Alex Garcia - Honeymoon!
HONEYMOON!
ALEX GARCIA
"It is beyond words to describe what an amazing experience my wife and I had at Kichwa Tembo Masai Mara."
The staff was incredible, the service amazing and the lodge unbeatable. We were sad to leave and look forward to the day we can return and bring our family and friends.
Verena Boehm - Kichwa - where we left our heart behind
KICHWA - WHERE WE LEFT OUR HEART BEHIND
VERENA BOEHM
"First of all, I want to thank you for the opportunity to tell you how we lost our hearts to Africa. My husband and I, residents in Germany, booked a holiday in Kenya - two weeks, one of which should be simply safari. After four days safari we parted with our private guide and flew to the Masai Mara, headed for Kichwa Tembo Masai Mara. The overall impression was great and the staff was incredible!"
Stanley, the manager, was kind enough to meet our request for an individual car and driver, and that was when our real safari experience began. Benedict, our driver, was extremely knowledgeable and took us to fantastic scenery. We saw all of the Big Five, took fantastic photos and enjoyed every single second of our stay, wishing every moment would last forever. We spent three magnificent days at Kichwa, pampered by the obliging staff with magnificent food, incredible friendliness and hospitality. The day of our departure was depressing - we did not want to leave at all but we flew back to our hotel in Diani Beach. But, actually, it did not take us longer than three hours of being back until we called our safari agent and asked to book another trip to Kichwa. So, the day after the next, we flew back to the Mara and it really felt like coming back home when we got out of the airplane. Nobody at Kichwa knew we were coming back but the welcome they gave us once they noticed we were back was incredible! Everybody treated us like old friends; it was simply fantastic. We spent another three days on wonderful safari and even saw what we had been dreaming of: a hunting leopard. We have to thank Stanley for giving us the opportunity to stay one night at Bateleur Camp ... that was stunning and I think nobody can claim having experienced Africa in Hemingway-style if they have not been there. The service and food, tent, view, staff ... everything was absolutely impeccable and we do not stop telling all our friends about this magnificent experience. The last night in the Mara, at Bateleur Camp, was one of the most touching moments of our lives. Joseph, the chef, had prepared a wonderful cake saying "Kwaheri na rudi tena" (good bye and please come back, as it was translated to me) and it came as a surprise, with all the staff dancing and singing for us. I am in tears again when I think of that. The goodbye was a very tearful situation on all sides. We say "home is where the heart is" - our heart is at Kichwa Tembo. Thank you for having built such a wonderful place on earth!
Mark Brinklow - Magical Mara
MAGICAL MARA
MARK BRINKLOW
"Bateleur Camp Masai Mara is simply the best lodge of them all."
In the words of Mama Safari - 'You can't beat the Mara' and, after seeing four of the Big Five in the first 90 minutes, we knew she was right. Not only animal experiences, but the staff are also incredible - I was lucky enough to spend a birthday here and, wow - the surprise outdoor feast and Masai music made it an experience of a lifetime!
Karen Hillebrandt - Making Dreams Come True
MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE
KAREN HILLEBRANDT
"My East African experience was a childhood dream come true, but the &Beyond lodges made it simply magical (Bateleur Camp and Ngorongoro Crater Lodge especially). The service was phenomenal, and the people so warm and welcoming I felt I was coming home after the day's safari."
Between the experience with &Beyond and some incredible luck, the bush stories are unparalelled. But what really took me back was being surprised by everyone with a cake and songs one evening for my 40th birthday. It was beyond special to me and I have no idea how they knew, but it is exemplary of &Beyond people and the memories of that night, as well as all my experiences there, and will be with me forever. Thank you for making my dreams a reality!
Mihai Dimofti - Mara balloon safari and adventure
MARA BALLOON SAFARI AND ADVENTURE
MIHAI DIMOFTI
"We were lucky in a mostly rainy safari to have picked the most wonderful morning for our Mara balloon safari. Not only did we see the most breathtaking vistas from the balloon, but our pilot took us near grass level among a herd of wildebeest and we took our picture using the camera rig on the balloon, with the wildebeest as a background. We saw scores of zebras as well and a lion family just after a kill."
Close to our landing spot we encountered a lion family again and I saw lions mating for the first time. After a beautiful champagne breakfast, we traveled to the Mara River to see the wildebeest crossing but, after some hours of waiting, the coming thunderstorm turned them around, so we could only see one of them crossing the river. Our spirits were high again at the end of the day, when our guide managed to spot a cheetah with a cub and we had the first cheetah sighting in the Mara after almost a week when nobody managed to spot them. To crown everything off, that night a lion roar woke us up around 4 am and we stood on the veranda of our tent, looked at the beautiful summer sky in the Mara and listened to the lion just across the river from us. All in all - the Mara never ceases to thrill me.
