Go north! there is much more to Kenya than the well-known Maasai Mara Game Reserve and Nairobi. North of the Equator, the Great Rift Valley and Mount Kenya lies the awe inspiring Laikipia Plateau, an area the size of Wales, still free from the hordes of game vehicles and flashing cameras that are found in more well-known regions. There is plenty of room here for tourists, abundant wildlife and intriguing tribes. Laikipia is where Kenya’s wild and semi-arid northern frontier country starts.
Amid spectacular scenery, traditional ways of pastoral life continue side by side with an abundance of free-roaming game. This is high country, with altitudes from 1,700 meters (5,577 feet) to 2,600 meters (8,530 feet). Habitats range from arid semi-desert, scrubland, and sprawling open plains in the north and south, to the thick forests of cedar and olive trees in the east. To the north are camels and desert. Hills and deep ravines spread like fingers between fast flowing streams and rivers gushing their way in to the Uaso Nyiro (Brown River), northern Kenya’s largest river.
Formerly a patchwork of huge ranches and still an important area for livestock, Laikipia works in a way which means that the numbers of tourists are very well controlled by the number of lodges each conservancy/ranch has. Always spacious, it is never crowded. One of the attractions of Laikipia is that no two products seem to be much alike.
Safaris will as often as not be by camel, or on horseback or as treks with colourful Samburu tribesmen. There is almost always a pleasant climate with no big temperature differences, unlike other parts of Africa where some months are unbearably hot.
There are no tsetse flies in Laikipia. There is easy access by light aircraft or helicopter to wonderful pristine landscape. The cultural experiences available at Laikipia are more genuine and more diverse than in Maasai areas, with the Samburu on the doorstep, and Rendille and Pokot close enough to see on a day excursion from the lodges.
All the lodges are extremely pro- active in supporting conservation and community programmes within the region, and in educating clients and involving them in the massive amount of work being done in the conservancy to sustain wildlife and cultural well being. The local communities obtain real benefits from tourism and vice versa.
The area around the Laikipia Plateau has one of the biggest and most diverse mammal populations in Kenya—only the Maasai Mara can claim to have more game. The Big Five are all present, plus the wide-ranging wild dogs; there's even a chance of seeing the rare aquatic sitatunga antelope. Grevy's zebra, which is more narrowly striped than its southern cousin, was once hunted almost to extinction for its fine desirable skin, but has re-established itself.
You are more likely to see rhino, leopard and wild dogs here than in any other part of Africa. Other rare animals include the reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich and Beisa oryx. Moreover, you can also find most of Kenya’s more common wildlife in Laikipia, as well as more than 2,000 elephants, which migrate between the slopes of Mount Kenya, the Laikipia safari conservancies and the Samburu region.
The lasting memory of most visitors is that they have been somewhere in Africa which relates more to the picture painted of the pioneer days....of “Out of Africa”, Finch-Hatton, Hemingway and the flamboyant life in a Happy Valley; of a variety of amazing scenery, of wildlife adventures and of extremely interesting people, both indigenous and migratory.
NOTE: Plastic bags are now banned in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, and are likely to be confiscated by customs officials on arrival, whether in clients’ baggage or carried by hand. For example, Duty-Free bags
Singita Serengeti Grumeti is located adjacent to the Western Corridor of the Serengeti, bordering the national park, and encompasses 350,000 acres of magnificent unrivalled wilderness. Vast river valleys meander through the plains, grasslands, woodland, and forest. The area forms part of the famous migratory route, which is travelled by hundreds of thousands of animals every year through the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. Called The Greatest Wildlife Show on Earth it has, since time immemorial, been the dramatic backbone of this enormous wilderness. Visitors can look forward to seeing all members of the ‘Big Five’, as well as large herds of wildebeest and zebra and numerous bird species. Activities on offer include game drives, guided walks and more.
Mafia Island forms part of the famous Tanzanian Spice Islands, situated in the Indian Ocean. This wonderful landmass features mangrove thickets, coastal moorlands, and lowland forest. The Mafia Archipelago’s coral reefs, sandbars, lagoons, and beaches form part of the Mafia Island Marine Park - Tanzania’s first national marine park. This spectacular, unspoiled area offers visitors rich, colourful reefs with over 50 hard and soft corals, over 460 species of fish, and a variety of marine life, making this area excellent for diving. Visitors can spot whale sharks and sea turtles in the clear waters, watch hippos wallowing in the reed-lined lakes of the interior and discover the many rustic fishing villages scattered around the island.
