KITICH CAMP - MATTHEWS FOREST, NORTHERN KENYA

The Mathews Forest, dubbed a ‘biological bonanza’ by the BBC, is one of the great stretches of Kenyan forest wildernesses.  Scientists call this mountain forest a ‘sky island’, which rises up out of the surrounding sea of arid lowlands, to an altitude of 2200 metres. This ancient mountain forest is a stronghold for a wide range of plant and wildlife species, such as Melanistic leopard, also known as the black panther, lion, forest elephant and antelopes, buffalo, the rare De Brazza monkey, Colobus monkey, greater kudu, waterbuck, giant forest hog as well as Africa’s endangered wild dog.

Over 200 bird species have been counted in the area, together with more than 150 species of butterflies, representing more than twice the amount of butterfly species found in the UK. Stretching for 150km, the mountains are covered in a 300km2 dense indigenous forest interspersed with giant cedars and a rare species of ancient cycad, one of the oldest plant types on the planet, endemic to the Mathews forests.

The real attraction of this remote area is its striking beauty and the opportunity to explore the forest on foot in complete privacy as well as to experience unique social interactions with the local Samburu and Ndorobo people.

To the south of the Mathews Mountains lie the Sarara Plains, approximately 75,000 hectares, home to the Samburu tribe’s people, who are a group of semi-nomadic pastoralists who have for long shown tolerance for the wildlife that co-exists alongside their cattle.

Kitich Camp is a truly remote and private location in a stunning forest glade on the upper slopes of the Mathews Mountains.  At night, the atmosphere is magical, and the glade is lit for guests to observe the cautious trail of nocturnal visitors, including Melanistic (black-coated) leopard, elephant, bushbuck, and buffalo – all of which come to drink and hunt by the river.

With just six tents situated under a dense tree canopy, overlooking the stunning Ngeng River, this camp is a low-key classic. At Kitich, the lodge provides old fashioned safari comforts, including soft & fresh linen, comfortable double beds, iced drinks, and gracious dining – all in a wonderfully peaceful setting.

Night Game Viewing: Being a forest camp, and in the style of “Tree Tops”, the cosy lounge overlooks the floodlit open river glade, and at night guests can watch elephant, buffalo, bushbuck and occasionally leopard emerge from the forest at night to drink from the river, or dig for natural salts.

Guided Walks: Taking advantage of the pristine wilderness, Kitich Camp avoids traditional game drives, instead encouraging guests to explore these wild environs on foot, guided by the “masters of the forest”, the Ndorobo Samburu guides.

Swimming in Rock Pools: With crystal clear cool waters, flowing out of a spring in the mountains, enjoy swimming with nature in this magical forest paradise.

Cultural Visits: The people of Kitich and their families within the village of Ngalai are a colourful, traditional, gentle and friendly people whose only interaction with the wider world is with the guests from Kitich.

Guests are hosted by the local people when they stay at Kitich, but guests are also welcome to drive down and visit the market and school in the village. (School visits entail a donation).

Guides: The guides at Kitich Camp are Ndorobo / Samburu, a semi-nomadic pastoralist community closely related to the Masai. Originally hunters, and sought after for their tracking and bush skills, some joined the Kenya Wildlife Service as trackers, before returning to Kitich. The guides at Kitich are the masters of the forest, they know the trails intimately, and can almost sense wildlife before any of the most proficient guides are aware of an animal presence. These are a gentle, happy and colourful people, who love their “work” of sharing the secrets of the forests with guests.

Conservation: Kitich Camp is situated in the 800,000 acre Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy established in 1995 by the local communities to promote wildlife conservation and socio-economic development through sustainable utilization of natural resources. The conservancy is facilitated by the Northern Rangeland Trust (NRT), who provide capacity building at grassroots level to empower elected community trustees to effectively manage their own conservancy, increase security for wildlife, protect natural resources, resolve grazing conflicts and establish sustainable enterprises. Kitich is a key tourism partner for Namunyak, employing 80% of its staff from the surrounding communities and paying conservation fees coll ected from guests on a US$40 per person per night basis. 60% of this income is used to fund community development, while 40% is used to fund annual operations costs of Namunyak.

Sustainable tourism: Kitich Camp has been awarded “Gold Level” by the internationally recognised Ecotourism Kenya in recognition of its high level of environmental responsibility. The camp achieves environmental best practice by combining old fashioned safari camp know-how with latest technology, relying entirely on solar power and using only LED lighting. Rubbish is responsibly disposed of or recycled. Glass is separated and sold to the recycling plant ‘Central Glass’ in Nairobi.

“The Mathews Range… rises from the arid brown plains of northern Kenya like a green tropical island” – BBC