Laikipia Wilderness Camp — Hotel in Laikipia County

We flew from Samburu to Laikipia, a short half-hour flight. We were picked up immediately by our guides for the next few days, Valentin from Le Guide Safari and Joseph from a Masai tribe. Valentin was keen to help us see our targets, and Joseph as the spotter was excellent (we’re still looking for where to buy a set of Masai eyes).||The camp was indeed in the wilderness – part of a 25k acre ranch that is partnered with the owner of the ranch but managed separately by Steve. Our tent was comfortable, although not completely bug-proof and with pretty sketchy water from the spigots and shower. Due to the water, there was plenty of clean drinking water in the tents and common rooms. The décor was lovely, everything was cleaned each day, and we were well-fed throughout the visit. They accommodated my diet and served very tasty food. They also ensured we had lots of fun excursions: lunches at a lanai overlooking a pond, sundowners each night and a bonfire/dinner cookout on the last night. ||We were kept on the go the entire time we were there with early safaris, a couple of hours to relax and recover in the afternoon, and then more evening safaris. We traveled far and wide over the ranch and truly enjoyed it. The views are wonderful, the river running through the ranch contains lots of wildlife (hippos, elephants, birds galore, etc. coming for drinks, bugs or to wade in).||The vehicles were clean and properly outfitted each day, and I just can’t say enough about how excellent the guides are. Valentin was particularly keen to see leopards, of which there are 19 on the ranch, and other wildlife. We saw bat-eared fox and jackals, lots of elephants, zebra, giraffe and gazelles. They were happy to stop for a bird for me, and it almost always turned out to be something fun, like watching a hawk catch and devour prey. ||This was part two of our three-part safari, and it genuinely left us with memories to...

I stayed for 4 nights in Oct. 2024 and what a magical place! This was truly everything I was looking for out of a safari camp: wild, untamed, adventure at every turn!||I stayed at 5 different safari camps and 1 lodge in my three and a half weeks in Africa and this was hands down my favourite! I thought this place was absolutely perfect. The tents were the perfect blend of rustic and luxury unlike some places that felt too "sanitized" like they didn't give you a sense that you were actually in the wilderness. ||My guide Steven was also the best guide I had on my whole trip. He seemed to have a sixth sense in predicting where an animal was going to go next and positioning us right in a prime spot. He also had a keen photographic eye and knew what positions would make the perfect shots. ||I was very fortunate to get to see both Giza and the wild dogs during my stay. In fact my last 24 hours here were a whirlwind of amazing animal sightings starting with the wild dogs, a male regular spotted leopard, a female spotted leopard who had a cub, Giza the black leopard, a different male spotted leopard the next morning, a pride of 5 young male lions at an elephant kill, and a cheetah. Staff at the next 2 camps I stayed at were amazed at my luck and wanted to see the pictures. ||In addition to the incredible animal sightings there were so many included activities available, like swimming at a waterfall, fishing, camping under the stars, that it was impossible to do it all in one visit. ||Before I left I had already decided that I wanted to come back and stay for at...

All I can say is, WOW! This place is truly exceptional in every way. My boyfriend and I stayed four nights. Thanks to our guide, Josephat, we had two exceptional sightings of Giza, the famous black leopard. Our first night, we saw Giza kill a dik-dik. Then, she was absent from the area for two nights.||On our last full day, Giza reappeared in full daylight. I was told this only happens about once a month currently, since Giza is usually with her cubs on a neighboring property during the day. Giza came right up to our vehicle and looked at me! I never dreamed I would get to see her like that! Little did I know, however, this was not to be the last I would see of Giza. That night, we awoke to a great roar. We looked outside our tent, and there was Giza! Incredible. ||Besides Giza, we had good sightings of normal leopards every day. I was able to get some amazing leopard photos. I believe we saw four individuals besides Giza. We also saw striped hyena, spotted hyena, a genet, numerous elephants, reticulated giraffes, Grévy's zebra, impala, and dik-diks. ||Besides the wildlife, the camp staff was key in making our experience special. They could not have been better. The scenery was beautiful, the food was good, and the tents were basic but very comfortable.||We just missed the wild dogs, which were seen the day before we arrived. I didn't mind too much, because that gives me a good reason to...