CCAfrica Destinations - Kenya - Kichwa Tembo

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	2 enchanting camps - luxury safari tents Shaded by dense forest canopies Views of earth's greatest grassland system Great migration of over 2 million animals "Big five" Wildlife includes crocodiles and black-maned lions 2 vervet monkey troops at camp Blue monkey and red-tailed monkey Day and night game drives Guided bush walks Maasai cultural village visits Hot-air ballooning Sundowners on Great Rift Valley rim

There is an enchanting, luxurious tented camp at Kichwa Tembo, in the north-western corner of the richest game park in Kenya. Meaning "Head of the Elephant" in KiSwahili, Kichwa Tembo is flanked by the Oloololo Escarpment and the Sabaringo River. The camp lies deep in a monkey-rich forest on the exclusive western side of the Masai Mara National Reserve, far removed from the package tourism of the eastern Mara. Each luxurious, en suite tent is completely private, tucked away in its own little piece of wild Africa. Adjacent to Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp lies the self-contained Bateleur Camp, which opened its doors in May 2000.

The unfenced Masai Mara covers 1 500km² and, together with the neighbouring Serengeti (combined, they form one ecosystem), is home to the greatest concentration of large mammals on earth. The great migration of over two million wildebeest and other grazing ungulates every year is the Mara's foremost attraction and one of the greatest spectacles in the animal kingdom. Each year, far south in the vast Serengeti, the wildebeest raise their heads, sniff the air, and as if of one accord, start the long trek to the Kenyan border. An endless thunder of wildebeest and zebra enter the Mara around the end of July, drawn by the sweet grass. Add to this the richness of fauna, profusion of winged beauty and untouched landscape, and you have magical Masai Mara.

Here, the pastoral Ilkarekeshe Maasai proudly maintain their traditional lifestyle as cattle-herders. In contrast to almost everywhere else on our planet - where man has displaced wildlife - here, in south-western Kenya, there is a remarkable level of tolerance which allows both to exist side-by-side.

Tented Camp was voted by readers of Condé Nast Traveller onto the magazine's 2001 annual gold list of the world's best travel destinations.
Bateleur Camp is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World.