Another Kicheche gem, this time located in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, in the Laikipia, Kicheche Laikipia Camp is sustainable safari travel at its very best.
Overview
Small, intimate and situated at the foot of a forested slope, overlooking a waterhole, Laikipia Camp is a tent and pole build consisting of a mess tent and 6 sleeping tents. The mess tent (which boasts Wi-Fi access) includes a dining and seating area, a small library, bar and outside seating area. With red and ruddy browns the predominant shades, the mess tent follows a Maasai influenced colour scheme, its flashes of indigo and yellow set off by dark chunky furniture.
Much like in its sister camps, traditional safari features – canvas bagging, leather clad trunks – sit cheek to jowl with original design, the dining chairs a case in point. Large, welcoming, the lounge arranges itself about an open log fireplace; perfect for chilly nights.
Food & service
The food and the service at Laikipia Camp are irreproachable. Meals – cold or hot breakfast, a buffet lunch and a candlelit dinner – can be taken inside, at the dining room table or, more usually, outside, and individual dietary requirements are easily accommodated. The bush picnics are exceptional and fresh fruit, homemade bread and drinks of all kinds abound.
The cuisine is referred to by many a returning guest as gourmet and much is made of the standard of service, which is perfect: informal, friendly, efficient and discreet.
Rooms
Possessing an off-centre peak, generally referred to as ‘enormous’, or ‘massive’, raised and discreetly appointed, each sleeping tent includes a double or twin bed, seating area, private veranda and en-suite bathroom. Complimenting the mess tent design, washed out reds dominate, a giant picket fence bed-head echoes the dining chair backing, and iconic canvas and leather briefcases combine well with retro bedside lamps. The bathroom includes a standalone bath, flush toilet, washbasin and shower.
Activities
Activities at Laikipia Camp include wildlife drives, guided walks, educational centre visits, lion tracking and visiting the Ol Pejeta Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
Impact
Conservation
Kicheche itself as of 2018 has won the gold eco-award for all of its camps four years in a row. From being powered by solar energy, to upcycling and composting practises, Kicheche have pulled out the stops for the fourth time.