Kicheche Mara Camp

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.

From the moment we arrived till we left the experience at this camp has been first class. We were just off our plane when we saw our first cheetah hunt. The camp its self is well kept and the staff are excellent. They cannot do enough for you. Our tent was beautiful and very functional. Plenty plugs and usb connections with great wifi if required. You have a great view from the balcony watching the passing animals. The food was superb and always well presented. The chef is excellent and all dietary issues catered for. This camp has been well thought out and everything covered. Your wake up coffee comes with take away cups so you can take out on game drive. The vehicles for the game drives are good and in the early morning you even get a hot water bottle. The game viewing is superb with lots of cats, our guide Tula was brilliant at spotting them. Plenty of animals to see. Breakfast was taken out in drives with good varied menus and in beautiful surroundings. Sitting drinking a sundowner watching lion cubs was just the best. All the staff were great from management to the Masai guards.

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.

We had a wonderful stay at Kicheche Mara North Camp for our honeymoon and my birthday. The staff were brilliant, and on our last night, they surprised us with a special celebration that made the trip even more memorable. Our guide, Peter, was incredibly knowledgeable and made each game drive a fantastic experience. Thank you for making our stay so special!

I can’t recommend this highly enough. It really was exceptional! Andrew welcomed us along with the team and from the moment we arrived we were looked after. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. All of the little touches helped to make this trip magical. The camp in itself is just amazing. The ‘tents’ are immaculate and there is everything you need. Including wi-fi. The communal area for dinner & relaxing and the photography tent for editing your photos etc are all top notch! The safari was beyond our expectations (as was everything else). Paul our guide was super knowledgable, we saw so much!! Paul knows all the good spots and is a first class photographer so put us in all the right positions for great shots. The touches such as the early morning wake up call with coffee bought to our room with cookies at the time you wish were just spot on. Also the hot water bottles in the jeep to keep you warm, lined ponchos in case you get cold. Breakfast out on safari and drinks at sundown with the back drop of the Masai Mara.. incredible. The food at the camp is next level. As well as your breakfast, lunch and dinner all beautifully served and delicious. There’s a lovely afternoon tea and if you feel like anything to eat or drink at any other time nothing is too much trouble. What’s also lovely is the getting your room ready for you in the evening. Hot water bottles in the bed and your laundry all clean and folded. The camp is open so you do get some visitors so you are escorted everywhere at night by a guide so you feel super safe sleeping in the Masai Mara. Truly amazing!! 100% recommend.

LOVED Kicheche Mara North! Okay, first, yes, this is a tent camp. But, shift your thinking because these tents are heavy duty, permanently positioned for beautiful views, wired for all their lighting (one switch), and were among the most spacious accommodations we had on our whole trip. Beautiful styling, comfortable furnishings, large bathroom area with double sinks, and even a seating area for relaxing. The tents are along the river, and have outside chairs for relaxing and enjoying the views. We came back one evening to our tent (with our ranger) to find a huge giraffe in our "yard"! And one day, an elephant was right on the pathway. Within the camp, wait until you see the multiple lovely "lounge" tents, each with a different theme, art, and displays, and all evocative of Africa. The dining area is a large paved patio, with large trees overhead, candlelight and tablecloths, and amazing food by Chef Dickson. Truly, this was fine dining we can't even always get back in the states. Wonderful service, friendly staff, and well-managed by Andrew and Makenna, this is a great camp. Our guide, Twala, was very knowledgeable and professional, and found us the greatest variety of animals we saw on our trip. He found beautiful locations for breakfast, lunch, and even happy hour, (treats and drinks from camp) and was the best of all our guides in setting up fantastic backdrops for pictures. Twala gave us detailed information about each of the animals and always monitored for our safety. Lastly, we really liked the Foundation this camp has set up to help area Maasai women and families. And we wish we could have taken advantage of the demonstrations that are done in camp; they sounded very interesting. There was also a small shop on site with nice, high-quality locally-made products at very affordable prices. Sometimes we found these highly priced elsewhere. Highly recommend Kicheche Mara North - the camp, land, and animals were all well worth the trip!