Name: Laikipia Wilderness Camp
Address: Laikipia Rd, Laikipia, Laikipia, Laikipia, 10400, Kenya
Rating: 10

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Laikipia Wilderness Camp

Laikipia

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I stayed at the River Camp, which has 4+ tents for exclusive use only, for 3 nights with friends. Our purpose is to see a black leopard and wild dog. 
The camp was comfortable but very basic, with water for the shower and toilet from the river in front, so it had a bit red/brownish colour. The fridge in the main tent/lounge & dining area was full of drinks, and we helped ourselves. The food was basic but had a decent taste. 
We were lucky to see Giza, a female black leopard, every day during our stay. Our driver was very good at guessing Giza's next move, and we had the perfect position for taking pictures every time. For the wild dog, when we arrived at the camp, we were told that the pack of wild dogs was not near the conservancy and that it might be challenging to spot. Indeed, we didn't have any clue up until the last day. When we were almost done with our breakfast at the camp after the morning game drive, our driver came in and asked us if we were ready. I was ready, of course, and we were off in 5 minutes, and there were a bunch of wild dogs. I couldn't be more excited as I had been going to many places, hoping to see wild dogs for the last 9 years.

Black leopard and Wild dog, that's all I wanted!

My wife and I have lived in Kenya for 12 years. We have tried to see wild dogs on countless occasions throughout Kenya. We finally decided to give Laikipia a try. We saw a pack of 14 dogs 3 hours after our arrival, which set the ton for the rest of the trip. The camp is secluded, warm and welcoming, and simply rustic. The tents are spacious and comfortable, the food was great, and the staff and guides were beyond accommodating. Our last night involved a bush dinner, with a fire and great guests from all over. We only stayed two nights and saw more than we bargained for, with a late night sighting of the legendary Giza herself. 

The largely untouched wilderness is a sight to behold and even without the wildlife is quite special. Nowhere like it in Kenya honestly. We hope to return one day with our kids for a longer stay.  We will never forget our time there.

Truly a special place.

I stayed 2 nights at LWC at the end of my adventure to Laikipia in central Kenya. 

Tents are simple but comfortable. Food is good. With no other camp around, the area is remote and all for yourself. Simon is a really great guide. The resident pack of wild dogs sometime roams in neighbouring conservancies so it can be a hit or miss. I wasn’t lucky myself but guests I met on my first day had seen them 3 out of 4 days, and another guest that stayed after I left then posted some incredible photos of the pack on social media. The number one reason I went was to see the famous Giza, the melanistic female leopard. She didn’t disappoint and showed herself during both my afternoon game drives just in time to shoot some photos with perfect light before sunset. I never could have expected what I was about to see next. Giza was hungry and started going after every dikdik on site. Hunt after hunt, she failed 4 or 5 times. The noises attracted her half brother and her mother, both normal leopards. Giza finally caught a dikdik that was quickly stolen by her brother. Shortly after, both Giza and her mum caught another one at the same time only a couple meters away from our vehicle. Her mum showed some motherly instinct and left the kill to her independent daughter. We called it a night then and there as we’ve simply had seen it all. 

Go to LWC, the intimacy guests get with Giza is an unrivalled experience in the safari world. 

Giza, royalty among leopards

I booked this camp in January when my travel companion dropped out and I has to rework my itinerary.  A friend of mine has been here several years ago and I thought it would be interesting to see a different part of Kenya I hasn’t been to before.  I stayed here in May 2023 for 4 nights, I traveled to Kenya solo but had my tour operator join me for some company, we each had our own tents.  I was in tent 6 which had a great open view.  It’s the last tent from the main mess area so there are no other tents in the view when looking out from the front of the tent.  The tents are simply decorated and have everything you need.  The toilet and shower area are at the back of tent in the open air.  There is a wall around for privacy.  The evenings are filled with a lot of animal activity in or around the camp as I heard hyena, lion, leopard during the evenings.  

Simon was my guide and Mark was the spotter for my four night stay.  They were terrific.  We saw Giza every evening we were there.  I’d seen photos of social media and  hoped to see her but I knew no guarantees and I was not disappointed.  She walked under our vehicle a couple times so got a very close up view. We saw Giza’s mom and a male leopard a couple times as well.  In fact twice we saw all 3 in the same drive.  We even got to see a Giza briefly interact with the male leopard.  

I finally saw bat earred fox on game drive here. I saw elephants, giraffe, buffalo, giraffe, hippo among the animals we saw.  The wild dogs at the time has left the area so I did not get to see them.

The landscape in this area is really beautiful even compared to some other parts of Kenya I’d visited before.  Even on some drives where maybe we weren’t seeing a lot of animals, I enjoyed taking in the scenery.  

I really liked the meal structure here with a muffin / banana in bush with tea and coffee about 9 am followed by a brunch about 11 am usually in the bush.  Then, had time to relax from 12 to the 4 pm tea time, then a sundowner with a little snack followed by dinner around 8.   Game drives started around 5:30, but after the first day we opted to leave later about 6 am as that was our preference.  

The meals here were very tasty, I really enjoyed the bush dinner around the fire.  The staff was very nice .  Meals are eaten together with other guests.  

There are really no other camps around so it feels very private.  I think they only allow 3 cars around Giza at one time which is to not stress her out.  since May is quieter, there were usually only 3 cars out at most when I was there anyway.  Most of the day I never saw another car since the area is so vast.  I think due to it being green and after some rains there were a decent amount of mosquitoes.  It rained one evening during dinner but it didn’t impact game drives at all the next morning.  

I would love to return here and next time try going for a walk.  I’d recommend this camp to those who love leopards, are ok with simple/ no frills and like less crowds this is s great camp.  



Fantastic stay at Laikipia Wilderness Camp.  

Amazing. Have been on safari and at camps in many places and Laikipia wilderness is right up there with some of my favourite places. Giza is of course the highlight, but the staff are amazing and the food is some of the best I have had at a camp. Safaris are fun and the camp atmosphere is peaceful. Landscape is lovely and we had some of the most beautiful sundowners here. Very few cars / tents, you will get a very different experience here than in the chaos of the national park sightings as well

Must do in Kenya

My friend and I have just returned from 5 nights at Laikipia Wilderness Camp. We did 10 game drives with an emphasis on finding and photographing Giza, the melanistic leopard. We achieved this on 8 of those drives - both daytime and night time. Simon was our driver and Mark our spotter - both were awesome and knew where to go and full of animal/bird knowledge. The area Giza frequents is relatively small and very close to camp so there's no long game drives distance wise. Some nights leopard were heard right outside the tents as this camp is in its pure wild form with no fences. Askaris (guards) escort you to and from your tent when it's dark. 

If luxury is what you're after then this camp is not for you. But, if back to nature is more your style, then this is the place to stay. The tent was very roomy, cosy at night, lots of space for clothes etc, spacious "bathroom"with an open view of the stars while showering, plenty of hot water, charging ports, extra blankets if needed - a recipe for a good nights sleep while listening to the wildlife outside.

I can't fault the food - every meal was delicious !! That extends to the brunch we had miles from camp at a dam site one day and an outdoor dinner cooked over coals- also out in the wild. The kitchen staff are to be commended !!! All the camp staff were super friendly, welcoming and always willing to be on hand for drinks or anything needed. Laundry service is complimentary as is bar service in the evenings. The sunrises while drinking hot chai first thing before morning game drive were spectacular. 

There's a small hut near the dining area which has relatively good wifi for keeping in touch with the outside world ( or not). 

Because this is a small camp with only six tents, meals are served at a communal table where fellow guests can chat about their day, find out about each other and what part of the world they come from, and laugh together. It was very interesting. 

Game drives began at 5.30am (or 6am in our case because that suited us) and go until around 11am. At some point within that time frame we stop for tea/coffee/muffins/bananas out in the wild. Brunch is served in the dining area once we are back at camp. The afternoon is rest/siesta time until afternoon tea at 4pm. There was always a fresh baked yummy cake on offer as well. Then off for the afternoon/evening game drive arriving back at camp for a hearty dinner around 8pm. 

The actual game drives are over rough and rocky terrain mostly so be prepared for that.  There's lots of twists and turns and vegetation - not open flat plains like other parks/reserves. But, that's the nature of Laikipia  country. Vast and never ending. 

During our stay we were privileged to spot Gizas mother with what appeared to be two small melanistic cubs. Images I took were not the clearest because she was 1 km from where we were and inaccessible. One cub was very distinct and the other, not so much. They were sitting on a far rock in the opposite conservancy. So, time will tell if Mum crosses back to where Giza is. Hopefully, the new cubs will be protected into adulthood and add to the black leopard gene pool in this area. 

Overall though, Laikipia Wilderness Camp was worth the experience of staying and I will definitely plan a return trip. My advice - 2-3 nights is not enough - stay longer. You'll be glad you did. 



Back to Nature

If I had to change anything about my stay at Laikipia Wilderness, it would be to stay at least 2 if not 3 more days.  I only had 2 days here at the start of my safari and before I left I knew it wouldn't be enough.

The camp is really very nice and comfortable.  It's not as flashy as some of the more glamping style camps, but I loved the day bed outside my tent where I could read and snooze during midday siesta.  I also loved the outdoor bathroom which was huge and comfortable with nice hot water in the shower (no bucket shower!).  The bed was comfortable and there was plenty of room to spread out and unpack in the tent.

I will say the first overnight here was the loudest I've heard on any of my safaris, from an "animals around the tent" standpoint.  There was a hyena den quite close, and they were pretty active all night. I heard leopards "huffing" around camp, lions roaring pretty close and some unidentified plains animal eating grass quite close to the tent.  It's why I love to lay awake at night and just listen, but boy was it active!!  I loved it!

My guide was Simon and he was really wonderful.  I learned so much about the area and the wildlife from him, this being my first time in Laikipia.  I appreciated the lengths he went to to find the melanistic leopard for me (success! 3 out of 4 game drives!), lions (heard but not seen) and wild dogs (not even a blip on the radar, but we climbed to a high mountain top to try to ping them!).  He knew how much the cats meant to me and really delivered on leopard (black and not black).  I enjoyed my conversations with him as much as his guiding.  I was beyond thrilled with the leopard sightings here.  The melanistic leopard and a massive male leopard were excellent sightings.

Food was great here.  As a vegetarian I ate really well.  I agree with other comments that I like the schedule of meals here, it just makes more sense for the activities of the day.  A quick bite before leaving pre-sunrise on a game drive, a late morning brunch, tea around 4 and dinner at 8.  It worked out well and didn't break up the day or the game drives.

The hosts and staff here are great, very friendly and accommodating.  I do think there is a focus on more than just game drives here, but while my focus was on the leopards I did not partake in the walking and just wanted to game drive. I might do that if I were to return.

Many people go here for the wild dogs.  That wasn't as high on my priority list but I would have been happy to see them.  They'd been near camp the day before I arrived and moved on.  Some of them are collared so the guides can track them by signal, but we tried and they were well out of range.  I think you'd have to be here more than a few days to ensure they make it back into the area for you to see them.

I highly recommend Laikipia Wilderness.  I am happy I finally got to Laikipia and was so lucky to have such a great time there!

Leopard-happy in Laikipia

We visited Laikipia Wilderness Camp and stayed for 5 nights in February 2023. It was our second visit to the camp, having first visited in September 2017. We loved our first visit so had some idea of what to expect on the return trip, but truly this visit surpassed all possible expectations. 
We saw a plethora of wildlife, including elephants, giraffes, dik-diks, buffalo, Grevy's zebra, leopards (including the black leopard), various bird life, and the African Wild Dogs. The dogs were the main purpose for our return trip as we knew there was a pack in the area, including with 8 healthy pups. 
I had the opportunity to do two bush walks, and we slept out under the stars one night listening to lions nearby. 
We stayed at the main camp (not the River Camp) in one of the family tents. There was ample space for clothing to be hung up, the laundry service was also a bonus as we packed light to meet luggage restrictions on the internal flights (15kg including hand luggage). The bathrooms are open air and very well set up - we had hot running water each morning to wake us up before the game drives. Out front of our tent were seats and an area to have an afternoon nap during the hottest part of the day (all under shade). 
The main tent is where we had meals and afternoon tea. Every meal was delicious, and the chefs catered for all. The salads were delicious, often including home grown produce from the allotment out back. Fresh fruit and vegetables readily available, and a variety of drinks for meal times and sundowners. 
I really liked the structure at Laikipia Wilderness where you had a small breakfast to start the day, a brunch around 11am, afternoon tea around 4pm, and dinner around 8pm. At other camps we've stayed at on safari the meal times interrupted the flow of the day, never really allowing for down time and felt rushed, but this was never the case at Laikipia Wilderness. 
The staff at the camp are all incredibly friendly and welcoming. The guides are very knowledgeable and dedicated. There are domestic dogs on site too who hang out around the main tent, and sometimes accompany you on walks or camping out to serve as an extra set of eyes and ears. 
For those seeking a truly memorable experience spending time in the bush that doesn't involve simply sitting in a vehicle the whole time (it is an option, but it's so much better to get out on foot too), then I thoroughly and whole heartedly recommend visiting Laikipia Wilderness Camp.

A truly wonderful location, simply do not hesitate to go

There is nowhere quite like this camp! We stayed for 4 nights in December 2022 and I am going to try (and probably fail) to describe how special it is. The fixed tents in main camp are spacious and extremely comfortable - a day bed on the veranda is the best place to see who comes to visit you. When you go out visiting on a game drive the variety of wildlife is amazing. All of the guides (Simon, Mugambe, Steve and Antonia) knew everything about their environment, clearly loved it and the game was plentiful. Dik Diks were grazing on every corner - so good to see. We saw wild dogs and the melanistic leopard but the regular leopards are just as amazing and we were lucky enough to see them together. We even saw a Zorilla! The game walks were an added and exciting bonus as was the dip in the river. The team at camp were wonderfully friendly and helpful and the food was delicious. The little wi fi tent was a cosy place to stay in touch with the outside world (and share stories with other guests) but it was lovely to be out of touch for most of the time and simply enjoy the wilderness and beauty of it all. Have I done it justice? probably not so you must go and experience it for yourself!

A Unique experience

We had a great time at LWC.  The camp is great and the staff are amazing.  The meals were great, the afternoon tea was fun, the al fresco shower was hot and a great way to begin the day with nature.  We came to see the Wild Dogs and we had a great encounter with them.  In addition, we saw the Melanistic Leopard on several occasions.  Add to this the 33 other mammal species we saw in our week at LWC and the visit was everything we had hoped for.  Our guide, Mugambe, was outstanding at understanding animal behavior and putting us in a position to get great photos. Thank you!

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