How does this safari support conservation

This safari directly supports conservation through park and conservancy fees that fund anti-poaching patrols, habitat restoration, and community programmes. Ol Pejeta is a global leader in rhino conservation, and Laikipia's conservancies protect critical wildlife corridors.

Can I see African wild dogs on this safari

Laikipia is one of the best places in Kenya to see wild dogs. While sightings cannot be guaranteed as these are wide-ranging predators, your guide's local knowledge and tracking skills give you excellent chances.

What is the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Sweetwaters is the only chimpanzee facility in Kenya, caring for orphaned and rescued chimps from across central Africa. It provides a forested sanctuary where visitors can observe these intelligent primates up close.

Is this safari physically demanding

No, the safari is accessible for all fitness levels. Game drives are conducted in comfortable 4x4 vehicles, and the optional bush walk can be adjusted to your pace and ability.

What is the best season for northern Kenya safaris

The dry season from June to October offers the best wildlife viewing as animals concentrate around water sources. However, northern Kenya offers good game viewing year-round with fewer seasonal extremes than the Maasai Mara.

6 Day Samburu Laikipia Ol Pejeta Conservation Safari Kenya

Overview

Itinerary

Cost

FAQs

Map

Overview

Itinerary

Cost

FAQs

Map

Overview

A Samburu Laikipia Ol Pejeta safari is the most comprehensive northern Kenya conservation wildlife journey available, linking three extraordinary destinations that together showcase the region’s rare species, exclusive safari activities, and world-leading conservation programmes. This 6-day road safari begins in the rugged semi-arid beauty of Samburu National Reserve, where the Ewaso Nyiro River sustains the legendary Special Five species alongside powerful elephant herds and big cat predators. Continue to the Laikipia Plateau, where private conservancies offer off-road game drives, bush walks, and night drives through landscapes home to African wild dogs and some of Kenya’s highest concentrations of large mammals. Conclude at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, a 90,000-acre sanctuary that protects the last two northern white rhinos on Earth and East Africa’s largest black rhino population. This Samburu Laikipia Ol Pejeta safari is the definitive conservation itinerary for travellers who want both exceptional wildlife encounters and meaningful engagement with the conservation efforts protecting Africa’s most endangered species. Each destination adds a unique dimension to the journey. Samburu delivers raw, untamed wilderness with species found nowhere in southern Kenya. Laikipia offers exclusive private conservancy experiences with activities impossible in public parks. Ol Pejeta combines Big Five game viewing with profoundly moving encounters at the northern white rhino sanctuary and chimpanzee rescue facility. With five nights of comfortable accommodation, expert guides at every location, and a route through some of Africa’s most stunning landscapes from volcanic lowlands to highland grasslands in the shadow of Mount Kenya, this safari is an unforgettable exploration of everything that makes northern Kenya the continent’s most exciting safari frontier.

Trip Highlights

Track the rare Samburu Special Five in the Ewaso Nyiro River corridor
African wild dog tracking on Laikipia's private conservancies
Visit the last two northern white rhinos at Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Off-road game drives, bush walks, and night drives in Laikipia
Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary visit at Ol Pejeta
Big Five game viewing across three northern Kenya destinations
Dramatic landscape diversity from semi-arid lowlands to highland plateau
Expert naturalist guides with deep local knowledge at each destination
Conservation-focused experiences throughout the journey

Day 01 :

Nairobi to Samburu National Reserve

Your Samburu Laikipia Ol Pejeta conservation safari begins with an early departure from Nairobi, driving north through the fertile central highlands on the approximately five-hour journey to Samburu National Reserve. As you cross the equator and descend into the semi-arid lowlands, the landscape transforms dramatically from green farmland to the rust-red earth and doum palm scenery of Kenya's northern frontier. Upon arrival at your riverside camp within the reserve, you enjoy lunch overlooking the Ewaso Nyiro River before an afternoon game drive along the riverine corridors. Your guide introduces you to the Samburu Special Five species, starting with the elegant reticulated giraffe and the gravity-defying gerenuk browsing on hind legs, while elephants splash in the river shallows and crocodiles sun on the sandy banks.

Day 02 :

Full Day Samburu Game Drives

Dedicate a full day to exploring Samburu National Reserve on morning and afternoon game drives covering diverse habitats. The dawn drive follows the river where elephant families gather to drink, martial eagles survey from tall trees, and your guide tracks lion prides adapted to the arid environment. The volcanic rock formations and rust-coloured soil create stunning photographic backdrops as you search for Grevy's zebra, Beisa oryx on the open plains, and Somali ostrich striding through the scrubland. After a relaxing midday break at camp, the afternoon drive targets different sectors of the reserve including areas known for leopard sightings in the dense gallery forest. The late afternoon golden light transforms the Samburu landscape into a photographer's paradise as herds move toward water and predators begin their evening patrols.

Day 03 :

Samburu to Laikipia Conservancy

After breakfast, you depart Samburu and drive approximately three hours south and uphill to a private conservancy on the Laikipia Plateau. The transition from semi-arid lowlands to the rolling highland grasslands is remarkable, and you arrive at your conservancy lodge in time for lunch with views across the vast open landscape. The afternoon game drive introduces you to the exclusive privileges of private conservancy safari, with off-road access that allows your guide to follow wildlife closely. The focus is on tracking the resident African wild dog pack, one of East Africa's most endangered and thrilling predators. Your guide also searches for rhinos, big cats, and large herds of buffalo and eland that thrive on the protected ranch lands. An optional night drive after dinner reveals Laikipia's nocturnal wildlife including serval, aardvark, and bush babies.

Day 04 :

Full Day Laikipia Activities

A full day on the Laikipia conservancy allows you to experience the complete range of exclusive safari activities. The morning begins with a pre-dawn game drive targeting the wild dog pack at their den site as they prepare for a hunt, followed by tracking across the grasslands for rhinos and big cat sightings. After brunch at the lodge, an afternoon guided bush walk takes you into the wilderness on foot with an armed naturalist guide. Walking through the African bush transforms your understanding of the ecosystem as you learn to read animal tracks, identify medicinal plants, and appreciate the smaller creatures that are invisible from a vehicle. The afternoon game drive continues through different sectors of the conservancy, and the day concludes with sundowners overlooking the plateau before dinner at the lodge.

Day 05 :

Laikipia to Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Depart the Laikipia conservancy after breakfast for the short drive to Ol Pejeta Conservancy. This 90,000-acre sanctuary sits in the shadow of Mount Kenya and represents one of Africa's greatest conservation success stories. After checking in and enjoying lunch, your afternoon begins with a visit to the northern white rhino enclosure where Najin and Fatu, the last two of their subspecies, live under 24-hour armed guard. This deeply moving experience brings the global extinction crisis into personal focus as rangers share the extraordinary efforts underway to save the species through assisted reproduction. Continue to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary before an evening game drive across the conservancy where black rhinos emerge to feed, lions patrol the grasslands, and the setting sun paints Mount Kenya in spectacular colours.

Day 06 :

Ol Pejeta to Nairobi

Rise early for a final morning game drive through Ol Pejeta Conservancy as the sunrise illuminates Mount Kenya's glacial peaks. Your guide tracks black rhinos and the resident lion pride while herds of zebra and eland graze across the open plains. The highland morning is crisp and clear, perfect for photography and birdwatching with raptors, hornbills, and vibrant sunbirds abundant throughout the conservancy. After a hearty breakfast, you check out and drive approximately three hours back to Nairobi through Nanyuki and the central highlands, arriving by early afternoon with six days of extraordinary memories spanning rare wildlife, exclusive safari experiences, and deeply inspiring conservation encounters across northern Kenya's finest destinations.