-
If someone was to ask me what was most memorable to me, I would have to say going on Safari in Masai Mara. Spending on an average 8-10 hours a day watching the wildlife has been an incredible experience. From this, I would confess, my absolute favourite memories are watching a journey of giraffes gallop from one forest to another at night and chasing down in a land cruiser at sunrise to catch a leopard sighting - all in one day!
The people of AndBeyond, namely Kichwa Tembo were remarkable. Everyone knew each other by name and I was treated like a member of the family. There were lots of hugs when it was time to leave with a promise to return the first chance I got. On a side note, AndBeyond did a remarkable job outside of Kichwa Tembo to ensure my transfers were 100% confirmed and done in a timely manner.
I was in tears when leaving Nairobi and even more heavy-hearted leaving Masai Mara.
Nida Shahid, February 2013
-
Kitchwa Tembo Camp was amazing and our guide Benedict knew everything about the Masai Mara we saw the great 5 on day one. So many animals from warthogs to leopards just fantastic. Kitchwa’s classic tents are very comfortable and the food was great, how they do that being remote I don’t know. Around the tents are families of warthogs (pumba in the Lion King movie) with babies just eating the grass around you is so much fun they have a great character and there were lots of other animals just sitting out on the grass. In saying that the bigger animals are kept out with the electric fence though Kitchwa have a large area inside these fences. Met some lovely people on the game drives and took so many photographs it will take us months to go through these. Kenya was our favourite spot as Kitchwa Tembo’s staff were so lovely and laid back. We also did a tour of a Masai village which was very interesting and the Masai also came to the camp one night and sang and danced for us and got everyone involved, so much fun.
Deborah Barton, October 2012
-
The Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp surpassed any expectation we had, loved the hot water bottle in the bed in the evenings. It was certainly a full on 2 days of safari drives. Wesley our guide and driver with 15 years experience was brilliant. He had such a great network and we got to see almost everything. We experienced the Big 5, plus had two sightings of Cheetahs, and almost experienced a wildebeest crossing. It was amazing!
Toni Harris, September 2012
-
I stayed at Kichwa Tembo tented camp for 4 days. The tent was excellent and well protected from mosquitoes and other insects and had very good facilities. The food was excellent as well, with enough varieties.
Raja Eswaran, September 2012
-
Kichwa Tembo was an absolutely wonderful experience. Our guide, Sophie was amazing! She was so good at spotting animals, had a six sense of when and where to go to spot things. She was very knowledgeable, friendly and we were all very sad to leave her. From what we saw and heard from other guides, Sophie was clearly a step above the rest. Our actual accommodations were very clean, spacious, and somehow without any bugs! Our beds were very comfortable, with ample blankets and hot water bottles were a nice surprise. Our caretaker, Joseph was extremely nice, gentle and thoughtful.
-
Erick, our guide from Kichwa Tembo, was waiting for us and was absolutely delightful. We were so lucky to have such a great chap for the week and he really did us proud with our animal viewing although we did not get to see leopard but he has guaranteed this if we come back!
Kichwa Tembo was beautiful and the outlook from the tents was gorgeous. The kids tent was fabulous and had no issues but we did have problems all week with the hot water in our tent and, in fact, only had one hot shower the entire duration of the stay. However, we met the manageress on the last morning who was furious because it had only just been brought to her attention by the camp staff even though we had complained every day. She was very apologetic and we were comforted by this. We did have some issues with Matthew’s peanut allergy and our butler was horrified by this because the kitchen staff kept supplying food with nuts (our picnic breakfast and lunch) and dessert and not telling him but again, I medicated him and thankfully there were no major issues. We did find the food to be a little limited in selection and choice each day and this would probably be our only recommendation to the camp. The staff were all delightful in true African style (not the same as in SA which is a totally different experience) and we were made to feel most welcome.
Ashley McKerchar, July 2012
-
Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp - The best part of our trip. Friendly staff, great food and service and great game viewing. Our guide James is incredible and very knowledgeable. He made sure we got to see everything and was very patient in explaining everything to us. The Warrior dance after dinner is a great introduction to the Masai culture, the walking safari is also highly recommended. Overall the Mara offered the best game viewing in our view. It didn't feel like we had to drive for hours to get to see animals, therefore we could afford to be more flexible with our time. Everything about the camp and our three day experience here was amazing. We've heard good feedback about &beyond from other travellers along the way. 10 out of 10.
I have nothing else major to add to Sarah's comments, except to again stress how much we loved Kichwa tembo, Soroi and Essque Zalu.
-
The highlight for us was our time in the Mara. Both Kichwa Tembo and Bataleur were amazing. The facilities at both camps and the service were excellent. There is no doubt in my mind that we will go back at some point. The game drives were out of this world and we loved our guide Wilson.
-
I loved my Masai Mara Safari experience at Kichwa Tembo!
I was astounded by the level of service (I had a personal butler, and Masai game drive guide). All the Kichwa Tembo staff were so friendly, willing to tell us about themselves and to talk with us. They made us foreigners feel very at home. I loved staying in a tent and hearing the animals at night, and at the same time having conveniences (e.g. a sink and toilet) in the tent.
The game drives were outstanding. The open 4X4 vehicles were just what I had hoped for - they provided feel of being in the wild and excellent viewing...they even had canvas tops in case of rain! The Masai guide (Alice) was very knowledgeable and capable...I felt I was in good hands with her...she kept us safe and worked hard to show us all that there was to see and to take good photos.
I really enjoyed meeting other solo travelers (as you suggested I might at Kichwa Tembo). This made the experience even more fun for me.
At the end of my stay in the Masai Mara, I felt I had experience a trip of a lifetime (and the Earthwatch portion of my trip hadnt even begun).
Thank you so much for helping me plan this trip. Please also extend my thanks to the staff at Kichwa Tembo (they were the key to it all).
Linda Bazarian, September 2011
-
The Kichwa tembo camp in the Mara was also excellent. Our tent was indeed very comfortable. Our Driver/guide was excellent, and the other two couples in our vehicle were great fun which made for a very enjoyble 4 days. In addition to seeing all the 'big 5', a cheetah with cubs and a leopard, the highlight was indeed the mass migration river crossing which was as spectacular and memorable as we had hoped, and all the guides said was the best they had seen this year.
Peter Cole, September 2011