Laikipia Plateau

The Laikipia Plateau is a vast elevated landscape of roughly 9,500 square kilometres stretching north and west of Mount Kenya, comprising a mosaic of private ranches, community conservancies, and group ranches that together form Kenya's second-largest wildlife population after the Masai Mara-Serengeti ecosystem. Unlike Kenya's national parks, Laikipia has no fences, no gates, and no government-managed boundaries — wildlife moves freely across a patchwork of land uses that have found a dynamic equilibrium between conservation, livestock ranching, and tourism. Laikipia is a powerhouse of rhino conservation. The plateau harbours Kenya's largest concentration of black rhino (approximately 700 individuals across several sanctuaries) and a growing population of southern white rhino, including the last two northern white rhinos on Earth at Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, pioneered the rhino sanctuary model and hosts the annual Lewa Safari Marathon — the world's most famous wildlife running event. The diversity of Laikipia's conservancies means that experiences vary enormously: from horseback safaris and camel treks on Ol Malo and Sabuk to helicopter-accessed wilderness experiences on private ranches, and from hands-on wildlife conservation at Ol Pejeta to bush walks with Samburu and Laikipia Maasai communities. Night drives routinely reveal aardvark, aardwolf, striped hyena, and African wildcat — species that are virtually impossible to see during daytime game drives. Laikipia's innovative approach to conservation has made it a model studied and replicated across Africa.