At around 1,330 metres, in a forested river glade in the Mathews Range of Northern Kenya, Kitich Camp does away with the game drive entirely. Here you explore on foot, moving through indigenous montane forest and along the seasonal Ngeng River, tracking elephant sign and following birdsong rather than a road network.
Wild dogs and leopards pass through, along with the occasional lion
Fig trees and ancient cycads shade the valley, a green contrast to the arid country beyond the forest line. Below the tents, elephants, buffalo and bushbuck move through the glade, while the forest around them holds more than 350 recorded bird species and over 150 kinds of butterfly. Wild dogs and leopards pass through, along with the occasional lion.
Guided walks lead through forest paths, river margins and steep hillsides, in the company of Samburu and Ndorobo guides whose knowledge of the terrain runs deep. Between walks the days are unhurried. Guests swim in natural rock pools fed by clear mountain streams, picnic in forest clearings, and gather at the firepit as the light fades, and for those who want it there is fly-fishing in the streams.
Guests swim in natural rock pools fed by clear mountain streams.
Those who want to go further can join the overnight fly-camping trips deeper into the mountains, hiking in to simple mobile camps set up along the way, sometimes supported by camels or donkeys. One of Kenya’s oldest tented forest camps, Kitich was established by Giulio Bertolli with an Italian sensibility that still runs through the kitchen today. It has since passed to new custodians, who have kept its original scale and character intact.
The Mathews Range rises as a forested block above the drier plains of Samburu country, and Kitich Camp is the established place to stay within it. The BBC once described the Mathews Forest as a biological bonanza, and the reason becomes clear on foot: the elevation and moisture support cycads far older than the vegetation around them, dense stands of fig, and a concentration of birds and butterflies that rewards slow, patient observation. This is a place that gives itself up to those willing to walk and to look.
Canvas tents, configured as doubles and twins, string along the river glade beneath the forest canopy, each with a private veranda facing the Ngeng valley and a style that recalls an older safari era. The bathrooms carry that spirit through, en-suite but pared back, with flushing toilets, bucket showers heated over a fire and the soft glow of hurricane lanterns after dark. A wood-and-thatch mess houses the bar, lounge and dining, with a deck over the river and a fire for the evenings.
This is a place that gives itself up to those willing to walk and to look
What holds Kitich together is its relationship with the Samburu. The camp lies within the Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy, community-owned land where local people safeguard the forest, and the guiding team is drawn from the surrounding communities, many working here across long stretches of years. Visits to Ngilai village, and in season to the singing wells where warriors water their livestock by voice, are treated as genuine exchanges rather than set pieces. The conservation fee paid per guest supports the conservancy’s rangers and its daily work, and the results speak plainly: no elephant has been lost to poaching in the Mathews Forest since 1996.
There are no plains here, and no dawn game drives across open grassland. Wildlife reveals itself gradually, in tracks, in calls, and in the sudden colour of a turaco moving through the canopy. Kitich suits travellers who want to walk, who find as much interest in a butterfly or a cycad as in a big cat, and who value the company of the Samburu and Ndorobo guides who know this forest by name. Those seeking classic savannah game viewing and Big Five sightings from a vehicle are better served elsewhere in Kenya, and Kitich pairs naturally with a camp built around that experience.
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accommodation
Six en-suite canvas tents line the river glade beneath the forest canopy, configured as doubles and twins with room for extra beds. Each opens onto a private veranda overlooking the Ngeng valley, and the bathroom behind it keeps to the older manner, with a flushing toilet, a bucket shower heated over a fire and hurricane lanterns for light. The furnishings are simple and classic, in keeping with an older safari era.
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activities
Guided walking is the core of Kitich Camp, with forest trails, river margins and steep hillsides explored on foot alongside Samburu and Ndorobo guides. Within the Namunyak Conservancy, walking is a primary activity rather than a restricted one. Beyond it, the days open onto birding and butterfly watching, swimming in rock pools, fly-fishing, overnight fly-camping with mobile tented setups, and visits to Ngilai village.
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conservation
Kitich Camp sits within the community-owned Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy, part of the Northern Rangelands Trust network. Guest conservation fees fund conservancy operations, including ranger salaries, and no elephant has been lost to poaching in the Mathews Forest since 1996. Guides and staff are drawn largely from local Samburu and Ndorobo communities, and the camp holds an Ecotourism Kenya Gold rating.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
You fly from Nairobi's Wilson airport to an airstrip in the Mathews Range of northern Kenya, around an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half by light aircraft, and the camp meets you for the transfer up into the forest glade. We arrange the flights and timings. A private charter is easy to build in too, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, flown straight to the Mathews Range whenever suits your plans.
The bush planes take soft bags of around fifteen kilograms per person including hand luggage, so a duffel is best. This is deep, remote forest country, so flying in is far easier than the long drive north.
Yes, though at a lower level than the coast. At around 1,330 metres in the Mathews Range the air is a little cooler, but the camp still sits below the altitude at which the CDC and TravelHealthPro treat malaria risk as negligible, so antimalarial tablets are usually advised.
As this is a health question and guidance is reviewed regularly, please confirm the current position with a travel clinic or your doctor before you travel, and take the usual care against bites after dark, particularly given the forest and river setting.
The forest glade is cooler and greener than the arid country beyond the tree line, with warm days and fresh mornings, and clear mountain streams running through it. The rains bring the forest to life and can make the trails slippery.
Bring broken-in walking shoes or boots, since you explore entirely on foot, along with a light layer for the mornings, neutral colours, sun protection for the open stretches, and swimwear for the natural rock pools. A pair of binoculars earns its place with the birds and butterflies.
The dry seasons are the more reliable time, when the remote tracks firm up and access is easiest, with June to October the strongest window and January to March also good. After the rains the Mathews Range greens up beautifully, and the forest holds its water and birdlife year round.
Because Kitich is a walking camp in remote forest, the drier months make the trails and the access easier, though the setting rewards a visit whenever you can reach it.
There are no game drives at all. You explore this Mathews Range forest entirely on foot, with Samburu and Ndorobo guides, which is unusual for a Kenyan camp and worth knowing before you book. Elephant, buffalo and bushbuck do move through the glade below the tents, but you meet them on foot rather than from a vehicle.
So come for the walking, the birds and butterflies, the natural rock pools to swim in, and quiet forest days, rather than for a big-game tick-list. For those who want to go further, there are overnight fly-camping trips deeper into the mountains, sometimes supported by camels or donkeys.
It can suit families whose children are happy walking, since the forest trails, rock pools, birds and butterflies make an unusual and active stay, and the tents can take extra beds. It is a gentler, more exploratory place than a big-game camp.
Because everything is on foot in wild forest, it favours some ages over others, so tell us your children's ages and how far they are comfortable walking, and we will advise honestly on whether Kitich is the right fit and shape the trails to suit.
rated five stars by our clients
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
