The Laikipia Plateau

• Huge wildlife populations
• Haven for endangered animals
• Exclusive lodges

The Laikipia Plateau is situated on the eastern escarpment of Kenya’s Rift Valley. The area is divided into huge game farms that have been transformed into wildlife reserves with exclusive lodges. With the co-operation of the local tribespeople, a conservation and wildlife sanctuary spanning two million hectares has been created.

It was here that Kuki Gallman stayed before writing her best-selling international book “I dreamed of Africa.” The Laikipia Wildlife Forum was created to protect and encourage conservation in the area and to work with local communities to develop the area as an important ecosystem with large wildlife populations. As a result, Laikipia has had wildlife populations increasing steadily, including the Big Five (elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard). The game numbers in fact, rank second only to the world-famous Masai Mara.

The landscape is diverse and scenic, stretching from the edge of the Great Rift Valley to Mount Kenya, across plains and grasslands, rocky hills and rivers like the Ewaso Nyiro and Ewaso Narok. The local population is mostly involved in producing wheat and tending livestock, but wildlife conservation and tourism have steadily become a part of everyday life.

Special features include:

• Wildlife
  Due to impressive wildlife management, the wildlife on the Laikipia Plateau has increased to more than any other park in Kenya, except for the Masai Mara. The plateau is also home to more endangered species than anywhere else in Africa. This includes the second largest population of elephant and the highest population of endangered rhino (Laikipia has over half of the country’s rhino). Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe as well as Jackson’s hartebeest and African wild dog populations are also steadily increasing