Matembezi House

Straddling the Equator and stretching from the snow-capped peaks of Mount Kenya to the eastern rim of the Great Rift Valley, the Laikipia plateau is one of Africa’s most exciting and exclusive wilderness safari destinations – with abundant wildlife, spectacular scenery, extraordinary cultural and bio-diversity and some of East Africa’s most successful nature and game conservancies.

Ranching, conservation and high-end tourism go hand-in-hand, with few of the constraints that often apply in Kenya’s national parks and reserves.  Night game drives, bush walks, bike tours, horse-riding, camel treks, scenic flights and helicopter safaris are a few the exhilarating pursuits on hand in the extensive private ranches and conservancies that make up much of the region.

Laikipia hosts a wealth and diversity of wildlife second only to the Masai Mara in Kenya. It has significant populations of predators and the “Big Five”, with over 50% of Kenya’s rhinos, thousands of elephants, about 25% of the world’s endangered Grevy’s Zebra, and an increasing population of rare Wild Dogs. The region is home to more at-risk species than anywhere else in East Africa.

Olepangi Farm Cottages and Olepangi House sit 6km outside the small town of Timau and are around 20 minutes’ drive from the main gate of the Lolldaiga Hills Ranch and Conservancy. The Lolldaigas consist of 49,000 dramatic and uncrowded acres 20 kilometres north of the Equator and 40 kilometres north of Mount Kenya. A well-managed combination of wildlife conservancy and commercial livestock ranch, they are home to a huge variety of wild animals and birds, as well as 4,500 cattle, sheep and camels. Despite their proximity to more widely visited areas of Laikipia, limited visitor numbers and a total absence of commercial tourist accommodation ensure that the Lolldaigas feel remote, untouched and firmly off-the-beaten-track.

The Lolldaigas are home to large herds of Elephant and Buffalo, together with Lion, Leopard, Hyena, Jackal, Cheetah and plentiful plains game.  Larger antelope species include Hartebeest, Oryx and Eland, while Grevy’s Zebra and Wild Dog are among several rare and endangered species.  With such varied topography, landscapes and habitats, the conservancy’s roads range across hilltops, up and down steep valleys, around dams, and across open savannah plains, ensuring that game drives and excursions here are always diverse, scenic and rewarding.

Ranging in altitude from 1700 to 2300 metres, the Lolldaiga Range is an ancient land form, comprising of a series of magnificent high folding hills, cedar forests and steep wooded valleys, interspersed with open grassland and bush. A well-documented series of archaeological finds, cave paintings and burial mounds show that the area was home to early mankind several thousand years ago. Over the last five centuries the region has been inhabited by the nomadic Laikipia Maasai, from whose language the name “Lolldaiga” comes, “Daiga” meaning braid.

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