andBeyond Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp

The 12 Classic Tents are settled under forest shade near the Saparingo River. Each has a large comfy double bed, accompanied by wooden furniture blending seamlessly into a classic safari aesthetic. Behind the main area is an en suite loo and adjacent shower, and out in front is a spacious wooden deck. All Classic Tents are equipped with floor fans, a telephone, a hairdryer, internet access, and a safe.

The 20 Superior Tents resides in the forest and are beautifully designed with inspiration from the Maasai. The oversized double beds sit perfectly to get the most out of the views and are complimented by cypress wood furniture.

An en suite loo and separate shower are adjacent to the main area and there is a large deck out in the front with comfy day beds. Every Superior Tent is equipped with floor fans, a telephone, a hairdryer, internet access, and a safe.

Recently rebuilt, the 8 Superior View Tents offer exceptional views of the Maasai Mara and surrounding forests. Like the Superior Tents, they are beautifully designed with inspiration from the Maasai. The oversized double beds sit perfectly to get the most out of the views and are complimented by cypress wood furniture.

An en suite loo and separate shower are adjacent to the main area and there is a large deck out in the front with comfy day beds. Every Superior Tent is equipped with floor fans, a telephone, a hairdryer, internet access, and a safe.

There are 3 Family Tents, which can accommodate families of up to 4 or 5. Two are set within the forest and the third is privy to a spectacular Mara view. The Family Tents consist of 2 interconnected tents, which each has its own en suite and deck with day beds. Each Family Tent is equipped with floor fans, a telephone, a hairdryer, internet access, and a safe.

The on-site restaurant prepares wholesome and delicious seasonal meals with many ingredients coming straight from the camp’s own thriving vegetable garden. The open interactive kitchen adds a lovely heart-warming element to the atmosphere as you can see your meals being prepared from garden to table.

The Tusker Bar, named after the famous Kenyan beer, is the heart of the camp. Here guests can meet for tea before their game drives or for top-notch drinks before dinner.

With so much wildlife flourishing in the Maasai Mara all year round no two game drives will be the same. Be sure to tell your professional guide which animals are your favourites and they’ll do their very best to make sure you’re guaranteed prime viewings. They’ll also have plenty to tell you about the region, its plants and wildlife.

If you fancy a break from driving and want to stretch your legs then there are plenty of scenic walking paths to explore. Taking a walk on safari is the epitome of your chance to withdraw from the hard-trodden trails and tracks and experience the wilderness in a brand new way.

There are simply some things that you can’t fully appreciate on a game drive, so once you slow down, your eyes will be opened to all these new things you hadn’t noticed before.

With so many picturesque sites at your door how could you pass up the chance to enjoy a bush meal or sundowners? Picnic breakfasts and lunches can easily be packed up for you to take on your game drives so you can enjoy some delicious food surrounded by the Kenyan wilderness.

Then at the end of the day you can head out to a beautiful secluded spot with your favourite drink in hand as you bathe in the glow of the sunset or enjoy a romantic meal under the stars.

The Maasai are a vibrant and ancient people with an equally vibrant culture and a visit to the Maasai Mara isn’t complete without visiting one of the local villages. There’ll be no better chance to get a first-hand experience of authentic Maasai life.

As the sun rises take to the skies for one of the most iconic and romantic safari experiences. Glide silently over the Mara plains and take in the beautiful scenery and undisturbed wildlife below. After landing, guests will be treated to a champagne bush breakfast to finish your day with a flourish!

After a busy day of game drives and hikes, or when it’s simply time for a spot of well-earned pampering, why spend an hour or two indulging in the massage tent’s range of treatments? Unwind with unique blends of aromatherapy, plant oils and balms and leave feeling refreshed and relaxed.

Those visiting with children can take advantage of the camp’s great WILDchild programme that’s full of fun activities that will both entertain and educate. These include nature walks, learning to light fires and throw spears in the Maasai way, sports games, learning Maasai bead work and village visits.

Since 1991, andBeyond’s company ethos has been “Care of the Land, Wildlife & People” and they are always looking for ways to contribute to wildlife spaces and local communities and reducing their environmental impact without compromising the experience of their guests. Each of their lodges has a “sustainability champion” who is always on the lookout for ideas to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in the camp and on recycling initiatives, water efficiency and conservation awareness drives.

andBeyond aims to create unique experience for their guests while showing lasting benefits which are meaningful for the communities around their camps and the natural environment, and so far they have 59 awards for their sustainability initiatives and impacts.

andBeyond understands that to protect the land they operate on they need to implement eco-friendly and sustainable initiatives. One of the aims is to reduce their direct carbon footprint by 8%, so far all of andBeyond lodges have been audited with an average sustainability score of 88%.

Another way they are caring for the land is by resourcing and using their water sustainably, 96% of lodges use water sourced from water bottling plants and they are currently 85 litres/head better than their target of 500 l/head. A target for andBeyond is zero plastic water bottles through their camps and so far 740,000 plastic water bottles have been eliminated per year.

andBeyond maximise their “localised shared value opportunities through economic benefit, capacity building and social service infrastructure.” They have created 101 jobs in the communities they operate within, offering life changing opportunities to local people.

Through social service infrastructure initiatives 56,000 people from local communities now have access to clean water through water access sites and 4724 Hippo Water Rollers, which assist in the transportation of water. 532 school students have been provided with an opportunity for higher education in 285 new or renovated classrooms.

andBeyond has 23763 hectares of conservation land under their care, meaning that all of this land, and the nature that inhabits it, is protected. andBeyond is also working with Great Plains Conservation for their collaborative project, Rhinos Without Borders.

On average, one rhino is killed every eight hours by poachers who are seeking rhino horns. To help combat this, Rhinos Without Borders relocate rhinos from high-risk poaching areas in South Africa to Botswana’s wilderness areas. At present, Rhinos Without Borders has been able to translocate 93 rhinos, who as a result will be far safer from poachers.

andBeyond recognises the threat posed to the world’s oceans and marine resources. Efforts to combat the peril of ocean degradation have inspired a partnership with fellow bastion of ecological awareness, Africa Foundation. In addition to the over 3.6 million hectares (9 million acres) of protected wildlife sustained through the Care of the Wild initiative, andBeyond’s footprint now covers an additional 2000 km (1242 mi.) of African coastline, striving to conserve and enlarge Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

andBeyond seek to apply their trilogy philosophy to their marine operations in order to better care for/impart a positive ecological effect on the areas of ocean under their jurisdiction. This philosophy comprises Protecting Reefs, Protecting Marine Species and Community Empowerment, which have thus far, through the facilitation of partnerships with like minded institutions, has proven initial levels of success and sets optimistic targets for future projects.

Recognising the profoundly negative ecological effects that plastics pose to the environmental welfare of the sensitive ecosystems of Southern Africa, andBeyond have implemented ambitious measures prohibiting the use and importation of plastic bottles to all its properties – derived from the original target of installing water bottling plants at 100% of their lodges.

A target of reducing plastic water bottle usage by 90% was set for 2020, yet this figure was surpassed the year prior with a collective reduction of up to 99% spanning all andBeyond properties. In Southern Africa, all lodges utilise glass water bottles as opposed to plastic, reaping the many ecological and environmental benefits inherent to the change.

Glass is 100% recyclable and has an unlimited recyclable life span, making it the most sustainable, if not logical alternative, posing an inherently smaller carbon footprint and environmental impact.

In line with andBeyond’s stance on ecological sustainability and streamlined efficiency mandate, there currently exists a wealth of initiatives and protocols designed to mediate the ecological impact on areas built upon and utilised for means of ecotourism. For instance, careful site selection ensures that the areas chosen for the construction of all andBeyond properties are compatible with the surrounding landscapes, ecosystems and wildlife.

The implementation of repurposed and recycled construction materials greatly benefits the ecology of the land, negating the need to source and haul industrial quantities of lumber and other construction materials across vast distances through otherwise undisturbed ecosystems. Minimal foundations and excavations are achieved using steel frame structures atop the designated areas of construction, minimising the imprint on the immediate environment.

Energy efficiency is maintained through the architectural use of very wide eaves, covered external terraces, cross ventilation and maximised insulation. Heat pumps have been used to heat the pools, with gas used for water heating to greatly reduce the carbon footprint. State-of-the-art wastewater and sewer treatment systems enable all wastewater to be effectively recycled for irrigation.

Above-ground wastewater treatment plants work on an environmentally friendly accelerated aerobic and anaerobic digestion process. Up to 57% of all andBeyond lodges now contain water treatment plants. Additionally, an ever-increasing number of andBeyond lodges have seen the installation of Hydraloop grey-water treatment systems, used to purify wastewater for gardens, irrigation and cleaning solar panel banks.

Innovative water management initiatives are being rolled out across a variety of andBeyond properties. This is achieved through identifying the locations that would best benefit from these cutting-edge installations and trailing solutions to assess viability for future rollouts in equally affected areas.