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Bushking Safaris
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A walker’s-eye view through a grove of giant groundsels in the Teleki Valley, the rock walls of Mount Kenya rising beyond under a blue sky.

Adventure

Get out of the vehicle

Laikipia's conservancies allow what most of Kenya's national parks do not: walking with armed rangers, night drives, horse riding, camel trekking and fly camping. We build the trip around the places that let you out on foot or in the saddle.

Build your active safariPlan for me
Adventure

Adventure means proximity and activity, not just a vehicle window: walking safaris and horseback options in Kenya's Laikipia conservancies, and the lower vehicle density that comes with those more activity-forward conservancies and parks. This is the experience for travellers who want to work a little for the encounter, on foot or on the trail, rather than watch it from a seat.

The three peaks of Mount Kenya rising above the plains
Photo: Galkey / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Adventure

What the days feel like

  1. Open savannah landscape of Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia
    Photo: Valentina Storti / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

    On foot with rangers

    A walk changes the scale of everything. You notice tracks and sounds a vehicle drives straight past, and start reading the ground as your guide does. On Laikipia's conservancies you walk with armed rangers; around the Mara, the conservancies allow walks the reserve does not.

  2. In the saddle

    Laikipia's conservancies offer horse riding and camel trekking across open plateau north of Mount Kenya. Lewa and Borana, both reached from Nanyuki, run horseback safaris. You see the plains at a horse's pace, without an engine.

  3. A small tourist boat crossing Lake Naivasha
    Photo: Sabina Müller / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Two wheels in Hell's Gate

    Hell's Gate National Park, beside Lake Naivasha, lets you cycle and walk among wildlife through volcanic gorges. Crescent Island, reached only by boat, is a walk among giraffe, zebra and antelope with no fences and no vehicles at all.

  4. View across the Naro Moru River valley on Mount Kenya's slopes
    Photo: Daniel Case / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Up the mountain

    Mount Kenya is the second-highest peak in Africa, at 5,199 metres. Treks climb through montane forest to moorland and giant lobelias. Go in the dry months, January to February or August to September, and avoid the long rains of April and May.

  5. A kitesurfer riding the trade winds off Diani Beach during the Kenya Kite Cup
    Photo: Lebu Ayiga / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

    Wind and water

    Trade winds bring kite surfing to Diani and Watamu from January to March and July to September. Watamu's whale sharks pass between October and February. An encounter is never guaranteed, and we will not tell you otherwise.

Who it suits

  1. Travellers who would rather walk than watch from a seat.

  2. Riders, trekkers and kite surfers adding one serious activity.

  3. Returning safari-goers who have done the Mara by vehicle.

Good to know

  • Most Laikipia properties charge a conservancy fee on top of accommodation, usually included in full-board rates.
  • Light aircraft from Wilson reach Nanyuki in about 45 minutes and Laikipia in about an hour.
  • A walk asks more of you than a drive; your consultant asks about fitness first.
Kenya

Regions to pair

Pick the activity first. These are the regions that allow it.

Frequently asked questions

Anything not answered here, a consultant answers directly. More planning questions are on the FAQ page.

Anything that gets you out of the vehicle: walking safaris, horse riding, camel trekking, cycling in Hell's Gate, a Mount Kenya trek or kite surfing on the coast. Build a whole trip around them, or add one to a classic safari.

It depends on the activity. A conservancy walk or a ride through Hell's Gate asks far less than Mount Kenya, which climbs towards 5,199 metres. Your consultant asks about fitness and experience before building anything.

Not inside the reserve itself. The private conservancies around it, such as Naboisho and Mara North, allow walking safaris, night drives and fly camping, so we base you there for those days.

For Mount Kenya, January to February or August to September. For kite surfing at Diani and Watamu, January to March or July to September. Laikipia's conservancies work year-round, and walks in the green season are at their most scenic.

Dawn over a sea of cloud from high on Mount Kenya: early light catches jagged rocky peaks, mist drifts through the valley below and a small blue tent sits on the stony ground.

Choose your activity first

Pick the regions in Trip Builder, or choose Adventure in Plan for me. Your consultant matches each activity to your fitness and dates.

Build your active safariPlan for me