Laikipia

Laikipia is not a national park but a mosaic of private and community conservancies spread across the plateau north-west of Mount Kenya. That distinction matters: on private land, walking safaris, night drives and horseback riding are all permitted, none of which are allowed inside Kenya’s national parks.

The conservancies hold significant populations of black and white rhino, along with one of Kenya’s strongest African wild dog populations, elephant and all the big cats. Ol Pejeta, the best known, also runs a chimpanzee sanctuary and is home to the last surviving northern white rhinos. Guest numbers are deliberately low, so sightings are rarely shared.