Kichwa Tembo

a less than ideal location outside the reserve

AndBeyond Kichwa Tembo is located in the Mara Triangle sector of the Maasai Mara of southwest Kenya.

Set in a small patch of woodland at the foot of the escarpment, this substantial camp has broad views out over the surrounding plains.

From the vehicle turnaround, we first pass along a pathway through the woods to emerge into a large garden. The extensive public areas include a two storey lounge area to the left and extensive dining areas to the right, all open-sided. Because the camp is so large, the owners have taken great care to divide these areas up, so that it still feels intimate when full and does not feel cavernous when empty.

The restaurant also features an interactive kitchen, with kids being able to pick their own vegetables and hand them directly to the chef.

At the front of the garden there is a modest three tier swimming pool.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at AndBeyond Kichwa Tembo is in a total of 36 tents, all of which are large canvas and adobe structures, very elegantly appointed, with large bedrooms and lovely inside bathrooms, with a private verandah out front …

• Superior View Tents : x8 : The best and most expensive rooms are in the front row and have impressive views out over the plains.
• Superior Tents : x20 : Some of these mid-priced rooms are in a kind of second row, slightly elevated to give broken views of the plains, whilst others are tucked away in the forest. There are three pairs of rooms which are connected to create family units, two pairs are at the far end of the camp, so are great for kids who want to make a little bit of noise, the other pair is near to the public areas.
• Luxury Tents : x8 : These are the best of the old tents before the camp was refurbished and are much more simple, more like traditional Maru tents, but with private inside bathrooms. They are arranged within the forest, quite a long way from the public areas.

Activities

AndBeyond Kichwa Tembo provides the following guided activities, not all of which are necessarily included in the room rate …

• Vehicle safari
• Walking safari
• Balloon safari
• Bush meals
• Cultural interaction

The Maasai Mara tends to feature in almost all safari trips to Kenya. As well as being the best known reserve, it is also the most productive for wildlife.

The usual stay duration is 4-8 nights split between two camps, less frequently 3-4 nights in just one camp.

Seasonality

The best time of year to visit the Maasai Mara area is generally considered to be the Jul-Oct dry season, when the weather should be reliably good and the migration herds are likely to be around.

The Nov-Jun green season may be much less dependable for weather, but remains really strong for wildlife viewing and benefits from dramatically lower visitor numbers (except for the busy Dec-Jan holiday fortnight of course).

Getting around

You’re most likely to arrive into the Maasai Mara area via the regular light aircraft services that operate from Nairobi, which means that you will travel around the area with a guide and vehicle from the camp in which you are staying.

It is also possible to travel down to the Maasai Mara by road, which is quite a long and tiresome journey, but not without interest. The trouble is that the better lodges in the Mara will offer you no discount for having your own guide and vehicle along, so you end up paying for both, which works out more expensive than flying down.

one of the three best private concessions in the Mara