Overview
Pioneering the Northern Frontier...
Laikipia is stunningly unique in that we can ride across the entire plateau on private land. This means that you are unlikely to encounter any other tourists and you get an extremely exclusive experience. Throw in excellent wildlife and dramatic landscapes and this makes for an unforgettable riding safari.
Itinerary:
10 nights - Laikipia & Sosian
Day 1
Arrive Lewa either by charter or 3 ½ hour drive from Nairobi. The Lewa Conservancy is a world famous nature conservancy on 40,000 acres of pristine country on the Northern slopes of Mount Kenya. It is home to the Big Five and a host of other species such as grevy's zebra, Somali ostrich, reticulated giraffe and other rare species. We will have lunch in camp and an evening ride.
Overnight Private Camp, Lewa Downs.
DAY 2
A full day exploring the ranch looking for game from horseback (morning ride), game drive / walk before lunch in camp and evening ride. This is a spectacular area of Kenya with beautiful views to the snow-capped peaks of Mount Kenya in the south and the rugged mountains of the Mathews Range, Bodich and even Marsabit on the way to the Ethiopian border.
Overnight Private Camp, Lewa Downs.
DAY 3
Today is our first moving day. We ride across Lewa to the west crossing the Ngare Ndare River and onto Borana Ranch, another cattle ranch turned conservation area. We might meet a variety of game including black rhino and elephant and will see a host of other species including the reticulated giraffe. We reach camp in a grove of euphorbia trees after a picnic lunch on the Ngare Ndare River.
Overnight Private Camp, Borana
DAY 4
A full day exploring Borana by horseback and vehicle. Borana is a step up from Lewa, being on top of an escarpment, which we will have climbed the day before. The scenery is still spectacular but different from Lewa. All the species on Lewa are also present on Borana, and a great variety of game is to be seen. Borana is home to our hosts Nicky and Michael Dyer, who own and run Borana Lodge.
Overnight Private Camp, Borana.
DAY 5
Our next move takes us with a picnic lunch (in our saddle bags) to the west again. We cross from Borana onto Ole Naishi Ranch and climb the first ridge of the spectacular Loldaiga Hills. These form a northern extension of Mt Kenya and are vast range consisting of large rocky kopje's interspersed with cedar forest. We cross Ole Naishi onto Loldaiga Hills a 55,000-acre ranch owned by Robert Wells and probably one of the most beautiful farms in Africa. We reach camp at the head of a beautiful valley, surrounded by cedar forest, where we stay for 2 nights.
Overnight Private Camp, Loldaiga Hills.
DAY 6
Some spectacular rides and a picnic lunch by Land Rover to the northern areas of the ranch will fill today's programme amply. At one point we shall be on the western edge of the Loldaiga Hills with spectacular views of the Laikipia Plateau below, which we will be crossing over the next four days.
Overnight Private Camp, Loldaiga Hills.
DAY 7
We leave Loldaiga Hills today and cross four ranches on our way to El Karama, home of the Grant Family. We drop down a hidden valley on elephant and buffalo tracks with little dams, before crossing Enasoit Ranch and then onto the specialist cattle ranch of Mogwooni, home of the Kenyon family. This is one of the few days we see some cattle fencing and we will have a picnic lunch here on the banks of the Nanyuki River. After lunch we cross onto El Karama ranch, 13,000 acres of pristine game country, and find our camp on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River. Overnight Private Camp, El Karama Ranch.
DAY 8
A full day exploring this ranch by horse and vehicle and a good chance of a game walk along the river, before lunch. There is a host of game including grevy's zebra, the rare endemic Jackson's hartebeest, elephant, giraffe and hippo in the river.
Overnight Private Camp, El Karama Ranch.
DAY 9
Today is a long day's ride to Sosian. We cross the Ewaso Narok River and traverse Segera Ranch to the northwest. Our route takes us up the spectacular Sugoroi River valley before crossing rather monotonous black cotton plains, covered in whistling thorn (Acacia Drepanolobium), which is home to the Patas monkey, a chestnut coloured long limbed primate which is widespread but rare among the northern savannahs of Africa. We reach the Mutara River and follow this pretty valley down before crossing onto Sosian Ranch for a late lunch at the edge of the lovely Suguta Swamp. A short ride after lunch brings us to Sosian Lodge where we exchange our tents for the comfort of the house.
Overnight Sosian.
DAY 10
A full day riding, driving and enjoying this rehabilitated cattle ranch, which boasts a wide variety of game including, Jackson's hartebeest, grevy's zebra, giraffe, elephant, hippo, buffalo, lion, leopard, wild dog and all the other species. From certain points we can look back at the Loldaiga Hills over which we passed and Mt Kenya now appears a good distance away.
Overnight Sosian
DAY 11
This morning we have a full breakfast on the lodge veranda before heading back to Nairobi in time for your flight home.
