The Ultimate Kenya Journey
- 15 days
- Maasai Mara
Two weeks and four landscapes: the Mara plains, the Laikipia highlands, the northern deserts and the Indian Ocean.
From
USD 14,500
pp
Central Highlands
Laikipia
Private conservancies at altitude, where conservation is the business model and you can walk, ride and track on foot.
About Laikipia
Laikipia is a plateau of privately held conservancies north of Mount Kenya, and it is where Kenyan conservation has been most inventive. There is no national park here — the wildlife lives on working ranches that decided it was worth more alive.
The consequence for visitors is freedom. Because you are on private land, you can walk, ride horses, mountain bike, track rhino on foot, and drive after dark. None of that is possible inside a national park.
It holds the largest black rhino population in East Africa, and a significant share of Kenya's wild dogs.
What you come for
- Tracking black rhino on foot with armed conservancy rangers
- Riding safaris across open plains with plains game
- Night drives — not permitted in national parks
- Genuinely exclusive: some conservancies host under twenty guests across 90,000 acres
Wildlife you may see
- Black rhino
- White rhino
- Wild dog
- Elephant
- Lion
- Leopard
- Grevy's zebra
- Reticulated giraffe
Where to stay
- Owner-run conservancy houses taken on an exclusive-use basis
- Small luxury lodges with Mount Kenya views
- Fly camps for walking itineraries of two or three nights
Practical tips
- Bring warm layers — evenings at altitude are genuinely cold.
- Best paired with a hotter, lower park like Samburu for contrast.
Things to do here
Trips visiting Laikipia
Consider pairing with
Southern Rift
Maasai Mara
Open grassland, the highest predator density in Kenya, and between July and October, the river crossings that draw people back for a lifetime.
Southern Kenya
Amboseli
Big-tusked elephants on open pans beneath Kilimanjaro — the most photographed view in East Africa, and it earns the reputation.
Northern Kenya
Samburu
Arid northern country along the Ewaso Nyiro, home to species you will not see anywhere further south.