Laikipia

Laikipia is not a national park but a plateau the size of Wales, covered by a patchwork of private conservancies and ranches that have become the model for community-based conservation in Africa. Wildlife numbers here have risen for two decades, and the experience of travelling through it is unlike anywhere else in Kenya.

Because the land is privately managed, guides are permitted to drive off-road, to walk, and to run night drives with a spotlight, three things the national parks do not allow. That freedom transforms a safari: you can follow a wild dog hunt, track a rhino on foot with an armed ranger, or spend an hour with a leopard without another vehicle appearing.

Laikipia holds Kenya's second-largest elephant population, healthy populations of lion and leopard, and both black and white rhino in several conservancies. Wild dog are seen here more often than anywhere else in the country. The plateau is also the stronghold of the endangered Grevy's zebra.

We recommend Laikipia for second-time safari travellers, for families, and for anyone who values solitude over ticking off the classic circuit. It pairs naturally with Samburu to the north.