Laikipia, Kenya

The Ewaso Nyiro River links Laikipia to the adjacent Samburu region where highlights include Shaba National Reserve. It was here that Joy Adamson spent her final years, returning Penny the leopard to the wild.

Meru National Reserve - The least visited of Kenya’s national parks and reserves, Meru is an unspoiled wilderness. It was here that George and Joy Adamson returned Elsa the lioness to the wild as depicted in the film, Born Free. Meru’s landscape is characterised by stands of Doum Palm trees, dense forests, rolling hills and rocky outcrops or ‘kopjes’.

The Northern Frontier Safari: An 11 night safari starting and ending in Nairobi.  Includes 2 nights in Meru, 2 nights in the Laikipia, 3 nights at a traditional tented camp in the Masai Mara plus 3 nights in the Lamu archipelago - $6942 per person.

Kenya Highlights: A 10 night flying safari including 3 nights at Joy's Camp in Shaba, 3 nights in a traditional tented camp in the Masai Mara ending off with 3 nights on Manda Island.  Includes all flights and accommodation in Nairobi, available year round except April to mid July - $6184 this season.

Kenya's Wild Frontier: An expeditionary safari focussing on the Northern Frontier District.  A typical 10 day safari combines the Mathew's Range with the Chalbi Desert and Laikipia.  This trip includes fly camping and optional access to Lake Turkana by private helicopter or air charter.  Reserved for intrepid souls....speak to us about the options.

• Loisaba sits on 61,000 acres of its own private game ranch. The Lodge is set on the escarpment with seven rooms, each with its own private deck overlooking the views of Laikipia. The lodge has a swimming pool, tennis court, spa and massage room. One of the highlights of Loisaba is a night or two spent at one of the Star Beds.

• The Star Beds -  Kiboko Star Beds are 20 minutes drive from the lodge and overlook a waterhole. Koija Star Beds are 30 minutes drive from the lodge and overlook the Ewaso Nyiro River. Each Star Bed is designed on a raised, handcrafted, wooden platform that is partially covered with a thatched roof. Homemade ‘Mukokoteni’ beds can either be wheeled onto the open deck for a night under the stars, or left under the shelter of the roof.

• Loisaba Private Cottage approximately 9kms from the main lodge. The cottage is set back from the escarpment in beautifully landscaped gardens with a private swimming pool. The Loisaba Cottage (originally used by the Loisaba pilots) now includes 4 double en-suite rooms and is ideal for a group of family/friends or an extravagant honeymoon.  The cottage comes with its own staff complement and is fully self-contained so whilst there's no need to visit the main lodge you still have full use of the the spa, tennis courts and other activities available (balloon safaris, horse riding, camel treks, mountain bikes, river rafting).  Our preferred choice on the Loisaba ranch.

• Loisaba Private House is a truly exclusive, self-contained private house with cliff-top infinity pool, built on the edge of the escarpment entirely from local stone and thatch. The private house has 2 double en suite bedrooms and like Loisaba Cottage offers access to all the facilities of the main lodge.

• Sabuk Lodge is perched on the high banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River in the Northern Frontier District, overlooking the Laikipia Plateau and Samburu land. The lodge has six open sided en suite cottages, plus Eagle Cottage (family cottage) which consists of two bedrooms (both en suite), an adjoining sitting room and its own private swimming pool.

• Ol Malo - Colin and Rocky Francombe, both born in Kenya of settler families, designed and built Ol Malo. Situated on the northern edge of the Laikipia plateau nestled into a rugged escarpment, Ol Malo looks out across the time-honoured lands of Kenya’s Northern Frontier District.

• Borana Ranch lies at the foot of Mount Kenya, just sixteen miles from the equator and 6,500 feet above sea level. Adjacent to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, its unique geographical situation makes the 35,000-acre ranch a haven for a wide diversity of wildlife.

• Laragai is a breathtaking house in stunning surrounds, situated on the edge of an escarpment, offering fantastic views over the plains and mountains. The thatched house is furnished in an eclectic, opulent style, with china from England, antiques from Ireland and furniture from Rajasthan.

• Sarara - The Namunyak Wildlife Conservation Trust, an area of approximately 75,000 hectares, lies folded around the southern corner of the fabled Mathews Mountain range of northern Kenya. This is home to Sarara Camp. Accommodation is in five double tents, each with flush loos and open air showers.  Guiding standards are high and if you get the timing right this is where you'll get a chance to experience the "singing wells".

• Ol Lentille - The Sanctuary at Ol Lentille is a leading edge conservation tourism partnership between a Maasai community, donors, and private investors John & Gill Elias who are resident at the Ranch. Four fabulously luxurious, fully-staffed, full service houses are available either individually or as exclusive use of the whole property.

• Lewa Wilderness - One of Kenya's major private conservation successes at the foot of Mt Kenya, Lewa Downs has been the Craig family home since 1924 when the Craig grandparents came from England and began raising cattle here. The family home accommodates 16 guests in comfortable thatched cottages with en suite bathrooms and verandas. The food is wholesome, ranch style and organically grown.

• Il Ngwezi - Il Ngwesi Lodge is situated adjacent to the Ngare Ndare River on the edge of the Mukogodo Hills and boasts commanding panoramic views across Northern Kenya. Owned and run by the local Maasai community, the lodge offers visitors six individual bandas. Two of the bandas have a platform where you can roll out the double bed and spend the night under the stars.

• Elephant Watch - The exotic Camp is perched on the sand banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River, beneath big Kigelia trees and Acacia Elatiors. It is home to some of the largest bulls in Samburu. The camp is eco-friendly has been specially constructed for comfort and coolness, accommodating a maximum of ten guests with its wide and breezy desert tents.

• Sosian Ranch - Sosian, the Samburu word for the wild date palm, combines the tame with the wild. Over 24,000 acres of wild bush are here to explore. Originally built in the 1940s by Italian artisans the recently renovated ranch house sits at the heart of the ranch, surrounded by seven double cottages that can accommodate up to fourteen people.

• Kitich Camp lies in the southern part of the Mathews mountain range, a remote and rarely visited area of Kenya. The camp is nestled in a verdant grove of fig trees, indigenous flowering shrubs and prehistoric cycad palms on a bank of the seasonal Ngeng River and is surrounded by thickly wooded hillsides and craggy peaks.

• Joy’s Camp is built on the site of Joy Adamson’s tented home in Shaba National Reserve. The site was also home to Penny the leopard, the heroine of her last book. The 10 canvas bedrooms are set raised off the ground with breathtaking views of the surrounding hills.

• Elsa’s Kopje is named after Elsa the lioness, made famous by George and Joy Adamson’s biographical film “Born Free”. Elsa’s Kopje is almost invisible to the eye as you approach its home on Mughwango Hill, built very near to the site of George Adamson’s original campsite. The cottages are the ultimate rooms-with-a-view.

• Elsa’s Private House is a spacious, stylish, exclusive hideaway set slightly apart from the main lodge with two double rooms and its own private swimming pool.

• Offbeat Meru Camp - The camp is small, traditional and located on the edge of Meru National Park in the Bisanadi National Reserve. Hosted by head guide, Adrian Allan, the camp consists of six tents.