The area has a large elephant population and many other mammals in good numbers, including black rhino, lion, cheetah, leopard, impala, gazelles, gerenuk, reticulated giraffe and Grevy's zebra.

North of and below the escarpment of the Laikipia Plateau lies the Northern Frontier District, with the three nearby national reserves Samburu, Shaba and Buffalo Springs.

Laikipia National Reserve
Laikipia National Reserve (250 km2/97 sq mi) is situated some 350 km/220 mi north of Nairobi and was opened in 1991. It's not a very frequented park, but offers a landscape similar to that found in the Samburu area. You may see elephant, eland, gerenuk, lion, leopard and cheetah. Laikipia also has a number of different biotopes for birds.

Loisaba Wilderness
Loisaba is a working ranch with a 150 km2/58 sq mi wildlife conservancy, situated just south of Laikipia National Reserve and bordering the Ewaso Ngiro River to the east. The northern parts are grassy plains, while the southern are broken by valleys and escarpments.

Lodges
Loisaba Lodge is a luxury lodge set on the edge of the Laikipia Plateau, offering wide views. It has seven rooms with ensuite bathrooms, French windows and private verandas facing the escarpment. A self-contained villa, Loisaba House, is built on the edge of the escarpment and has two bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, sitting room, bar, dining room, private swimming pool with a view and private staff. Loisaba Cottage is 9 km/5.5 mi from the main lodge, away from the escarpment. It has three rooms with ensuite bathrooms, one room with a large external bathroom, and swimming pool. All guest have access to the main lodge facilities, including swimming pool, tennis court, spa, and shop. The lodge also has Koija Starbeds, set next to a waterhole and the Ewaso Ngiro River respectively, where guests can spend nights on sleeping platforms, covered by mosquito nets only. Loisaba Wilderness offers activities such as day and night game drives, bush walks, horse and camel riding, mountain biking, river rafting, fishing, and balloon safaris.

Web site: www.loisaba.com

Sabuk & Nalare Wildlife Conservancy
Sabuk is situated by the Ewaso Ngiro River, east of Loisaba in northern Laikipia. The landscape is wild and hilly, with much acacia bush. On the far side of the river is Nalare Wildlife Conservancy, a 20 km2/8 sq mi conservancy on the local community group ranch. Species such as leopard, elephant, greater kudu, African buffalo, reticulated giraffe, impala, klipspringer and bushbuck may be seen.

Lodges
Sabuk Lodge is a small lodge in Sabuk at the northern edge of the Laikipia Plateau, bordering the Ewaso Ngiro River. The lodge has eight open-fronted cottages with private bathrooms, solar lighting and verandas facing a deep river gorge. There is a dining area, a lounge facing the gorge, swimming pool and gift shop. The activities offered include day and night game drives, bush walks, fly camping, horse riding, camel riding, fishing, and swimming in the river. The guides are qualified KPSGA safari guides.

Web site: www.sabuklodge.com

Mugie Ranch
Mugie is a 198 km2/77 sq mi private working ranch in the north-western part of the Laikipia Plateau, on the edge of the Great Rift Valley. 81 km2/31 sq mi have been enclosed with an electric fence, creating a sanctuary for the threatened rhinos (that have been reintroduced), Jackson's hartebeest and Grevy's zebras, as well as for other wildlife. The nature varies and has open grasslands, valleys, savannas, scrubs, woodlands, and wild olive forests, and these are home to elephant, leopard, cheetah, lion, common zebra, eland, reticulated giraffe, Grant's gazelle, and other mammals. All the Big Five can be seen.

Lodges
Mutamaiyu House is a family house lodge built in a grove of wild olive trees. Guests stay in four cottages, all with ensuite bathroom and privacy. The main house has dining room, sitting room, veranda, and an elegant country home style. There is also a heated swimming pool with a savanna view, and an airstrip. The lodge offers many activities, including day and night game drives, lion and rhino radio tracking, bird watching, bush walks, clay pigeon shooting, camel and donkey safaris, painting/sketching with the resident artist, and visits to local tribes.

Web site: www.mugie.org

Kamogi Ranch
Kamogi is a small (10 km2/4 sq mi) working ranch with cattle and sheep, plus some camels, horses and donkeys. Among the wild mammals seen in the ranch are elephants, oryx, zebras and others. To see lions or rhinos, you may go to neighbouring Mugie or Loisaba.

Lodges
Il Pinguan House is a colonial ranch house in Kamogi Ranch, offering stays in a relaxed atmosphere. It's a family home that sleeps ten guests in comfortable bungalows. There is a dining area, and a salt-water swimming pool, and a water hole nearby. The lodge offers game drives, bush walks, horse riding, tennis, sky watching, bird watching, and fly camping.

Web site: www.kamogi.com

Borana
Borana is a working ranch (140 km2/55 sq mi), of which much is set aside as a wildlife conservancy. The ranch is situated just north of Mount Kenya and the equator, in the eastern part of the Laikipia Plateau area, where it shares a joint conservation management policy with its neighbours Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Ngare Ndare Forest Reserve, Il Ngwessi Group Ranch and Lekerruki Group Ranch. It's an area with a mix of open land, forests and rugged hills.

Lodges
Borana Lodge was built from local materials and dead wood from the ranch, and overlooks a dam where the wildlife comes to drink. The lodge has six cottages, all with spacious bathroom, fireplace and veranda. The interiors have African influences in a slightly rough and pleasant style. The swimming pool has wide views and overlooks the water hole. Borana Lodge offers activities such as day and night game drives, bush walks, mountain biking and horse riding – the lodge has some 25 horses, and offers riding for novices to advanced riders).

Web site: www.borana.co.ke

Laragai House was originally built as a country retreat, and is now a private home that can be rented. It's built on the edge of a 900 m/3,000 ft escarpment. The house can sleep ten people or more, has a full staff, and has spacious interiors in a style that includes Irish mirrors, thatched ceilings, rugs from Rajasthan, huge fireplaces and medieval weapons. Outside is a heated swimming pool, a clay tennis court and an airstrip.

Web site: www.borana.co.ke

Lekurukki & Il Ngwesi
Lekurukki (240 km2/95 sq mi) and Il Ngwesi are group ranches owned by the local Maasai community. These areas were formerly haunted by poachers, but are today havens for the wildlife, and are used as a migration corridor between the Laikipia Plateau and Samburu, Shaba and Buffalo Springs National Reserves. Herds of hundreds of elephants are sometimes seen using this route. To the west, Lekurukki and Il Ngwessi border Mokogodo Forest Reserve, inhabited by birds, butterflies and forest mammals such as the bushbuck.

Lodges
Tassia Lodge is set by the Mokogodo Forest in Lekurukki Group Ranch. It is built from local materials, is solar-powered, and is operated by the local Maasai community. The standard is good. There's only one group of visitors at any time – you book the whole lodge. It has six double or twin room cottages and a children's house with bunk beds. All rooms have bathrooms. They are built around a central main area that has dining and lounging facilities, and a swimming pool on the edge of a cliff, with wide views of the surroundings and of a local water hole. Game drives and bush/forest walks are the main activities.

Web site: www.tassiasafaris.com

Il Ngwesi Lodge is a community lodge situated on Mokogodo Hills in Il Ngwesi Group Ranch, close to the Ngare Ndare River. The lodge is built and operated like Tassia Lodge, and can be booked both exclusively and by room. The six cottages all have open air showers, and wide views. Two of them have platforms where you can roll out the bed, to spend the night under the open sky. There is a swimming pool and a local water hole. The lodge offers game drives, bush walks, camel rides and visits to Maasai villages.

Web site: www.ilngwesi.com

Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
Lewa Wildlife Conservancy (182 km2/70 sq mi) is a private reserve on a former ranch (called Lewa Downs) north of Mount Kenya. It is well known for being a rhino sanctuary, inhabited by both black and white rhinos.

Five main biotopes are found within the conservancy: savanna, acacia forest, rocky gorges, mountain forest, and swamps. It is fenced, but there are gaps to allow animal movements. The electric fence encloses both Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and neighbouring Ngare Ndare Forest Reserve, which together form a 250 km2/95 sq mi rhino and wildlife sanctuary, today protecting some 100 rhinos. The conservancy also protects the threatened Grevy's zebra, holding 20 % of the world's population of some 2,000 individuals. The growth of the population seen earlier has now been counteracted by an increase of predation; some 40 resident and transient lions occupy the area, and there are also other large predators, such as hyaenas and African wild dogs. The conservancy also has a population of the rare sitatunga (a spiral-horned antelope that inhabits swamps), originally translocated to Lewa. Other species that may be seen include elephant, African buffalo, reticulated giraffe and leopard.

Lodges
Lewa Safari Camp is a luxury tented camp situated in the north-western part of the conservancy. It has 12 safari tents with ensuite bathrooms, and is enclosed within an electric fence to keep large animals away from the trees and pool. There is a dining room in a main building, a bar, and a salt-water swimming pool. Lewa Safari Camp offers day and night game drives, bush walks, horse and camel riding, bird watching and outings such as picnics and fly fishing.

Web site: www.lewasafaricamp.com

Lewa House is built on the top of a hill, overlooking the conservancy. It is only booked on exclusive basis. There is a main building with dining area, lounge and large veranda, and three cottages with all in all six rooms. The standard is good, and the style a mix between modern African and light traditional British. The garden also has a swimming pool with views of the savanna. The main safari activities offered are day and night game drives and bush walks. There are also various outings in the surroundings.

Lewa Wilderness, or Wilderness Trails, is situated in the eastern corner of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, in an area of beautiful views. It is a private home that has eight spacious thatched cottages set sparsely in the surroundings. The rooms have ensuite bathrooms, verandas and fireplaces for guests. There are dining and sitting rooms in the main building, and a salt-water swimming pool outside. The activities include day and night game drives, bush walks, horse and camel rides, hiking and jogging with Maasai warriors, and visits to Maasai villages.

Kifaru House is a private villa offering good standard. The house has sitting and dining areas indoors, and a garden swimming pool with views of Mount Kenya. There are five cottages with double beds, ensuite bathrooms, stereo systems, electric lighting and private verandas. The main activities are night and day game drives, bush walks, visits to villages and community projects, and horse and camel riding.

Ngare Ndare Forest Reserve
Ngare Ndare Forest Reserve is a 55 km2/21 sq mi reserve north of Mount Kenya, and is part of the mountain's large forests. The reserve offers a habitat for black rhinos and a migration corridor for elephants, and is a source of several rivers that support the drier surrounding lowland areas.

Mukima
Mukima, a small (1.5 km2/0,6 sq mi) private estate/conservancy just north of Nanyuki Town, was once a cedar forest. Today, an electric fence protects the conservancy where hardwood trees have been replanted. The area can be visited on foot, to explore the bird life and the flora. Small herds of impalas and bushbucks live on the estate.

Lodges
Mukima House is a lodge in a small private conservancy 6 km/4 mi north of Nanyuki Town, west of Mount Kenya. It has six bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, bar and dining areas and lounge, satellite television and Internet. Outside is a garden with huge lawns, a swimming pool, a tennis court and a dam with dinghies. Game viewing, horse riding, golf, and trout fishing is available in the surroundings.

Web site: www.mukimakenya.com

Solio Game Sanctuary
Solio Game Sanctuary (180 km2/70 sq mi) is a private reserve on a ranch north of Nairobi, between the Aberdares and Mount Kenya. Solio's main attraction is its healthy population of both black and white rhinos, numbering up to 120 individuals. Other mammal species found in the reserve include lion, leopard, cheetah, black-and-white colobus, reticulated giraffe and beisa oryx.

Camps
Patrick's Mobile Camp is a seasonal camp situated in the foothills of the Aberdare Mountains just outside Solio. The furnished tents are solar powered and have private bathrooms with long drop toilet and shower. The camp offers game drives, bush walks and fly camping.

Sangare Ranch
Sangare is a 26 km2/10 sq mi ranch in the north-eastern foothills of the Aberdare Mountains, neighbouring Solio Game Sanctuary. It is situated at around 1,800 m/6,000 ft altitude and has wide views towards Mount Kenya. The landscape varies from open grassland to forested ravines and thickets.

Camps
Sangare Tented Camp is situated on the shore of a lake in Sangare Ranch. The camp has 12 tents with ensuite bathrooms and verandas facing the lake, and a dining and lounge area with a terrace. It offers safari activities such as game drives in the ranch, in Aberdare National Park and in Solio, night game drives, night bush walks (one of the few camps we know of offering this activity), horse riding, boat tours, fly fishing and trekking.

Web site: www.sangaretentedcamp.com

Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Ol Pejeta is a 365 km2/140 sq mi wildlife conservancy west of Mount Kenya. It was originally a cattle ranch, of which a part was developed into Sweetwaters Game Reserve in the 1980's. In the early 2000's, the consevancy was extended to its present size. It is a fairly dry area, where the Ewaso Ngiro River is the main source of permanent water. There is savanna , acacia woodland, and riverine forest along the river.

The conservancy is a Big Five reserve, which means that the trophy mammal species elephant, rhino, African buffalo, lion and leopard can be found in it. The black rhinos (also known as browse rhinos) were originally introduced in in an conservation effort, and today there are about 80 rhinos. The population has increased trough both natural reproduction and continued translocation of rhinos into the conservancy. The numbers of elephants varies seasonally, as the herds migrate, but it's estimated that there are 300 elephants in the conservancy at any one time. There are also some 40 lions, 20 cheetahs and 30 leopards. Other species in the area are Grevy's zebra and common zebra, hyaena, baboon, reticulated giraffe, Jackson's hartebeest and other antelopes. The African wild dog has been observed now and then in later years. More than 500 bird species have been observed in the conservancy.

As Ol Pejeta is a private conservancy, it's not subjected to the rules that regulate the activities allowed in national parks and national reserves. Therefore, Ol Pejeta can offer activities such as night game drives and bush walks.

Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Ol Pejeta is a 1 km2/0.4 sq mi sanctuary for chimpanzees, which is home to some 40 individuals. These apes are not part of the natural fauna of the area, but have been brought to Sweetwaters from other areas. They were brought there from war zones and other traumatic situations.

Lodges and camps
Sweetwaters Tented Camp is a tented camp offering good standard, situated in a private reserve in central Kenya. It has some 40 tents, a waterhole where animals come to drink and a five-course dinner restaurant. The camp offers night game drives, horse riding, visits to a nearby chimpanzee reserve and other activities.

More about Sweetwaters Tented Camp

Web site: www.serenahotels.com

Ol Pejeta House is a good private house that has four rooms, plus two rooms in a cottage, all with ensuite bathroom. There is a dining room and a garden swimming pool. The activities offered include day and night game drives, bush walks, camel trekking, bird watching, and visits to the chimpanzee sanctuary.

Web site: www.serenahotels.com

Ol Pejeta Bush Camp is a tented camp on the banks of the Ewaso Ngiro River. It's set right in the bush, with no permanently built structures. The camp has six tents with ensuite toilets, verandas and solar lighting, and offers activities such as day and night game drives, bush walks, and visits to the chimpanzee sanctuary, plus various conservancy activities, for example tracking rhinos and lions, using radio-tracking equipment, elephant and wildlife monitoring.

Web site: www.insidersafrica.com

Porini Rhino Camp is a tented camp with a proper safari atmosphere, set among acacias on the banks of a seasonal river. It has six spacious safari tents with ensuite bathrooms and solar lighting. The camp offers day and night game drives, and bush walks escorted by Maasai warriors. There is an airstrip not far from the camp.

Web site: www.porini.com

Kicheche Camp is a new camp being built in central Ol Pejeta, with six custom designed safari tents and activities such as night and day game drives, and bush walks.

Web site: www.kicheche.com

Lolldaiga
Lolldaiga is a 202 km2/78 sq mi working ranch 30 km/20 mi north-west of Mount Kenya. It has a nature ranging from dry savanna and open woodland, to hills with cedar and olive forests, and rocky ridges. The mammal wildlife includes baboon, common zebra, Grevy's zebra, elephant, dikdik, klipspringer, gerenuk, impala, reedbuck, waterbuck, greater kudu, oryx, eland, African buffalo, lion, leopard, cheetah, hyaena, African wild dog and others. More than 275 bird species have been observed.

Lodges
Lolldaiga Farm House is a log building from the 1940's, set in a garden with red cedar and wild olive trees. It's a tourist class lodge with two rooms in this building, and a third room in a cottage. All rooms have ensuite bathroom and solar lighting. The main house has a sitting and dining room, and a fireplace. The lodge offers game viewing, bush walks, hiking, tennis, camel rides and visits to archaeological sites. You can also take part in the farm work/activities.

Web site: www.lolldaiga.com

El Karama Ranch
El Karama is a 60 km2/23 sq mi private ranch with a mix of woodlands, grasslands, riverine forests and swamps. The wildlife includes elephant, hippo, buffalo, lion, leopard, cheetah, Grevy's zebra, and reticulated giraffe. African hunting dogs have also reappeared on the ranch. Theres is a rich birdlife with more than 350 species observed.

Lodges
El Karama Lodge is booked exclusively by one group at a time. You stay in stone cottages with dining and living room, ensuite bathroom, and kitchen outside. For activities, there are day and night game drives, bush walks, horse and camel riding, and fly camping.

Ol Lentille Conservancy
Ol Lentille is a 59 km2/23 sq mi conservancy on Kijabe Group Ranch on the northern escarpment of the Laikipia Plateau. It is part of the Naibunga Conservancy, which includes a number of other group ranches and covers 170 km2/65 sq mi.

The Ol Lentille area is a mix of grassy hills and deep valleys wooded with acacias and African olives. Some of the rare mammal species that may be seen are African wild dog, greater kudu, leopard, striped hyaena and klipspringer.

Lodges
The Sanctuary at Ol Lentille is built on a wooded kopje and has four private luxury villas, each one sleeping between two and six persons. All villas have sitting and dining room, bedroom(s), kitchen, bathroom and private staff, but have individual designs and features. There are fireplaces, outdoor baths and nice views. The overall standard and design is very good. The Sanctuary also has an eternity pool, a library and a viewing deck with GPS-controlled telescope for sky watching. The activities offered include day and night game drives, day and night bush walks, horse and camel riding, fly camping, mountain biking, quad-biking and rock climbing.

Web site: www.ol-lentille.com

Naibunga Conservancy
Naibunga is a joint conservancy by community group ranches in northern Laikipia: the Koija, Il Motiok, Tiemamut, Kijabe, Morupusi, Il Polei, Musul, Nkiloriti and Kimanjo Group Ranches.

Lodges
Ol Gaboli Community Lodge is a budget lodge owned and operated by the Maasai women of Il Motiok Group Ranch. It has five bandas built from stone and thatch. Each one sleeps between two and eight people. There is also a self-contained house that sleeps two families. The lodge has a lounge and a library, and offers a variety of adventure activities, for example rock climbing, rafting, canoeing, mountain biking and camel riding.

Sosian
Sosian (97 km2/38 sq mi) is a working ranch where cattle, goat and sheep ranching is combined with wildlife conservation. All former fences have been removed to allow the wildlife to move freely. The northern parts are dominated by grass plains dotted with acacias, while the southern parts are mainly acacia woodland. The Ewaso Narok River, which origins in the Aberdare Mountains to the south, flows through southern Sosian, lined with riverine vegetation such as yellow-barked acacias, and includes a 9 m/30 ft waterfall. On the southern border of the ranch is also a seasonal swamp that attracts many birds.

The mammal includes zebra, Grant’s gazelle, oryx, impala, Jackson's hartebeest, elephant, African buffalo, reticulated giraffe, greater kudu, olive baboon, Günther's dikdik, hippo, cheetah, hyaena, jackal, and lion. Also the rare African wild dog is sometimes seen. More than 300 bird species have been observed.

Lodges
Sosian Lodge was originally the old ranch house of Sosian, and has today seven guest rooms in garden cottages. The interiors are in a nice ranch style. Some of the activities offered are day and night game drives, bush walks, horse riding, camel trekking, fly camping, fishing and farm tours. The ranch has an airstrip.

Web site: www.offbeatsafaris.com

Ol Malo
Ol Malo is a private 20 km2/8 sq mi game sanctuary on a ranch in northern Laikipia, situated along the Ewaso Ngiro River. Among the 50 mammal species that have been observed in the area are elephant, African buffalo, eland, common zebra and Grevy's zebra, Grant's gazelle, impala, waterbuck, greater kudu, lion, cheetah, leopard and, in later years, African wild dog.

Lodges
Ol Malo is a luxury lodge set high on a rock escarpment on the edge of the Laikipia Plateau. It has four cottages built from rock, thatch and much wood, resulting in cosy interiors fusing African style with influences from French country homes, luxury sailing-ships, hobbit homes, and contemporary interior design. All rooms have ensuite bathroom, a veranda with great views and privacy. There are also dining and sitting rooms, and an eternity pool with wide views. A water hole and salt lick below the lodge attracts wildlife. Ol Malo offers game drives, bush walks, horse riding, camel rides, overnight stays in a hide for spotting leopards, and fly camping.

Web site: www.olmalo.com

Ol Malo House is a new private house on the Ol Malo property, sleeping 12 guests or more. The house can only be booked exclusively by one group. The house has three ensuite bedrooms, dining and sitting room, and three separate cottages.

Web site: www.olmalo.com

Ol Ari Nyiro / Laikipia Nature Conservancy
Ol Ari Nyiro is a private former ranch that has now been turned into a conservancy, the 400 km2/155 sq mi Laikipia Nature Conservancy. It is situated on the edge of western Laikipia Plateau escarpment, facing the Great Rift Valley.

The conservancy has valleys and ravines, hills, savannas and Enghelesha Forest, the only remaining indigenous relic forest (associated with the forests of Tugen Hills on the western side of the rift valley) in the area. Mukutan Gorge, a deep and impressive ravine, cuts through the plateau. There are water falls, springs, thermal hot springs and a river, plus a large number of artificial lakes or dams.

As the altitude varies from 900 m/3,000 ft to 2,100 m/7,000 ft, the area offers a range of different biotopes and a rich bird life and flora. The mammal wildlife includes black rhino, elephant, African Buffalo, impala, zebra, waterbuck, baboon, lion, leopard and cheetah. African wild dogs have also been seen.

Ol Ari Nyiro is seen in the movie I Dreamed of Africa (starring Kim Basinger), which is based on a book with the same name by author Kuki Gallmann, who has lived in Ol Ari Nyiro Ranch since the 1970's, and in later years transformed it into a nature conservation.

Lodges
Mukutan Retreat is a good lodge built from stone, wood and papyrus thatch, overlooking the Mukutan Gorge. There are three cottages, all with ensuite bathroom, fireplace and private veranda with grand views. A central building has a lounge and a dining area, serving local organic food. There is also a gift shop, solar power and an infinity pool fed from a thermal spring. To soundproof the lodge, vehicles are not allowed near. Examples of activities are game drives, game viewing on horseback, camel rides, bush walks, fishing and bird watching.

Makena's Hills is a tented camp on the edge of the rift valley escarpment, facing Lake Baringo. It has six furnished safari tents and two wooden cottages. They all have ensuite bathroom, veranda overlooking the rift valley, and a style with canvas, oriental carpets and carved four-poster beds. The central area has dining room, bar, panoramic swimming pool and viewpoints. The safari activities include bush walks, game viewing, bird watching, and camel outings. The camp also offers a hot water spa, ayurvedic massage, meditation and yoga.

Nanyuki
Nanyuki is a town along the road (B2) between Nairobi (via Isiolo) to Ethiopia far north. The town is on the border between the foothills of Mount Kenya and the Laikipia Plateau.

Hotels
Sportsman's Arms Hotel is in the outskirts of Nanyuki Town. It has 125 beds in self-contained rooms or in cottages. The hotel has restaurant, bar, swimming pool, health club, squash court, business centre and conference facilities, and offers activities such as game drives in Ol Pejeta Conservancy, trout fishing and horse riding.

Nyahururu
Nyahururu is a smallish town along the road (B5) between Nyeri and Nakuru. It's situated north-west of the Aberdares, and just east of the Great Rift Valley.

Lodges
Thomson Falls Lodge is a lodge/hotel east of Nyahururu Town, along the road towards Nyeri. Most safari-goers travelling between Samburu/Shaba and Lake Nakuru pass here, and many stop to see the Thomson Falls, a 70+ m/230+ ft waterfall. The lodge has 30 rooms with bathrooms and fireplaces. There are also cottages, for example for families, restaurant, bar, conference facilities and a souvenir shop. There are no proper safari areas nearby.

Web site: www.tfalls.co.ke