Our take
Kichwa Tembo is a forty-tent camp on a private concession beside the western Maasai Mara. Its larger scale, open guest areas and shared pool offer a sociable safari base, with several tent categories and family arrangements to choose from.
Kichwa Tembo lies below the Oloololo Escarpment, where riverine woodland meets the Mara plains. A split-level guest area opens towards the landscape, and the shared swimming pool gives guests somewhere to relax between drives. With forty tents, it is larger than many of the small camps in our collection. That brings a livelier atmosphere and more communal facilities, so it is worth comparing the scale with the quieter alternatives before deciding.
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A closer look at the accommodation, atmosphere and setting.
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Accommodation
The camp has forty guest tents across Classic, Superior and Superior View categories. Each has an en-suite bathroom and its own outdoor space, but views and positioning differ between categories. Family accommodation links sleeping spaces for parents and children. Swimming takes place at the shared lodge pool. Choosing the right category matters more here than treating all forty tents as equivalent.
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Food & drink
Meals are served in the main dining areas, with fresh produce and a mixture of regional and international cooking. Open-air dining makes the most of the setting when weather permits. Breakfast can be fitted around the morning drive, and special dietary requirements should be advised in advance rather than left until arrival.
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What to do
Guided drives explore the Maasai Mara’s wildlife habitats, with resident animals providing interest beyond the main migration months. Walks and night drives are associated with the private concession where permitted, rather than the national reserve itself. Balloon flights and visits to Maasai communities can be arranged separately. Birdlife in the wooded surroundings offers an additional focus near camp. The location of migratory herds and the occurrence of river crossings remain unpredictable.
Planning your stay
Family accommodation provides linked sleeping spaces, and the camp’s communal pool and guest areas can be useful between drives. Select the precise tent arrangement around the children’s ages. Families seeking a particularly small or private camp may prefer a different Mara property.
The broad tent choice, woodland-and-plains setting and shared pool distinguish Kichwa Tembo from smaller, simpler tented camps. It provides a more sociable lodge experience while retaining under-canvas accommodation and direct access to a wildlife-focused programme.
Compare the tent categories carefully: a Superior View booking is different from a Classic tent in both positioning and outlook. The camp is on a concession beside the reserve, so park visits and concession activities should be itemised in the itinerary.
Compare the alternatives
Explore the accommodation and setting of each property before choosing your combination.
Maasai Mara
Angama Mara sits on the Oloololo escarpment above the Mara Triangle, with 30 glass-fronted tented suites in two separate camps. Wide views, spacious rooms and a flexible safari programme give it a distinctive perspective on the Maasai Mara.
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Maasai Mara
Angama Safari Camp brings four carefully furnished tents into the Mara Triangle, with a small dedicated team and safari days shaped around your interests. It combines the intimacy of a mobile camp with the comfort and thoughtful service of Angama.
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Maasai Mara
Bateleur Camp combines a wooded setting below the Oloololo Escarpment with classic tented accommodation and access to the Maasai Mara. Two smaller camps, personal service and shared swimming pools create a comfortable base for wildlife drives and quieter afternoons.
Explore the propertyMake it part of a journey
Kichwa Tembo can suit a safari that combines straightforward comfort with a sociable atmosphere. Several nights allow room for drives and time at camp. For a wider Kenya journey, combine the western Mara with Laikipia or the coast rather than adding unnecessary one-night safari stops.
These journeys are starting points. We adapt the route, accommodation and length of stay around your plans.
Explore Maasai Mara or read our Kenya seasonal guide.
Your questions
The camp has forty guest tents across Classic, Superior and Superior View categories. Each has an en-suite bathroom and its own outdoor space, but views and positioning differ between categories. Family accommodation links sleeping spaces for parents and children. Swimming takes place at the shared lodge pool. Choosing the right category matters more here than treating all forty tents as equivalent.
Guided drives explore the Maasai Mara’s wildlife habitats, with resident animals providing interest beyond the main migration months. Walks and night drives are associated with the private concession where permitted, rather than the national reserve itself. Balloon flights and visits to Maasai communities can be arranged separately. Birdlife in the wooded surroundings offers an additional focus near camp. The location of migratory herds and the occurrence of river crossings remain unpredictable.
Family accommodation provides linked sleeping spaces, and the camp’s communal pool and guest areas can be useful between drives. Select the precise tent arrangement around the children’s ages. Families seeking a particularly small or private camp may prefer a different Mara property.
Kichwa Tembo can suit a safari that combines straightforward comfort with a sociable atmosphere. Several nights allow room for drives and time at camp. For a wider Kenya journey, combine the western Mara with Laikipia or the coast rather than adding unnecessary one-night safari stops.
Tailor-made Kenya
We will explain how it compares with the alternatives and whether it fits your preferred dates, route and pace.
Start planning