The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a 360 square kilometers private wildlife conservancy located Laikipia County in Central Kenya. It is situated between the foothills of Mount Kenya and the Aberdares about 220 Kilometers from Nairobi and near the town of Nanyuki. One of the most outstanding things about Ol Pejeta is its game-to-area ratio which is among the highest of all Kenyan parks and reserves. The conservancy is home to over 10,000 large mammals. All members of the BIG 5 are found here, and it’s the only park in Kenya where one can see Chimpanzees. Here, you will find the fastest growing population of Rhinos in Africa which are offered round the clock security against poachers. It is home to over 80 endangered Black Rhinos, Southern White Rhinos with a sanctuary within the conservancy being home to the ONLY TWO remaining northern White Rhinos in the world.
Besides the usual day game drives by vehicles, Ol Pejeta offers the discerning traveler more optional activities. These include night game drives, walking safaris, Lion tracking, Dog tracking, horse back and camel back safaris.
Having been established in 1988, Ol Pejeta has over the years being under the ownership of various owners. Among them is Lord Delamere, an influential British settler. Others are Roussel, the father of Aristotle Onassis who is a shipping tycoon, and Adnan Khashoggi, a Saudi arms dealer. The Ol Pejeta was originally set up as a cattle ranch but frequent visits by migrating Elephants that regularly destroyed the fence surrounding the ranch made cattle farming difficult. Today, you will still find cattle within the conservancy with the controlled numbers of livestock within Ol Pejeta serve the purpose of maximizing the bio-diversity of the land, making Ol Pejeta an integrated wildlife and livestock area.
As a result of Ol Pejeta’s keen interest to educate on conservation, the management of the conservancy has established an Environmental and Conservation Centre. Every year, it welcomes around 100 Kenyan schools through its doors for studies on sustainability. The main educational areas that the conservation center focuses on are ecology, culture and highlighting the importance of sustainable wildlife management to safeguard the future of the conservancy. Visitors to Ol Pejeta also have an opportunity to learn about local culture while interacting with resident Masai, Pokot, Samburu and Turkana.
Northern White Rhinos Conservation at Ol Pejeta
On December 20th, 2009, Najin, Fatu, Sudan and Suni which were four of the world’s last remaining seven northern white rhinos arrived at Ol Pejeta from a zoo in the Czech Republic. This was after all efforts to breed them at the zoo changed. It was with the hope that the climate, rich grasslands of the Ol Pejeta and the natural habitat that it would offer them would provide the Rhinos with more favourable breeding conditions. The northern White Rhino which is a sub species of the White Rhino was on the verge of extinction from its past home range in some parts of Uganda, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and Chad.
Today, the northern white Rhino is critically endangered with only two left in the world. Both of them are here at the endangered species boma and visitors have the unique experience of seeing these majestic creatures up close. The boma also has six southern white rhinos, two black rhinos and numerous Grevy’s zebras and Jackson’s hartebeest. The tour starts at 14.45 hrs lasting approximately 2 hours.
NB: Guests wishing to visit this Centre pay an extra fee on top of the Ol Pejeta conservancy entrance fees.
Baraka the Black Rhino
Baraka was one of the first Rhinos to be born inside Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Following a fight, he lost one eye after suffering from an infection, with the other eye later developing a cataract that led to him being completely blind. This reduced his chances of surviving by himself in the wilderness. It is at this point that Baraka was moved to an enclosure measuring 100 acres in order to ensure his safety. Today, Baraka (means blessing in Swahili) is a popular attraction in Ol Pejeta conservancy. Visitors can from a feeding platform at the enclosure get up close, feed and touch Baraka here. This is a once in a lifetime experience for both adults and kids. Baraka welcomes visitors every day from 9.30 hrs to 1800 hrs, with feeding times being three times a day. The cost of visiting Baraka is already included in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy entrance fees.
The Sweetwater’s Chimpanzee Sanctuary:
The Chimpanzee sanctuary was set up in 1993 in a partnership between the Jane Goodall Institute and the Kenya Wildlife Service as a as safe refuge for orphaned and confiscated chimpanzees. It is the only place in Kenya where the non-indigenous chimpanzees can be seen. Most of the Chimpanzees were brought here after the rescue center which housed them in Burundi was closed due to an outbreak civil war.
To the Chimps, the sanctuary provides a permanent refuge in as natural an environment as possible. It is now home to about 40 Chimpanzees which are protected on an island which is accessed by boat. The sanctuary is open from 1000 hrs for visitors and the cost of entrance is included in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy entrance fees.
Lion Tracking at Ol Pejeta
A few of the lions at Ol Pejeta have been fitted with radio collars. As a result, you can accompany one of the conservancy’s specialized lion trackers as he searches for their signal. When a pride is found, you can help identify individual lions by recording whisker patterns, scars, ear tears and other characteristics. This is a simply amazing experience. The data you collect goes straight to the ecological monitoring department, and helps the management find solutions to the challenges facing Laikipia’s lions.
This activity is available daily between 06:30 hrs – 08:30 hrs and 15:30 hrs – 17:30 hrs. Guests must remain in the vehicle at all times and the activity is bookable in advance.
We would recommend that clients wear closed shoes and carry sun-cream and a hat. Clothing should be of neutral colour.
Accessibility: Ol Pejeta is accessible from Nairobi by road on a smooth and scenic drive. There are also scheduled flights from Wilson Airport and some parks in Kenya to Nanyuki airstrip from where guests are provided with a road transfer to Ol Pejeta. Please contact us on holidays@esseniasafaris.co.ke for tailor made packages to Ol Pejeta Conservancy.