opened in 2006. It is an intimate safari camp providing the same high standards of guiding and food alongside a group of friendly and experienced hosts.
Kicheche Bush Camp is in the newly established Olare Orok Conservancy (created from Koiyaki Group ranch lands) bordering the Masai Mara Reserve, about 30 minutes south of Kicheche Mara Camp. The conservancy is a prime wilderness area and the camp’s location is a perfect observation point for the Great Migration.
Accommodation
Six large, East African style, insect-proof tents provide accommodation for no more than 12 guests. There are nice rugs on the floor, a safari wardrobe and plants. The en suite bathrooms have a safari bucket shower and flush toilet. The tents face west overlook the hills and plains of the Mara and the Siria Escarpment beyond. Each tent has a private verandah with comfortable chairs from which to sit and watch the wildlife or the sunset.
Facilities
The lounge, bar and dining tent are in a small copse of acacias, and hammocks are hung between nearby trees.
Food
Fresh produce is flown in and bread and pastries are baked fresh each day. The menu features both African and international dishes and meals are served al fresco or in the open-side dining tent. The food is plentiful, well-presented and very good.
Game Viewing
The rich plains around camp support an abundance of grazing animals, including sizeable elephant herds, giraffe and a variety of antelope. The woodlands hide the Kicheche pride, now consisting of 27 lions and lionesses. Leopard has been spotted frequently in recent months, as have cheetah and a beautiful family of caracal. You should see hyena and silver-backed jackal, and – very exciting - wild dog has been sighted for the first time since the 1990s.
Morning and afternoon/evening game drives are in open, customised 4WD Landcruisers with roof hatches. Game drives allow you to watch the wildlife at close range and provide excellent opportunities for photography. The game drives often incorporate picnic breakfasts, bush lunches, or sundowners. Walking across the savannah, escorted by an armed guide, provides another perspective on the life of the Mara.
Activities
The overnight walking safari is a wonderful opportunity for a close-up experience of the Mara, discovering the less obvious aspects of the savannah – birds, grasses and insects. It is not strenuous: led by one of the senior guides, accompanied by an armed ranger, you cover about 5 km on each day (about 3 hours), stopping at sites of interest. The fly-camp is ready for your arrival, with a refreshing shower, bush dinner and drinks around the campfire before you go to sleep under the African stars.
You can visit a genuine, local Masai village for a first-hand experience of the traditional Masai way of life. Traditional crafts are on sale and, sometimes, there is traditional dancing. Your village guide, or the Kicheche guide, will tell you about the activities in the village and explain the interconnections between the Masai way of life and the Mara.
You can take a balloon safari over the plains of the Masai Mara from Kicheche and, after a champagne breakfast, game drive back to camp. Kicheche also offers a flying excursion to Rusinga Island on Lake Victoria, where you can fish or just relax to the sound of the lapping water.
Kicheche has worked with many photographers (and hosted John & Angie Scott of the BBC’s Big Cat Diary) and can provide beanbags and attach platforms to the vehicles to facilitate the use of large lenses. Photographers can arrange exclusive use of a vehicle (surcharged) and benefit from a reduced rates on stays of more than four nights. Ask us for more information and rates.
Community
About half of the staff live within walking distance of camp and, while Kicheche puts great emphasis on the quality of its guiding, it seeks suitable local staff for training in the Koiyaki Guiding School.
Kicheche also supports two local schools, which you can visit during term-time.
Family
One tent can be made into a triple on request.