Laikipia Plateau

The Laikipia Plateau is Kenya's conservation success story — a vast, semi-arid plateau north of Mount Kenya where a patchwork of private ranches, community conservancies, and wildlife corridors has created one of Africa's most important wildlife sanctuaries outside of the formal national park system. Laikipia's conservancies cover over 9,700 km² and collectively support the second-largest population of elephant in Kenya.

The plateau is extraordinary for its diversity of rare species. Grevy's zebra — the world's most endangered zebra with fewer than 3,000 remaining — are seen in good numbers here. African wild dog packs roam the conservancies. Both black and white rhino are protected. Reticulated giraffe, roan antelope, and Jackson's hartebeest add to a wildlife list that consistently exceeds anything found in the formal parks.

The conservancies of Laikipia — including Lewa, Ol Pejeta, Borana, Loisaba, and Sosian — offer activities that are not permitted in national parks: night game drives, walking safaris with armed rangers, horse riding, camel trekking, and fly camping. The exclusive lodges here represent some of the finest wildlife experiences in Africa.

Laikipia is most frequently combined with Samburu to the north or the Maasai Mara to the south.