This is one of East Africa’s most exciting wilderness safari destinations.  The Laikipia Ecosystem spans over 2 million acres of unblemished wilderness in the North of Kenya. It is made up an icy mountainous, arid dry land, savannah and forest. Through its varied environment roams an incredibly diverse array of wildlife which visitors can see in countless ways –  on foot,  on horse back,  on camel or by  bicycle; by land rover, by aero plane or  by helicopter,  or even hanging below the silken wing of a para-glider.  The area is larger than all of kenya’s national parks and reserves except for Tsavo.

The Laikipia Plateau stretches from Mount Kenya in the East to the Great Rift Valley in the West; it is home to unique plant life and specialized northern game species like the gerenuk, Grevy’s zebra and reticulated giraffe.   The plains are covered by open grasslands, basalt hills, lonely kopjes and dense cedar forests fed by the Ewaso Nyiro and Ewaso Narok rivers. This spectacular region is often considered the gateway to Kenya’s wild Northern Frontier country.

The Laikipia District is regarded as one of Africa’s  most remarkable conservation success stories. Once an area with a high density of fenced cattle ranches and farms, it has been transformed, in co-operation with the owners into an area of beautiful wilderness. Here, protected game roams freely and safely.

Getting to Laikipia Area
Needless to say, Laikipia is accessible by road and by air.  Driving from Nairobi takes approximately 3 hours on a good tarmac road via Thika, Karatina, Sagana and Kiganjo.  The road continues on to Meru and Isiolo.  Laikipia can also be accessed by road from Nakuru and the Rift Valley via Nyahururu and from lake Baringo on a murram road.

There are daily flights from Nairobi to Nanyuki. Daily air services are provided by Air Kenya, Safari Link and Fly540.  Private air charters can also be arranged.

Daily scheduled flights with Air Kenya from Wilson Airport, Nairobi, to Nanyuki, with connecting flights to Lewa, Masai Mara and Samburu. The region is linked to other local destinations through private air charter services.

FEATURED ACCOMMODATION PROPERTIES IN LAIKIPIA PLAINS
Laikipia  has a huge variety  and  a wide range of safari lodge facilities, including but not limited to the following lodges and camps:  Borana Lodge, Lewa Tented Camp, Loisaba Wilderness, Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, Mukutan Retreat,  and may others.

ATTRACTIONS AND SAFARI ACTIVITIES AT LAIKIPIA
A wide range of activities are on offer at the lodges throughout the region. These include:  day and night game drives, nature walks, camel and donkey safaris, fly-fishing, mountaineering and climbing, bird watching, wildlife observation, cultural visits, horse riding, swimming, tennis and walking.  Big game lives in harmony with Laikipia’s human population – allowed to wander freely on the vast open grassland but character the region, at one with the people who live here.

Visitors enjoy total liberty in Laikipia.  Free from sometimes inhibiting game park rules. The area is almost entirely privately communally owned; this allows guest the rare privilege of watching game by night, walking or riding horses in the bush, experiencing life in an African wilderness that has seen very  little change since time began.

As a results of the commitment to dynamic conservation its members, Laikipia is one of the few areas in the world where wildlife numbers are increasing. The Laikipia ecosystem is rivaled in size only by Tsavo, and in wildlife abundance only by Maasai Mara. Unlike Tsavo and Mara however, Laikipia is pure wilderness, registering only a tiny percentage of the guests who visit the more commercial and crowded areas.