Laikipia Travel Guide

On the northeastern side of the Great Rift Valley, and on the northwestern side of snow-capped Mount Kenya lies the flat plateau of Laikipia, considered to be the gateway to the more wild and remote northern frontier territories of Kenya. It's an area of vast open spaces and untamed wilderness, which many claim can give the Masai Mara a run for its money; not only in terms of sheer numbers of wildlife but also for the overall safari experience. Apart from the Ol Pejeta area, which can get congested, the rest of these sprawling highland plains provide more than enough space for a safari par excellence.

What was once an area of huge livestock ranches, Laikipia is now one of the most progressive and successful conservation areas in Kenya. The emphasis is on smaller, luxury safari tourism with fewer numbers and creating a cooperative and sustainable income for the local tribes that made Laikipia their home centuries ago; the Samburu, the Ilaikipiak and the Mokogodo Maasai.

Wealth of wildlife

Laikipia has the lion's share of the country's endangered species, including almost half of Kenya's black rhino population. It's also seen successful growth of wild dog populations with several established packs and is now recognised as the second most important site for them in Africa. You're also likely to encounter large numbers of unique Grevy's zebra and elephant. Most of the rare game in Laikipia is actively managed, some with radio collars for tracking and protection. On occasion, you may even be lucky enough to become involved with local conservation activities.

The animals in Laikipia, especially the rarer species, tend to be closely managed, with predators often radio-collared in order to track them. Wildlife rangers monitor individual rhino, keeping an eye on each one day and night. While this might strike you as unnatural, it's hard to argue with the results; better understanding of animal movements, behaviour and population trends, and even occasional opportunities for visitors to be directly involved in wildlife conservation activities.

The black leopard of Laikipia

Laikipia has become famous for sightings of a black leopard called Giza. Melanistic cats are extremely rare and news of Giza was met with excitement when she was first captured on camera by Will Burrard Lucas in 2019.

Giza was born and grew up less than 100 metres from Laikipia Wilderness Camp in Central Laikipia and is frequently spotted on game drives in and around the area.

Lewa Wildlife Conservancy

This is one of the oldest of Laikipia's conservancies which also incorporates the rolling grasslands of Lewa Downs. There's an interesting mix of landscapes from riverine woodland and scrub bushveld to expansive, endless plains, all providing an excellent environment for an astonishing variety of wildlife.

The conservancy protects a respectable population of white and black rhino as well as about 350 Grevy's zebra and a small population of the rare sitatunga, a water-loving antelope that's usually found in the riverine forests of central Africa.

Getting to Laikipia

Three airstrips service the scheduled safari flights into Laikipia; Nanyuki (the main one), Loisaba and Lewa Downs. Transfers from the airstrips to the safari lodges usually take under an hour. For the more remote lodges, you may want to charter a plane directly to their landing strips.