Laikipia North Safari …
Laikipia North is a broad area of open range lands lying around 100km northwest of Mount Kenya in Central Kenya.
The Laikipia Plateau is much higher than the arid landscapes of Samburu to the east and therefore tends to get much more reliable rains. During the Colonial Era much of this land was sub-divided into large commercial cattle ranches, but in recent decades there has been significant re-wildification and it is now very much an area for safari.
Almost all the lodges are centred along the Ewaso Ngiro River, which rises on the slopes of Mount Kenya and is a critical source of water for wildlife in this whole region during the main dry season. The river has cut a broad and scenic valley through the rangelands and is fringed by ribbons of forest which enable a wide range animals to survive and prosper out in this semi-desert.
As well as many of the usual safari animals, Laikipia North is home to some of less familiar species which are characteristic of the area, notably including imperial zebras, gerenuks, reticulated giraffes and Somali ostriches.
By the standards of most national parks, the wildlife densities here can be rather low and there is a relatively little chance of major predator sightings in some areas. However this situated is remedied by the fact that some lodges operate predator rehabilitation programmes and can track lions, leopards, wild dogs and elephants by means of radio collars.
The visitor densities throughout the area are very low, with most of the lodges having exclusive use of large tracts of land, which makes safari here enormously different from the busy national park. The lodges here are largely owned and operated by Kenyan families of British descent, many of whom have lived in the area for multiple generations. They therefore tend to be rather characterful, intimate and personable places.
One reason this area proved so popular during the Colonial Era is that it has a very healthy climate, there is virtually no malaria this far north. This makes it a particularly good area for families to go on safari and most of the lodges are particularly family friendly, most of the owners have raised their own kids here.
The lodges also tend to offer an usually wide range of activities, including vehicle safari, night vehicle safari, walking safari, hiking, mountain-biking, river swimming, camel safari and horse-back safari. Most of the lodges work closely with the local Samburu people, offering guests some superb opportunities for relaxed and natural cultural interactions.
There are some aspects of safari in this area which make it feel a little less wild than it might, such as the presence of some wildlife fences, the use of radio collars and the fact that some lodges still bait leopards.
Why we include this Place to our Trips
Laikipia North is a really unusual safari area, it really does have a character all of its own. Staying at the best lodges is more like going to stay with friends out in the country, it really is that intimate.
