Kicheche Valley Camp is operated by one of our favourite safari companies in Kenya with the same high standard of food and guiding as its sister camps in the Olare Orok Conservancy and Laikipia.
Location
The lodge is in the Mara Wildlife Naboisho Conservancy, which lies in the south east of the Masai Mara. The conservancy is over 20,000 hectares, the result of an incentive by the landowners and tourism partners, to restore the area to form part of the Mara ecosystem vital for wildlife migration. The lodge is set in a secluded area shaded by acacia trees and overlooks the Moliband stream and a natural spring.
Game viewing
Savannah grassland plains, acacia woodlands, riverine acacia forest and rocky hills form the ideal landscape for herbivores to graze and predators to hide, providing excellent game viewing for humans! With a water source in such close proximity to the lodge, the armchair game viewing is also set to be excellent.
Naboisho has the highest population of giraffe in the Mara, and also three resident lion prides, with three more prides of another 30-35 lions moving between the bordering conservancies. Five leopards and three cheetahs have been recorded in this area, and plenty of antelope. The Eneskaria river hippo pool has a large hippo pod and crocodiles. Rare species such as caracal, aardvark, aardwolf, serval cat, and wild dog have also been spotted. Ornithologists will be pleased to know that this is a bird watchers paradise - rarer birds such as northern white-crowned shrike, pigmy falcon are commonly seen.
Accommodation
The camp is a classic, luxury bush camp, with six East African style, insect-proof tents. The tents are spacious (a third bed can be provided if needed) and furnished with cedar beds, bedside tables and rugs. Each en suite bathroom has a dresser, flushing toilet, shower and running water.
Facilities
The camp is completely unfenced, so it’s quite possible a giraffe might feed from the trees next to your tent. The lounge is spacious and has an excellent view of the hustle and bustle around the nearby natural spring. The delicious international and occasional African meals are served al-fresco in a clearing that overlooks the plains when the weather allows. Special dietary requirements can be prepared with advance notice.
Activities
Explore this area of the Masai Mara in a shared open-sided and open roofed customized 4WD vehicle. Keen game photographers might prefer to book a vehicle for exclusive use. For a cultural insight, guests have the opportunity to visit one of the local Maasai villages, Talek town, or one of the community projects supported by the lodge. Escorted nature walks provide a closer look at the flora and smaller fauna around camp and are led by an experienced guide and an armed ranger.
Responsible tourism
All the camps in this new area of the Mara are restricted in size to minimise the impact of tourism on the environment. The Kicheche guides are all extremely well qualified with a strict code of conduct and the high standards that the Kicheche Camps group is know for. Kicheche supports local community projects and are working to maximise the economic benefit of tourism for the community.
