lion cuddle puddle - part 55 - baby and mum bond

The lion pride enjoys an afternoon nap - on safari with Kicheche Valley Camp, Mara Naboisho Conservancy, Kenya
full length pt 1 • African Safari - 2021 ...
full length pt 2 • African Safari - 2021 ...
Tips from my trip:
Hands down, the BEST safari company in Kenya! Staying with Kicheche (Laikipia Ol Pejeta and Valley Camp, Maasai Mara) is my favorite safari experience of all time! Other places claim ‘luxury’ experiences, this one actually delivers! The lodging, food, service, location, and animal diversity and density are all amazing and make Kicheche camps your best investment.
Just like Kicheche Laikipia, Kicheche Valley Camp rocks! It’s my favorite area in the Mara - the lion prides were HUGE! Every aspect of the camp and service was extremely thoughtful without being or trying to be pretentious like other lodges/camps. The food, to include the packed breakfasts and sundowners, was consistently good and diverse. Chefs Ali and Wellington were respectful of dietary accommodations, wowed me with flavor, and plated beautiful and well-cooked food. I really appreciated that the menu was different from the Laikipia Camp, so it didn’t feel like a chain restaurant but still solid and enjoyable and consistent with the Kicheche quality.
Just like their Laikipia camp, the tented room is luxurious, but not fenced like other lodges/camps, but still well-guarded. So, you get a different experience with the wild animals so close to the camp, very fun!
At both camps, the jeeps are also standouts, the best I’ve had - with multiple plugs, camera platforms, bean bags and fully stocked with the necessities. At Kicheche Valley Camp, they have a great ‘photography jeep’ with no doors so you can get lower shots, very cool! But I found the other ‘regular’ jeep worked better if you use a tripod on the roof.
After I told my guide, Bernard, that I really enjoyed Kicheche Laikipia’s hyena den, he planned two different dens sites that I really enjoyed. He got me A LOT of great lion pride experiences, and he was eager to find me a leopard - but I asked if we could instead find the herd of eland we saw earlier, since I never saw a group of them before. So he enthusiastically tracked them and respectfully followed them as they grazed - it was really nice. I stayed 3 nights, but would do more next time.