Reviews of Kichaka Expeditions

"This is the most amazing place we have ever stayed. The luxury, beauty, excellent service, and great food at the lodge contrasted bizarrely and yet wonderfully with the complete isolation and unparalleled access to truly wild land. We have no idea what miracles Noelle works to make this happen when she is a nine hour drive from the nearest store, but we appreciated the results!

We had expected fantastic hikes in the bush with very knowledgeable guides, but even our very high expectations were exceeded. Moli and Jacques were extremely informative and clear, and the combination of drives and hikes gave us a broader and deeper understanding of Ruaha than we could possibly have achieved in a more centrally located camp.

We especially appreciated Jacques' authenticity and deep passion for the bush -- and his delicious gin and tonics!" See all these reviews: 9n in Zanzibar; 7n in Tanzania

"Surely one of the greatest (if not the greatest) trip we have done to date. Kichaka is all and more what we were expecting it to be, and our expectations were high. Moli is indeed the best guide I have ever had the pleasure to meet, combining unmatched practical experience, deep scientific knowledge, great presentation skills and most engaging personality. Noelle was also a very charming and helpful host and a joy to be with. We had also the opportunity to spend a couple of days with Jacques as a guide and host at the fly camp, and he too was truly great both as a guide and a travelling companion.

Ruaha is a great place where to see wildlife and live the bush, teaming with wildlife but with very few people (and basically no one else in the Kichaka area). We manage to see many lions, leopard, buffalos and (hundeds of) elephants...both whilst walking and from the car, but we also had wild dogs, hyenas, roan antelopes ....and both greater and lesser kudus on a daily basis.

We tend not to go back to places we have already visited, but we will certainly make an exception for Ruaha and Kichaka Expeditions" See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"Moly and Noelle can hardly be topped !

Moly offered best guidance, scientific explanations on all aspects of the surrounding nature brilliantly performed and still well understandable: the walking tours offered information on all kinds of natural interrelations as well as innumerable details of flora, fauna and geological facts, but they were also highly amusing and deep and moving experiences. We could not have been better cared for !

At home" Noelle was the perfect host: her kitchen left no wishes open - veggies f.e. were always offered .......... and she also entertained perfectly !

The fact that the camp is small as well as really very remote ( apart from the rangers we met litarally nobody !) only added to the fascination of this stay !

We would always highly recommand Kichaka to everybody who looks for African impressions that reach under the surface and go deeper as well as beyond the usual safaris !!" See all these reviews: 21n in Tanzania

"Our week at Kichaka was one of the highlights of our lives. We have done walking safaris before but not in such thick bush and not with the intent of getting as close as possible to elephants. It's incredible, sometimes scary and definitely addictive.
Moli did the longer morning walks and Jacques, his number 2, the afternoon walks or drives. Both are accompanied by a very good Tanapa ranger so you do feel safe behind their 2 guns and 2 pairs of eyes.
Moli is amazing: we've heard many explanations of particular animal behaviour but no one who has had the depth of knowledge of Moli or his infectious enthusiasm. It was informative, fascinating and also a lot of fun: we laughed a lot over the week.
So we walked to within 5 metres of an elephant, watched them for 10 minutes and then left without it ever knowing we were there. That was very exciting. And that's the target every day though of course they have to work with the animals and conditions which present themselves..
Jacques, a Zim pro guide, was also very good and a fascinating man who seems to have done a bit of everything over his life
The camp is lovely; I guess relatively simple but all very nicely done and with very attentive staff. Nothing is too much trouble. We said we wanted to swim in the Ruaha and so that was arranged and Jacques and the ranger ensured it was safe for us to do so: no crocs or hippo in sight.
The food was good. Showers/loo/washing are slightly separate from your tent which can make nocturnal loo trips exciting when you can hear lions are around.
The camp's position on a hill above the river is fantastic with sweeping views down and along the Ruaha River. It is very remote and feels like that: you could be the first (or the last) people on earth. We didn't see anyone else the whole week were there apart from some lion researchers. The absence of people and vehicles means the animals are quite skittish; Moli likes it that way and it makes the close encounters you get feel even more special.
It's a very small camp and feels very intimate. We cannot praise it enough." See all these reviews: 8n in Zanzibar; 7n in Tanzania

"This was our first safari & Kichaka provided us with a showstopper introduction!

The location was a good 2 hr drive from the Msembe airstrip but rather than being a drag, we had our first intro to our guide's (Moli) encyclopedic skills - each corner contained a new topic and ensured that we covered History, Zoology, Geology and more in what could have simply been a long, dusty drive to camp.

The best description would be to give an overview of the day: These started before 06-00 with coffee brought to our 'tent' (more a hotel room!) before a welcome cooked breakfast with fruit and pastries.....we then left the camp on foot around 07-00 led by our guide and Tanzanian Park Ranger. All guests (no more than six guests in camp at a time) were then treated to Moli's wide ranging and amusing observations on whatever we encountered. Truly fascinating!

The walking safari lasted around five hours, but the time flew and there we plenty of stops of refreshment and a few treats to keep our energy levels up. We were then met by the Kichaka truck who would either return us to camp, or had set up a mobile kitchen to cook us lunch.

That brings me to the cuisine......it certainly wasn't 'simple bush food' but a thoughtfully prepared variety of dishes that presented starters, main courses and deserts that were wonderfully unexpected but a delight. It seems that being in the bush doesn't restrict Kichaka's culinary ambitions!

The afternoons were then a choice of a safari drive or another walking safari.........after a little nap, of course.

The camp was a perfect mix of style & comfort (wonderful beds!) and bush (bucket shower & short-drop loo) that left us feeling that we'd had a wholly authentic experience.

Glamping? Possibly, but it was a holiday that was about more than just nice facilities - the sights, stories and food took it beyond that & the hospitality (10 staff to 6 guests!) made for a memorable experience." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania

"We very rarely revisit places but we came back after just 7 months to experience green Africa, which is testament to the very special experience that Moli and Noelle have created. It's certainly a myth that you don't see animals at this time of year, as we had great animal sightings and also flowers, butterflies and a completely different impression of Africa. Being the only guests in Ruaha was a true privilege and surveying the expansive wilderness from Kichaka's new home up high was like looking over a lost world.

This is a very special safari experience; completely immersive and unique. Thank you Moli and Noelle and all the team." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"Moli and Noelle are an awesome couple and very easy to connect with right away. Moli's guiding and knowledge of "his" environment are second to none and the best I've ever experienced in several safari destinations.

This is definitely a place for people who want to feel completely connected to the bush and it's inhabitants and not for luxury seekers. Although they do an admirable job at providing the creature comforts, (in fact I don't even know how they manage to pull it off so well!), it is ultimately a rustic, simple camp to experience nature rather than simply viewing it. It was by far our favorite destination between the 3 camps we visited although both others were considerably more upmarket.

The food and service were great, the intimate setting and time spent with our hosts very special and made it difficult to say goodbye. Ideal for adventurous and open minded people.
Kitchaka is all bout walking and there are simply none better to do that with than with Moli.

My ratings below reflect the grades based on expectations, and not in absolute terms." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania

"Operating in a remote part of Ruaha, this is a special wilderness experience. Four nights at base camp and three nights fly camping were a perfect mix for us. We enjoyed walking four/ five hours each morning and evening game drives; a great combination. Game viewing was excellent and Moli is an inspirational guide.

Noelle is an excellent hostess and we enjoyed the food and their company. All in all outstanding; we want to go back!" See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania; 2n in Kenya

"A fabulous experience. Wonderful location for both base and fly camp.

Thoroughly enjoyed walking with the exceptionally knowledgable 'Moli' and was treated to outstanding cuisine by his partner Noelle. A beautiful quiet part of Ruaha park added to our enjoyment. Fantastic sightings of Roan antelope and a family of cheetah.

Combining walking and driving was for us the ultimate safari experience." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"where to start? and most importantly when to finish? as not to stop readers from reading it all???

We had met Moli and Noelle during a previous trip to Ruaha and since we learnt they opened their own little mobile camp we had wanted to go back and so we finally did!! We immediately thought we should have stayed longer than one week!

Their concept is very simple: a small camp that gives you the freedom of walking where and when and how long you want and makes you feel you are staying with old friends. Combine this with a legendary guide (could be a lecturer) and a fantastic hostess/chef and Kichaka comes straight out of your dreams.

The camp is basic-ish (not luxurious but with everything you need from the vuguvugu shower to toiletries and so on) and mobile so its location can change and you get to explore parts of the park that are completely void of other people...it feels amazing! The animals are curious of you and mostly not overly skittish considering you are on foot. We saw probably a thousand elephants - no I am not joking- lesser kudus, elands, zebras, giraffes, baboons (a troop of them followed us on a river bed for about an hour carefully keeping a distance but checking on us), hyraxes, jackals, mongooses, all kind of birds in great numbers.

One of the most moving experience was walking elephants and watching them without being noticed...there are no words to describe the feeling you just have to be there to understand! Opposite to our previous trip to Ruaha we saw no lions but this is what it is during the green season - this did not bother us at all but may be worth mentioning in case someone expects to see them. It was also a bit hot and humid (as expected but we had to take it easy a couple of afternoon)- again not a criticism but a note for future traveller: the fact that you can walk 5-6 hours in UK does not mean you do not feel the heat there :)

We did 2 nights fly camp and we loved it as we could walk a different area. Moli always makes sure that each walk is done in a new area and oh! we want to film Moli talking about the termite mount and make a documentary out of it! Every day is a new adventure that always finishes with a nice shower, a drink in front of the fire and a delicious dinner!

So to sum it up spending a week with a walking encyclopaedia - but a fun one - and a lovely enthusiastic friendly super hostess in an area of a remote park all for ourselves is...one of the best experience in a lifetime!

All the member of the staff, starting from Salum, are always fun and welcoming and just great - asante sana marafiki! I almost forgot every wish is possible at Kichaka: Noelle and Moli organized a surprise bush lunch for our anniversary, all in secret from my partner and the surprise was just great! Asante tena!" See all these reviews: 15n in Tanzania