One of the perfect places for a camelback safari, Laikipia Plateau is a perfect wildlife destination to visit on your Kenya safari holiday tours. This is also one of the significant rhino sanctuaries but also has elephants, buffalos, cheetah, lion, and leopards.

With more than 500 bird species, this place will dwell in your heart for years to come. You can also head for drives and walks with the guides and if you are looking for some adventure activities, you can experience lion tracking. There are also traditional villages that you can visit and get to know more about the place and history.  If you are on a tour to Kenya, do not miss out on this safari destination.

Laikipia County lies directly north of Nairobi, and has a fascinating history of myriad people, from all walks of life, finding their way here. Many of these settled here to farm, with vast expanses of land being put aside for cattle ranching or coffee plantations. What absolutely fascinated me during my time here was the coexistence of domesticated animals and wild. Livestock roams freely, while lions watch lazily from the shade beneath the umbrella-thorn (or Acacia tortilis) trees that dot the undulating landscape.

The views across the land will quite simply take your breath away, with the scenery quite unlike anything I had ever seen before. The contrast to the Masai Mara National Reserve was surreal. Where before there had been rolling stretches of green, grassy plains and the snaking Mara River, now there were groves of fever trees, rolling hills, and rocky outcrops. The excitement of discovering as yet unseen animals around every corner was palpable.

Lewa conservancy

While this massive 222-sq-km conservancy, just south of Isiolo, could boast about its luxury lodges, stunning scenery, and astounding wildlife activities, it’d rather talk about its community and conservation projects, which invest around 70% of its annual US$2.5-million-plus budget into health care, education and various community projects for surrounding villages. Remaining funds for further conservation and security projects.

Lewa safaricom Marathon

One thing to run a marathon to the encouraging screams of people, but it’s entirely another to run it sharing the course with elephants, rhinos, and the odd lion! Established in 2000 to raise funds for wildlife conservation and community development, the Safaricom Marathon, run within the Lewa conservancy is renowned as one of the planet’s toughest marathons.

Borana conservancy

One of the longest-standing conservancies in the area, the Borana cattle ranch (now the Borana Conservancy), owned by the Dyer family for three generations, turned its focus onto wildlife and community projects in 1992. The conservancy offers a number of activities, including mountain biking and wildlife viewing, but you’ll have to stay at the Lodge to take part.

Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Ol Pejeta Conservancy was once one of the largest cattle ranches in Kenya but is now a 365-sq-km, privately-owned wildlife reserve. It markets itself as the closest place to Nairobi where you can see the Big Five and possesses a full palette of African plains wildlife, including a healthy population of rhinos.

Best places to stay at Laikipia plateau

Loisaba tented camp

Accommodation in Loisaba is comfortable beyond measure. All of our properties fall under the Elewana Collection, and will most definitely take your breath away, whether waking up at the Loisaba Tented Camp with a view of Mt Kenya or sleeping under the undisturbed African night sky on our unique Star beds.

Ol malo lodge

We are so much more than a safari lodge. At Ol Malo, specialize in achieving your wildest dreams. Whether this is your first taste of Kenya or your dozenth journey back, we tailor-make each experience so no two trips are alike. We offer you the reins to live out your own adventure and will leave flexibility in your itinerary to flow with the rhythm of the day.

Loisaba star beds

Handcrafted four-poster wooden beds sit on raised wooden platforms jutting out from a thatched-roof accommodation and are rolled out each night for guests to enjoy the most memorable sleep under the endless African sky.

Rustically designed to complement the surrounding environment, each star bed is individually built in harmony with the natural rocky features, incorporating a sitting area, an open-plan bathroom with a view.

A team of traditional Samburu & Laikipiak Maasai warriors welcomes and hosts you with their customary warm African hospitality.

Sosian lodge

Sosian is perhaps best known for its huge array of experiences on offer.  Whether your safari by vehicle, horse, or foot, you are sure to take home some extraordinary memories.  Galloping with giraffes, walking with elephants, tracking lions, or just sitting still and taking it all in, no two days are the same.

Sabuk lodge

Sabuk Lodge is a stunning wilderness destination, perched on the high banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River in the Northern Frontier District, overlooking the Laikipia Plateau and Samburu land. The lodge has 6 beautifully furnished open-sided en suite cottages, plus Eagle Cottage (family cottage) which consists of 2 bedrooms (both en suite), an adjoining sitting room, and its own private swimming pool. Both the lodge rooms and the cottage have their own fabulous views.

When to visit Laikipia plateau

You can go on safari at Laikipia Plateau year-round. But in terms of the weather, the Dry season (June to September) – along with a period of diminished rainfall at the end/beginning of the year (December to February) – is the best time to visit.