with Jeeps. We did manage after waiting patiently for 3 hrs to see a river crossing which was fab although a bit brutal. After visiting the reserve we were glad that we had chosen to stay in the conservancy and do most of our game drives there.
We enjoyed sitting around the camp fire for a pre dinner drink before enjoyable evening meals. The only small issue was no pre warning on what you were going to have for dinner so if you didn't like it tough luck. We had an enjoyable but slightly cringe worthy experience at dinner on our last night where all the staff came out singing and dancing to celebrate our recent nuptials. We all then enjoyed a glass of bubbly which was great." See all these reviews: 15n in Kenya
"AMAZING! We didn't want to leave!"
The setting, the animals, the accommodation, the food, but most importantly, the staff, made it the most memorable family holiday.
Even after 4 days of early mornings and off roading, we could have taken more! Just fantastic." See all these reviews: 8n in Zanzibar; 5n in Kenya
"In the wild "
"Kicheche Mara review"
We saw many families of animals, including mongoose, hyena, lion etc., etc. Even say a lioness transferring her very young cubs to a new location. These last days on safari were truly magical.
I would also like to mention the 2 wondeful managers, especially Tony, who took the time to introduce me to the local expert in medicinal plants (a long standing interest of mine, which has taken me to other parts of Africa to study traditional medicine). Tony did an excellent job of simultaneous interpretation and it was a fascinating time.
The only negative with respect to Mara North was its size (many more people than we were used to) and this led to a loss of familiarity. Meals were served at a very long table which made conversation difficult and it was noisy. Having said that, I do understand that business is business!" See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya
"Brilliant Kicheche Mara Camp"
Brilliant food. Amazing location and comfortable tents. Very well looked after throughout.
So many exciting wildlife experiences thanks to the knowledge and skill of Francis. Staying 6 nights again allowed for patience to wait, absorbing the atmosphere and letting situations unfold to generate a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the residents of this amazing corner of Africa.
Every visit seems to get better. I don't think I've ever seen so many lions!" See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya
"Happy experience"
"My favourite camp"
It is set in a beautiful valley with fantastic views from the tents. The staff are very welcoming and remember you when you make return visits.
Also, the wildlife viewing in Mara North is excellent." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya
"Kicheche Mara review"
The gracious and outgoing manager, Raymond, was very hands-on, and our guide, Francis, was excellent. His intuition, determination, and patience paid off, leading us to witness an unforgettable kill by a single lionness. Francis could tell that she was interested in this particular hunt, and at his urging, we stayed with her over the course of several hours until it all unfolded just as he had predicted it might. Now that is superb guiding.
As at the other Kicheche properties, morning drives began at 6:00 AM, with breakfast in the bush and returns shortly after noon, just in time to freshen up before lunch at 1:00 (unless you were on a great sighting, and then lunch became secondary). This is exactly the type of camp we desired — it had everything we needed, but management never lost sight of the fact that we were here for the wildlife.
Only 4 of the 6 tents were occupied during our stay, but to Kicheche’s credit, they kept all their guides and vehicles operating, so we each had a private guide and vehicle, which was an exceptional privilege and really enhanced our experience there.
I could not be happier with the ethos behind Kicheche’s approach to safari. They’ve really got their priorities in order, and the fact that the majority of guests we met at both Mara and Bush camps were repeat customers (some had been coming for years) is a testament to their success in this area." See all these reviews: 14n in Kenya
"Kicheche Mara review"
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.