Laikipia

Overview

Laikipia is not a single national park. It is a high plateau of private conservancies, community lands, and working ranches north of Mount Kenya, where wildlife and livestock are managed across the same wider landscape. Because much of the land is privately managed, the safari experience can include activities that are restricted in national parks, such as walking, night drives, riding, and tracking rhino on foot. Laikipia is also one of Kenya’s least crowded major wildlife regions. It is where a customised itinerary matters most, because each conservancy offers a different combination of wildlife, landscape, accommodation, and activities.

Landscape

High, open country that is cooler than the lowlands, with Mount Kenya visible to the southeast on clear mornings. Rolling grassland, rocky ridges, acacia woodland, and river valleys shape the region.

Wildlife

Black and white rhino in some of Kenya’s most successful sanctuaries, alongside elephant, lion, and leopard. Laikipia also offers one of East Africa’s better chances of seeing African wild dog. Grevy’s zebra occur near the southern edge of their range, together with reticulated giraffe and other species associated with northern Kenya.

Activities

Walking safaris, rhino tracking on foot with rangers, night drives, horseback riding, mountain biking, fly camping, and conservation-focused visits.

When to go, and why

June to October and January to February are generally the driest months. Laikipia’s higher elevation keeps the climate milder and greener than the northern lowlands, so the difference between seasons is less pronounced than it is elsewhere.

Sample experiences

Tracking rhino on foot with a conservancy ranger. Two nights after Samburu, allowing the journey to move from hot northern country into cooler highland grassland.