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Laikipia Wilderness Camp

Our rating

10/10

Price guide

Highlights

- Small intimate safari camp
- Superb Wilderness location
- Fly camping & Bush Walks
- Fantastic for Families

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Overview

Laikipia Wilderness Camp is a superb intimate wilderness safari experience in the wild Laikipia region. In our opinion the Camp is pitched perfectly (no pun intended) - intimate, wilderness setting, good wildlife, ambiance, but no unnecessary luxuries which means it offers relatively good value for money.

The Laikipia region is a vast expanse of wilderness spreading from the foothills of Mount Kenya towards the Rift Valley. Unlike Kenya’s prominent National Parks, this is an area where other tourists are few and far between and where game drives are just a part of the experience. Privately managed, but rich in wildlife, Laikipia is Kenya’s best location for walking and experiencing the African bush. Laikipia combines well with the Masai Mara and if you are headed in that direction it makes sense to fly onto the Mara or make a longer road journey of it, with a couple of nights in the Rift Valley on route. Alternatively you could focus your entire safari experience in Laikipia and then combine with a relaxing break on the Kenyan Coast. It is a 5 hour drive from Nairobi to Laikipia or you can fly to Nanyuki and transfer by road (1 1/2 hours) from there.

This is a small, simple camp in a stunning location offering a very welcome balance of ambience, comfort and superb wildlife without being ridiculously expensive. The five tents are large and comfortable, each built on a platform with a private veranda, proper beds and behind the tent an en suite bathroom partially open to the skies allowing you to shower under the stars. There is a tented mess building with dining room, bar and sitting room/library, and a deck in front with open camp-fire in the evenings. Meals are simple home-made affairs usually served outside set around a camp fire.

The area offers fantastic wildlife with big numbers of elephants, giraffe, hippo, Grevy’s zebra, leopard, wild dog, lion, striped and spotted hyena, aardwolf, aardvark, and over 280 species of birds. Hosts Steve and Annabelle Carey have been running safaris in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Kenya for the last 20 years. There are no set routines as each day is different depending on what the wildlife is doing, and what you will most enjoy. You can combine game drives (in open vehicles, day or night) with walking, Rock-climbing, Swimming, Biking, Rafting and Fishing in the river, visits to local Samburu villages, Fly camping, Birding, Wild dog and lion tracking, rope swing, rock scrambling and waterfall visits.

We strongly recommend Laikipia Wilderness Camp for walkers and families. Walking is a specialty, whether you just want a short half hour walk, or to head out for the day and fly camp overnight in the bush. It offers the perfect contrast to game drives, allowing you to stretch your legs and enjoy a more immersive and often more educational bush experience.

The Camp is ideal for families, children can go on adventure walks, swim, raft and fish in the river and scramble and climb on nearby outcrops. The owners have three of their own children on camp and will suggest a programme designed to suit you. We recommend a minimum stay of three nights, but you could happily stay a whole week. Some tents are close together specifically for families and all of the tents can comfortably sleep three, or four if it is two younger children. There is no minimum age restriction.

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What customers are saying after travelling with Tourdust

Average Rating

based on 536 reviews

(5.00/5)

  • I was also just about to email you to thank you and the team for arranging yet again, another wonderful experience.

    Mount Kenya was spectacular and wild - I think I prefer it to Kili in many ways. The entire support team was professional, friendly and all round fantastic in making sure that we were safe, well fed and well looked after. In particular, we would commend Peter the guide as well as Paul one of the porters who doubled-up as his deputy on summit day. Our route was often shrouded in mist and rain that rapidly gathered in the valleys and moorlands, and we were very impressed at how Peter managed to navigate us safely through all of that notwithstanding. In addition, we loved learning about the history of Mount Kenya from him in the evenings. And ofcourse, I was blown away by the lovely birthday surprise at the end complete with balloons and a delicious cake that had journeyed with us from day 1. One thing we might recommend because of the sudden change in weather (it would sometimes get extremely cold and wet) is for the equipment list to be a little bit more detailed in terms of its recommendations e.g. layers to be moisture-wicking, walking boots be waterproof, doubling up on socks to avoid blisters etc.

    El Karama is a beautiful conservancy and the lodge a true labour of love. Great hospitality in a relaxed environment. Delicious, fresh food. We enjoyed the drives, even if we didn't see much wildlife as the heavens opened on us for the last two outings. However, since it was very much geared towards families, I am not sure if I would stay again without kids. That said, I think it was perfect for a 3d/2n stay post mountain, and a much better choice than flying to the masai mara given the limited time we had.

    Our transits were smooth. Samuel the driver was always on time, drove safely and kept the vehicle clean.

    So it was a brilliant experience and one which I certainly will cherish for some time to come. It was great to work with you for a third time, and I certainly hope it won't be the last

    MissingJuhae C reviewing Mount Kenya Sirimon Naro Moru Trek on 01 March 2024

  • Dear Lisa, We are now back home and had a fantastic time. All the arrangements went seamlessly, transport and hotels were great. Laikipia was amazing, a very personal experience and they did all they could to accommodate everything we wanted to do. The river location was fantastic and ideal for the children as they got to swim in it. It is somewhere we would all like to return to. There might not have been the numbers that you get on the Masai Mara however we got to see lions with cubs, two black leopards, a golden leopard and the wild dogs as well as a huge number of other animals and birds. Thank you for suggesting to stay for 4 nights, it was just the right amount of time. The tamarin Hotel was a good choice as we were able to eat at the Carnivore restaurant which was an experience. Mauritius was lovely and relaxing, just what we needed after a very active time in Laikipia. Accommodation and service was great. Weather was good for most of the time, a few showers over the last couple of days. Thank you once again for organising it all. Sally

    MissingSally M reviewing Laikipia Wilderness and Plains on 11 August 2023

  • Hi Lisa
    It was a fantastic experience, thanks very much. All the arrangements were seamless and our guiding/support team were excellent, if there is a way for you to formally commend the team to your ground operators then I would be grateful if you could do that, they really were brilliant.
    Many thanks for your help in arranging the trip, and for your patience during the multiple re-arrangements over the past couple of years.
    Kind regards, John

    MissingJohn B reviewing Mount Kenya Sirimon Naro Moru Trek on 14 November 2022

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