#15 of 108 campgrounds in Maasai Mara National Reserve
Location
4.9
Rooms
4.8
Value
4.8
Cleanliness
4.9
Service
4.9
Sleep Quality
4.9
Kicheche Mara Camp is a classic tented camp hidden in a beautiful valley in a prime wildlife area of the Mara North Conservancy. The luxury tents are laid out alongside a seasonal stream from where you can observe the resident birdlife and plains game beyond. The location is ideal as game viewing frequently starts in the camp itself and there is prime wildlife habitat on all sides providing an ideal base for your safari in the Masai Mara. The family suite with two separate bedrooms (double & twin/triple) with ensuite bathrooms is ideal for up to 5 people. The bedrooms are connected by a lounge furnished with a sofa and small table enabling private dining.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Luxury
Great View
Location
On Olare Orok Stream In Acacia Valley, Maasai Mara National Reserve Kenya
This was our first visit to the Kicheche Mara camp although we had previously been to other camps owned by Kicheche. The same level of service which we enjoyed at both Bush and Laikipia is immediately apparent on arrival at the camp.
The friendly welcome by Carys and the rest of the staff made us feel immediately at home. The accommodation was excellent and the hot and cold running water was an added bonus. No bucket showers here!! As expected the standard of the food was very impressive, watched over with a careful eye by Wellington, the chef.
Our guide, Saruni was impressive in his ability to locate the most elusive predators, finding a leopard on our first day at camp. The rest of the four night stay was equally impressive in terms of animal sightings. Given that the weather had been somewhat unusual in the weeks leading up to our arrival, Saruni coped extremely well considering the state of the "road" conditions. The long grass proved excellent cover for the cats and made sightings that more difficult but Saruni proved himself on more than one occasion in hunting them down.
Dinner in the evenings after the late afternoon game drive were communal affairs which we much prefer and Carys proved to be an excellent and attentive host.
One of the lovely things about the camp was the number of returning guests which in itself speak volumes for the style and manner in which Kicheche run their camps and for the staff on the ground who manage them.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed at this camp for 3 nights mid-late June following a stay at the sister camp in Kicheche Laikipia.
This camp is on a larger scale than the one we had previously stayed in, in Laikipia but did not take away from the service and experience we had. We were welcomed into camp by manager Andrew who briefed us on the finer details of camp.
Our tent was on a par with what we had experienced at Laikipia. We were put into a family tent and so had two single beds and a double. The tents had everything we wanted and needed, towels, charging points, toiletries and fresh water. There were also facilicities to be able to get clothing washed.
The food within camp was nothing short than fantastic, whether it be breakfast or sundowner snacks out on the plains or lunch and dinner in camp. All meals were well fresh, tasty and well presented.
Our guide George was brilliant. He knew where best to try and locate the various animals and the best positions to capture iconic photographs. His passion for the animals and the job he did shone through. This also went for the staff in the camp who went above and beyond to deliver a gold class service.
I would highly recommend this camp to anyone choosing to stay in the Masai Mara. It's perfectly located within the Mara North Conservancy where an array of animals can be seen and experienced.
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I actually came to Kenya to see family before they moved . They suggested this safari and set things up. I really did not research and had some hesitations. I also figured would be a once in a life time thing.. in the past my vacations mainly have been mainly fancy beach resorts….I even joked w co workers hoped did not get ate by a Lion!! Well I did not get eaten I ended up loving it so much now figuring out when I can come back!
I loved everything about the Mara. It had a large diversity of animals and is in a beautiful setting. My guide made me feel very safe and was very informative. I definitely was not expecting the level of service or food quality either! It was gourmet food and top level of service in this beautiful location away from stressors of modern life. I also found the bed and tent very comfortable. It is definitely glamping not camping. I loved how next to a stream and staff walks you to tend when dark. Ps also discovered my new favorite drink called a Dowa. I plan to make when back in USA. They even deliver coffee to your tent each am.
I am also a new hobbyist photographer but have not had much time back at home to use my camera. I splurged on new lens for this trip from Suggestions of a professional photographer friend and glad I did! I absolutely loved how much time I had to take pictures! I also do know now after doing some research that their cars are set up very nicely for photographers and a focus of this camp. My guide also seemed to know just where to go and stop. I do have some big goals for myself and something to practice for before returning!!!!
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We spent 3 nights here and could not have had a better experience. Our guide, Jimmy, made sure we saw plenty of what we asked for (big cats, babies of all the typical animals…even a leopard with cubs!). The tents were super luxurious, and I have to say the good water pressure hot showers were a big surprise. Food was amazing - chefs offered up creative menu daily and adjusted when needed for special requests including making pasta for our youngest daughter without being asked when they thought the menu might not fully suit her. Breakfast in the bush was also very good with creative menus and good variety. Up early for safari is not so bad with hot coffee and hot cocoa in thermos waiting and a hot water bottle. We loved this place and cannot recommend it enough.
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Date of stay: January 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A camp of two extremes, if you want to be at one with nature and share your space with wild animals but sleep in white duvet sheets then this is the camp for you. Flushing toilets , hot showers and the flashlight escorting system that works extremely well.
We were welcomed by Cerys and two of the Masi staff before being lead over the bridge into Kicheche camp. All the staff are very tentative to your needs. But respect your space and allowed you to relax and enjoy the camp and drives as you see fit.
The communal spirit of sharing drinks around the camp fire before sitting down to a delicious 3 course meal was a new experience for me and at first I was a little put off. However, it really does mean you can bond and reminisce in your shared experience and interest with the other guest which was nice.
As an example of how the staff catered for my personal taste, I made a flippant comment about not have any real whisky (no Spayside single malt), our host jumped to her feet and came back five minutes later with a Glenfiddich in hand and the banoffee pie gets 11/10.
Our driver Saruni was very good, knowledgeable and friendly. He was excellent at explaining the eco system and how the animals co-exist. As I was predominantly on a photography holiday, he was able to get me into the best positions to take advantage of the beautiful back drop and light.
Indeed I had a camera malfunction on our first drive and Saruni was so helpful at trying to troubleshoot with me, he then called on the radio and got help from other photographers. Turns out, it was dust in the SD card slot!
I had a great experience and I wish all the Kicheche camp family every continued success for the future.
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My first time to Africa was 2019 and I stayed at this camp. The staff could not have been more professional and all wanted the guest experience to be wonderful. The chef was amazing as was the food. The accommodation and privacy of our tent was 5 star. Some nights could hear the faint roar of a lion, the rustling of the camp cape buffalo and the sounds of the baboons screaming (for only a few minutes) on occasion. Our wake up call with coffee, tea and biscuits was a nice way to begin the early, dark morning and enjoyed sharing the day with other guests around the campfire before dinner.
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Date of stay: September 2019
Room Tip:Â Tents are assigned and with our group was double occupancy. I would have preferred a solo tent...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
An unforgettable experience ! We stayed three nights in this exceptional camp! This camp is the perfect balance between luxurious comfort in a tent, service worthy of a Palace, very refined cuisine and calm, calm, smiling and efficient service. Every day, every breakfast, every lunch, aperitif, dinner is always different, varied, simple and worthy of a starred restaurant. Everything is soft and efficient. Our guide Peter, the must-have guide, was perfect! Everything is thought out, considered, weighed, adapted, according to our desires and the animals and the weather. The smile is present on each person. The kindness, availability and punctuality of the team is touching. Our welcome by our camp leader (a woman) was extraordinary, I wanted to take her in my arms. The location is well chosen, along a wooded river where all the animals can come and the nights are alive with the noise of the animals but in complete safety. It is the perfect place for a total and assured disconnection with all the comfort. A safari camp paradise on Earth.
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â don't think about anything, the camp takes care of everything!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
An absolutely wonderful lodge run by Ann and her team with superb accommodation, delicious food and impeccable service. It was the perfect safari location as the Mara North Conservancy is much quieter (in terms of vehicles not animals) than the Masai Mara National Reserve next door and you can off road. It is safari luxury at its best, from hot water bottles and rugs on morning game drives to the accommodation tents and their in-tent Wi-Fi for downloading all your fabulous photos. Edward our guide was incredible! Not only interesting and knowledgeable about the animals, birds, trees etc, he was also a keen photographer himself. He carefully positioned the vehicle to get the perfect photo and taught me how to get the best out of my camera and lens. He found everything we wanted to see including leopard, cheetah and lions from small cubs to large impressive males, elephant, giraffe, buffalo to mentioned a few. His passion made each game drive truly unique. There’s something idyllic about sitting under the stars at the end of the day having dinner listening to the animals in the distance, truly special. Nothing was too much trouble, with ever wish catered for making our stay unforgettable. I can’t fault anything about the lodge and only hope we get to return one day.
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This camp is on the larger side so was a bit of a shock coming from the much more intimate Kicheche Laikipia Camp. However standards are very high and service is faultless. At the time we visited in mid-June the camp wasn't fully booked so we had private game drives most of the time.
Andrew the camp manager told some fascinating stories over dinner. Food and facilities all perfect. They go to special effort to cater for tastes/intolerances.
Our guide George and trainee Lydia were great. Good humour, knowledgeable and again went to great effort to secure my husband great photo opportunities. We even had the pleasure of a leopard on 3 occasions!
It's true that wildlife viewing starts at camp, which is unfenced. We had the company of monkeys and a bull elephant, alongside giraffes.
Highly recommend this camp in a beautiful valley location.
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our first safari, stayed 3 nights at kicheche laikipia then moved to Mara north. The kicheche camps are amazing! We had a lovely welcome committee greet us as we arrived following a 50 min drive from the airstrip. The tents (we had Punda milia) are immaculate, spacious, in a beautiful setting.lots of special touches such as cold water urn in room, charging point in tent, wake up call with tray of tea and cookies, laundry, hot water bottles in bed and in jeep with ponchos for those chilly mornings. The food was amazing.....you can’t beat breakfast out on the plains..loved the granola! Amazing buffet lunch and 3 course evening meals, so much food !. A special thanks to our server Caroline for looking after us so well. Special thanks also to our guide Saruni who found some amazing wildlife for us to view, and ever informative with my endless questions. The camp manager Andrew gave us a lovely ‘backstage’ tour which was very interesting, the organic kitchen garden that grows most of their salad, veg and herbs, the solar power system, the EV and plans for providing the camp with all its water with its own filtration system planned. Andrew has some amazing staff at this camp, the guides, servers, bar staff, chefs and security staff and they are all so friendly, we were treated like royalty.we had a fantastic time, just wish we had booked for longer....we will be back!
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lancashire, United Kingdom21 contributions6 helpful votes
Hi, I have not been to kicheche bush camp, but I have heard it is a very nice camp with excellent game viewing close by. I highly recommend staying at kicheche mara though. Maybe stay at kicheche mara/bush and kicheche laikipia if you want a variety of animals and landscape. (Nearly guaranteed to see rhinos up at laikipia)
There are more places to choose from in the Maasai Mara National Reserve area.
PRICE RANGE
$1,479 - $2,062 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
kicheche mara camp hotel maasai mara national reserve
LOCATION
KenyaRift Valley ProvinceMaasai Mara National Reserve
NUMBER OF ROOMS
10
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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