Kicheche Laikipia
Kicheche Laikipia is aN ECO-AWARD-WINNING very comfortable and intimate tented camp NESTLED IN THE SHADOWS OF MOUNT KENYA overlooking a waterhole in the WILDERNESS ZONE OF Ol Pejeta Conservancy, in the Laikipia region of central Kenya.
Kicheche Laikipia is an excellent camp offering good value for money and a superb wildlife experience. The spacious tents offer a good level of comfort, without being overly luxurious, and have small touches which make your stay all the more comfortable. The comfort of the tents is matched by the friendliness of the staff who will look after your every need. As with all the Kicheche camps, the level of guiding is excellent and the ambiance is warm and welcoming.
Ol Pejeta Conservancy is not the wildest destination in Kenya but is a great conservancy for game viewing and a stronghold for both black and white rhino. We feel Kicheche Laikipia is particularly well suited to travellers on their first safari to East Africa, but the camp can equally well cater for more experienced photographers and wildlife enthusiasts.
Rooms
Each of the six luxurious tents have plumbed en suite facilities with flush toilet, shower and double vanity, and a large L-shaped bedroom area with a dresser and comfortable seating. To the front of each is a verandah where guests are able to simply sit, relax and enjoy the views of the waterhole and plains beyond. There is also a spacious family tent with one double and two single beds, and a shared bathroom. The tents are set on the ground under canvas awnings, with three each side of the main mess area.
Central Areas
The central areas are large built from canvas with a well-furnished lounge, a cosy fireplace for the colder evenings, and a dining area. Meals are taken communally and hosted by the camp managers, and breakfasts and lunch are usually enjoyed al fresco. There is a camp fire area where guests gather for drinks in the evening.
Facilities
Wi-Fi – Yes
Power for Charging – Yes
Swimming Pool – No
Habitat & Wildlife
The Laikipia covers a significant portion of dramatic countryside in northern Kenya, sandwiched between Samburu and Mount Kenya in the east and the Aberdare Mountains and Great Rift Valley in the west. The central section of the area is covered by a lava plateau which creates a series of rocky escarpments offering epic views, whilst a series of rocky outcrops and hills dot the landscape revealing the landscape’s much more ancient history (some of these rocks are thought to be around 80 million years old). The region is divided into a number of private ranches, conservancies and community lands with farming (cattle mainly), wildlife conservation and local populations all existing in relative harmony.
The Ol Pejeta Conservancy straddles the equator, covering an area of over 100 000 acres. Owned by the Fauna and Flora International, the conservancy aims to generate profit from wildlife tourism and complementary activities (such as cattle) for reinvestment into community development in the local area.
The terrain is primarily one of undulating plains interspersed with glades of euclea and olive woodland. The Ewaso Nyiro River bisects the reserve creating wetland areas which are popular with elephant and a range of waders.
Wildlife viewing within the conservancy is incredible, especially for black rhino whose density numbers are higher here than anywhere else in Africa. Other species likely to be encountered include white rhino, Defassa waterbuck, Jackson’s hartebeest, elephant, buffalo, lion, cheetah, leopard, spotted hyaena, warthog, Anubis baboon, vervet monkey, greater kudu, eland, impala, Bohor and Chandlers reedbuck, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, as well as some of the species normally found to the drier north – reticulated giraffe and Grevy’s zebra. Smaller, nocturnally active species, include genet, caracal, porcupine, white-tailed mongoose, honey badger and zorilla.
Within the former Sweetwaters section is the chimpanzee sanctuary where rescued animals are given the chance to live as near to the wild as possible. There is also a Research Centre.
Ol Pejeta is also home to the last couple of remaining northern white rhino who were shipped out to the conservancy from a zoo in Prague and live in the enlarged predator free ‘endangered species boma’ for additional protection. As they were captive animals, feeding still takes place and it is possible to join the 4 p.m. feed to see these rare animals close up. Early booking is essential as only two vehicles are allowed per feed. Other endangered species found in the boma are Grevy’s zebra and the Jackson’s hartebeest, both of which are being monitored for breeding purposes.
The birdlife is superb in the conservancy, with over 500 species recorded. To the east of the reserve is towering Mount Kenya, Africa’s second highest mountain with its snow-capped peaks.
Activities
Game drives take place by day and night, the latter focusing on nocturnal species not usually seen on regular daytime drives. Game walks are also permitted on the conservancy and give a very different perspective to the drives and may also include rhino tracking. Other possible activities include visiting the nearby chimpanzee sanctuary, canoeing on the lake in front of camp (subject to water-levels), and mountain biking.
There are also a variety of activities which are possible at additional costs. An extension of the visit to the chimpanzee sanctuary offers guests a ‘back of house’ tour at feeding time for a more in depth experience. You may also wish to tour the farming side of the conservancy or visit the endangered species enclosure, track lions using radio collars or visit the anti-poaching dog unit. Outside the conservancy various cultural excursions are possible.
Seasons
Kicheche Laikipia is open from June through to March each year and game viewing is also good.
Kicheche Laikipia accepts children of all ages and families with younger children are well catered for with the spacious family tent where you all sleep under one roof. Families with older children may need to take two tents. The staff and guides are very welcoming to children and in between game drives (which are automatically private for families of four or more) there is plenty to keep kids busy. There is no swimming pool, but the variety of activities on offer is a plus for families – children love visiting the anti-poaching dog unit and chimpanzee sanctuary!
The Kicheche Community Trust is involved in education, health, environment and empowerment within the communities in which they operate. The Trust supports the local Masaai families through conservancy land leases. They assist the local health clinic in the Mara through donations of medicines, books, a dental ward, water tanks and they have assisted in the upgrading of a solar plant. The Trust supports six schools having built classrooms and funded the further education of a teacher, supported 18 scholarships, contributed towards a school bus and donated thousands of books and stationary. They sponsor students from the Koiyaki Guiding School and employ some of the Maasai graduates as trainee and qualified guides. There is also a contribution of $5 per bed night which goes to the Trust.
Kicheche supports S.A.F.E’s Female Genital Cutting (FGC) abandonment programme within the Maasai culture which has successfully led to the acceptance of girls transitioning to womanhood without being cut.
They organise environmental projects such as Clean Up campaigns in towns along the edge of the conservancies, raising money for cattle bomas (grazing areas) to reduce deforestation, assisting with tree planting and the running of a bee hive program.
On the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, the fees from activities at Kicheche Laikipia to the endangered animal enclosure and the back of house chimpanzee sanctuary visit go to the projects themselves, and so contributing to their operations.
