Kicheche Mara Camp

This was our third visit to Mara North and yet again we were not disappointed with any aspects of either the camp or the wildlife encounters we experienced while there. The tents had been upgraded since our last visit and while we couldn't really have found fault with the previous variants the new ones were a step up indeed. Very spacious, comfortable beds and ample storage space. Plenty of charging points were made available for phones and camera batteries. There is wifi available although you have to expect that the speed achieved can be quite variable it's still acceptable, given that you are in the middle of the African bush. The camp is excellently and efficiently run by Andrew and his team. The food was superb, excellent variety and beautifully presented. Dickson the chef is a force of nature!! All the team made us feel most welcome. One of the lovely things we have found at all the Kicheche camps is the number of repeat guests which is surely testament to the excellent service that the camps provide. Our guide Twala was excellent and provided us with some wonderful sightings over our three night stay. He had a great sense of humour which made the trip all the more enjoyable. Many thanks to Andrew, Teresa, Dickson, Maurice, Charles, Patrick and Moses for making the trip so memorable. Hopefully be back again in the near future.

Where do I even start. Our experience with Kicheche Mara North was a magical experience from begin to end. It was extremely sad to leave this place. From the moment you arrive at the camp you are receive the most warm welcome from camp manager Makenna. The safaris drives are incredible. We were blessed with many special sightings from Elephants families, several cheetahs, lions and the elusive serval cat. On our first evening drive we also met one of the resident female leopards although for a very short sighting. Our guides Lydia and Peter were exceptional. Full of knowledge, passion for the bush and wildlife and just great human beings. We loved talking to them and really getting to know them as individuals. Chef Dickson was amazing. Each meal was cooked to perfection and his fun personality on full display everyday. The food was varied every day and nothing could be faulted. Our waiter Patrick was such a wonderful person. Always had a genuine smile and took such great care of us. Overall this camp is ran amazingly well. They have a great team of people that really care and you can see it the whole way through. Thank you again guys and we hope to be back soon to the magical Mara North!

I want to report this woman (ESTER) who is asking for cars to move and intimidating people by saying that she is going to report them If they don't move of her photo!! it's only because she wants to get more tips and she pays attention to the people inside. In this case, to a single person who has no right to be any of this. Our guide said that she asked him to move because we were in her photo... and that we shouldn't be in someone else's photo!! She works for the KICHECHE group. What a HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE to be threatened and intimidated by this woman and the elderly person inside them. Also she was drinking alcohol (beer) with this man inside the car… Everyone has the right to take photos and enjoy If you are not bothering animals. KICHECHE: You should not allow this happen…

We stayed here as a family of four just before Christmas. Set in the Mara North conservancy there are some great advantages of this; namely plenty of game without the hoards of vehicles. With a five vehicle rule around game it is never too crowded. The camp itself is lovely and very much within the Kicheche model. You can see that there is a staff guide for the Kicheche routine. And the reason I only gave this review four stars was that it felt at times that staff were just going through the mandated routine. The manager and his deputy were in the places they were directed to be but they weren’t really present. Having stayed at the Laikipia sister camp directly before this one, we could feel the difference. Liakipia had much better attention to detail, was friendlier and felt more special. That’s not to say the Mara North camp wasn’t great - it was, but it wasn’t as good. For example we didn’t have hot water during our stay; it was tepid at best. The ‘photography tent’ which they made a big play about didn’t have any leads to plug cameras into their computer and the card reader didn’t take a CF card for the more professional cameras. Game drives at times felt a little mechanical too but on the whole were great. The guides know exactly where each of the big cats are (apart from leopard obviously) so you are almost guaranteed to see lion and cheetah. You are likely to see the same ones every day. Overall a great camp, just a little disappointing compared to their sister camp at Liakipia.

Kicheche is a top quality camp: beautiful tent accommodations, fantastic food beautifully prepared and presented (with excellent vegetarian options), friendly and professional staff, and experienced friendly guides. This camp offers a glimpse into the Maasai culture as well as terrific game drives. Kicheche has it all! From the friendly and competent management (Andrew and Makenna) to the knowledgeable guides - it was a wonderful experience. Our guide George has years of knowledge and experience in the Maasai Mara; we learned so much from him and saw a breathtaking variety of wildlife. The tent accommodations are beautifully decorated and the bathrooms are an upscale version of the usual bush camp ensuite bathroom. The setting is also beautiful. We appreciated the incorporation of Maasai culture into our experience - we are still wearing the beaded bracelets we made with the women from the village who came to teach us!

A truly amazing place. I couldn’t have been given a warmer welcome from everyone there they were so friendly and attentive. The food was great and my guide Esther fantastic. It was a great way to start my trip and actually I don’t think I could’ve seen better wildlife than I did there even after a wonderful trip two years ago to Botswana.