Laikipia & Ol Pejeta
rhino conservation, private ranchland and mount kenya on the horizon
About Laikipia & Ol Pejeta
The Laikipia plateau stretches north-west from the foot of Mount Kenya, a high, open land of grassland, whistling-thorn and rocky outcrops where ranches and community land are now largely given over to conservation. Because most of it lies outside the national parks, the rules differ: you can drive off-road, track animals on foot, ride horses or camels, and go out after dark with a spotlight. Ol Pejeta Conservancy, near Nanyuki, is its best-known corner.
Ol Pejeta is the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa, and it is where the story of the northern white rhino is playing out. When the last male died here in 2018, the subspecies became functionally extinct; the remaining animals live under round-the-clock armed guard while scientists work to bring them back through IVF, with southern white rhinos as surrogate mothers. You can meet the rangers who protect them, visit a sanctuary for rescued chimpanzees, and look for lions and Grevy's zebras, while wild dogs roam ranches elsewhere on the plateau.
Nanyuki, on the equator, is three to four hours' drive from Nairobi or a short flight from Wilson Airport. The plateau stays pleasant all year, driest from January to March and late June to October. Samburu is two to three hours further north, Mount Kenya rises right behind, and the Maasai Mara is a short flight away.
Safaris through Laikipia & Ol Pejeta
12 days
12 Days Laikipia, Maasai Mara & Zanzibar Wellness Safari
Sunrise yoga above the plains, mindful bush walks, a night under the stars, a slow Zanzibar finish
11 days
11 Days Ol Pejeta, Lewa & Serengeti Rhino Safari
Track black rhino with rangers, meet the K9 unit and see conservation from the inside
4 days
4 Days Ol Pejeta & Mount Kenya Conservation Safari
Rhino country and a guided forest walk on Kenya's mountain slopes
12 days
12 Days Laikipia, Maasai Mara & Diani Honeymoon Safari
Three nights in Laikipia, three in the Mara and four at Diani, planned for two
14 days
Featured
14 Days Kenya & Tanzania Big Five Safari
Fourteen days and seven great parks, from Samburu's desert rivers to Tarangire's baobabs
12 days
Featured
12 Days Kenya & Tanzania Multi-Generation Safari
Grandparents, parents and kids in one private safari, from rhino country to the crater floor
5 days
5 Days Samburu & Ol Pejeta Safari
Northern wildlife and rhino conservation on a Kenya highlands circuit
6 days
6 Days Samburu & Laikipia Wildlife Safari
Dry-country wildlife and time to understand a Laikipia conservancy
10 days
10 Days Best of Kenya Wildlife Safari
Samburu, rhino conservation, Rift Valley lakes and three nights in the Maasai Mara