Reviews of Laikipia Wilderness
Wildlife sightings and reviews
39 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Laikipia Wilderness and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"Fantastic safari camp"
Everything about it was exceptional but we have to single out Annabel's hospitality and Steve's game drives. Annabel was a wonderful host who made us feel at home and very relaxed. She went out of her way to reorganise our flight to the Mara to a private charter when she realised our scehduled flight was rerouted and would have taken us all day.
Steve and 'Four o'clock', his spotter, made our game drives spectacular tracking wild dogs and watching a kill being a highlight." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya
"Amazing Experience at Laikipia Wilderness Cam"
We saw plenty of game, and all the big five. We tracked the wild dogs on several occasions, and spent time watching them hunt and interact which was incredibly special.
We did some great walks, went swimming in a waterfall, spent time fishing, camped out one night, had meals out in the bush, and felt that it was as how Africa should be. The food was very good and everyone in the camp was friendly and looked after us very well." See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya
"Wild dogs in Laikipia"
Aside from the wild dogs we didn't find that much game. As such it doesn't feel like a prime gameviewing area. But who needs other game when you've got wild dogs anyway!" See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya
"Great no-rules safari experience!"
- Seeing the wild dogs every day!!
- Great guiding by Steve, Steven and Mgombe. Very hard working and skilled guides
- The varied activities offered including walking, swimming, fishing, etc. No 2 days were the same.
- Delicious food every meal, all served in different settings (eg., by a waterfall, at a watering hole, open flame BBQ).
- Meeting interesting people. The camp was a very social environment with adventurous people from all over the world. Great conversations!" See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya
"Fantastic!!!!!!"
They made sure I was partake in all activities, so not being able to walk distances, I didn't miss out on a thing.
It was like a home from home enjoying breakfast, lunch and diner with the hosts." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya
"Fantastic safari with Laikipia WildernessCamp"
Great food good tents and fantastic guiding - everything is tailored to giving guests a wonderful, personalised and varied experience. Steve and Annabel have a great set-up and are brilliant and attentive hosts with excellent camp staff. Met their friend Albie Venter who is a specialist private safari guide, runs photographic courses and is also very good company. A bunch of great people congregating in a great place.
We had unique experiences with the wild dogs and wonderful photo opportunities but plenty of other wildlife and many good encounters with elephants and other game. Enjoyable wild walks and expeditions. Regular night drives on the way back to camp or bush dinner were amazing.
Altogether a brilliant time and as a regular safari addict I can say this was the best experience I've had. Can't wait to return." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya
"Everything I had hoped for"
Byront is a fantastic knowledgeable guide; as well as game drives he led a couple of morning walks before it got too hot when he showed us plants, spiders, animal tracks, etc that we wouldn't otherwise have seen. A special highlight was watching the pack of Wild Dogs including 11 puppies not long out of the den for 1.5hrs one evening. Aside from a few vehicles on the public road we saw nobody else the whole time I was there.
Don't go to Laikipia if you want 5 star luxury tents, a pool or 'fine dining'. The tents are spacious, comfortable, mine had a lovely view over the bush from the veranda. The bathrooms have good showers with lots of hot water. The food is plentiful and beautifully-cooked. And the people are lovely, really welcoming in an informal relaxed style. Just perfect !" See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya
"Painted dogs galore, a heavenly experience"
We arrived at camp in the afternoon and within an hour or so we were on our first game drive. About an hour later we were lying on our front on the ground surrounded by a beautiful pack which included 11 puppies. We spent six nights at this camp and our viewings of, and interactions with, painted dogs were utterly sublime. We love this place and we simply cannot wait until we return.
My husband had already stayed at this camp on a photographic trip in 2015, and he was just as thrilled by his second visit there." See all these reviews: 15n in Kenya
"Who let the dogs out?"
The Laikipia area is a series of conservancies, rather than National Park, which means a far wider range of ways of seeing the bush is available to you than in the parks themselves. Wildlife tourism and wild animals also co-exist with the local community and their traditional farming, meaning you come across cows, goats, beehives and even camels from time to time. Despite this the animals are properly wild, as shown by the presence of those most endangered of predators, African wild dogs. There are two packs in the area, and thanks to the camp's involvement with the monitoring programme, you probably have a better chance of seeing them here than anywhere else in Kenya. We saw them both from the vehicle and on foot, which is pretty exciting. We also saw the only cute hyenas I have ever encountered, which is a bit of an achievement.
Laikipia's ethos is all about getting you out into the wild, and we walked, river-rafted and ate in the wilds. The rainy season arrived with a vengeance when we were there, hence the bush sleep-out was rained off, but it did make for some pretty thrilling 4x4 driving through disintegrating roads and river beds! Our guide, Barend, and tracker Stephen, were from very different backgrounds but both experts and true enthusiasts, able to talk about animals, birds and plant life, although our insect interests were obviously a bit unusual!
Evenings usually ended around a fire, either in the mess tent or in the bush, chatting with Barend, Steve or the other camp staff about Africa, animals, life and everything.
Although we only saw Steve and Annabel's kids briefly (school has to happen sometimes!), the place has a family-run feeling about it all the time, helped by the large number of pets (dogs very friendly, cats rather more aloof), giving it a real blend of warmth with the wilderness. To say the service is excellent seems somehow wrong - basically they employ lovely staff who look after you very well because they're nice people - it doesn't really feel like "service". We felt extremely comfortable and more like guests of very hospitable friends than clients.
Laikipia Wilderness is not for everyone. If your main aim is to tick off the Big Five from the seat of a vehicle, don't come here (no rhino for a start). If washing in river water bothers you, or the thought of insects in the bathroom, you'll probably be more comfortable somewhere else. If a large (domestic!) dog deciding to share your chair is a problem, it's not ideal either.
The food is not fancy, but it's tasty, filling and fresh (they grow their own herbs and salads). And, as Arthur Ransome once said, food always tastes better when it's eaten in the open air. In fact the whole place has a rather Swallows and Amazons feeling about it - it's no wonder families seem to have such a great time here, which wouldn't be true of many safari camps - and it's also the perfect place for the grown-ups to regain their sense of adventure." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya
Holiday styles & special interests in Kenya
From birdwatching breaks to walking holidays, find great ideas for your trip in Kenya.
Other lodges in Laikipia
Alternative places to stay in this same area.
Kicheche Laikipia
Kicheche Laikipia is the most luxurious tented camp of the handful of places to stay in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in central Laikipia.
Lewa Safari Camp
Lewa Safari Camp is a comfortable and homely tented lodge, located in the Lewa Conservancy and offering a relatively exclusive safari away from mass tourism.
Sosian
Sosian Lodge is a distinctive, estancia-style ranch house on a former cattle ranch, with great opportunities for riding, relaxing and seeing wild dogs and other savannah wildlife.
Lewa Wilderness
Lewa Wilderness is a comfortable, fenced safari lodge with nine cottages, great views and a huge range of activities.
El Karama Lodge
El Karama is a comfortably rustic, very personal, riverside eco-lodge on a game-rich private ranch in Laikipia, an hour’s drive north of Nanyuki airport.
Ol Pejeta Bush Camp
Ol Pejeta Bush Camp is a simple camp, with comfortable tents, delivering an authentic wilderness experience backed up by good food and guiding.
Il Ngwesi Eco-Lodge
The community-owned Il Ngwesi Eco-Lodge sits atop a small hill in the remote Il Ngwesi Group Ranch, a two-hour drive north of Lewa Conservancy in north-eastern Laikipia.
Sirikoi
Sirikoi is a small, very high-quality safari camp with excellent service and food and a wide selection of activities.
Borana
Borana is a comfortable and striking lodge on the Borana Conservancy in eastern Laikipia, offering pleasant accommodation with good food and service and a very wide range of activities.
Porini Rhino Camp
Porini Rhino Camp is a small, simple, well established tented camp, with a keen focus on sustainable and low-impact tourism.
Lewa House
Lewa House is a very comfortable, boutique safari lodge located on the Lewa Conservancy, north of Mount Kenya.
Solio Lodge
Solio Lodge is an exclusive and luxurious bush lodge set in the private Solio Game Ranch in southern Laikipia.
Loisaba Tented Camp
Loisaba Tented Camp is a luxury safari base of tented rooms, ranged along a ridge in the Loisaba Conservancy, facing Mount Kenya. The camp was completely rebuilt in 2016.
Kifaru House
Kifaru House is a small, stylish safari lodge in the Lewa Conservancy, with beautiful views across the landscape.
Tassia Lodge
Tassia offers a unique wilderness experience in a remote location: come here for cultural interaction, stunning views and something a bit different.
Loisaba Star Beds
Loisaba Starbeds is a simple camp of 4 rooms with pull-out, open-air 'star beds', located near a dam in the Loisaba Conservancy, in northwestern Laikipia.
Sandai
Sandai is a pretty, owner-run homestay, set between the Aberdare Range and Mount Kenya, offering a range of activities at extra cost.
Karisia Walking Safaris
Karisia Walking Safaris operates camel assisted, multi-day walking safaris from its main camp, Tumaren, set in a remote part of Laikipia.
Sweetwaters Serena
Sweetwaters Serena is a large, older tented camp – the largest camp in the Laikipia region – in the eastern part of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
Lodo Springs
Lodo Springs is a spectacularly located luxury lodge in a remote spot in the Loisaba Conservancy, sister lodge to Loisaba Tented Camp and Loisaba Star Beds.
Sanctuary at Ol Lentille
The Sanctuary at Ol Lentille is an unusual safari lodge in northern Laikipia, consisting of three exclusive villas, and offering a huge range of activities.
Governors' Mugie House
Governors' Mugie House – a substantial, luxury safari lodge – is one of only two properties in the Mugie Conservancy in northwestern Laikipia.
Thomsons Falls Lodge
Thomsons Falls Lodge is a simple hotel dating back to the colonial era, located above the falls of the same name, near the western Laikipia town of Nyahururu.
Ekorian's Mugie Camp
Ekorian's Mugie Camp is a pleasant, family-friendly safari camp in a remote location in northwestern Laikipia.
