Experience Kenya’s wild safari excellence at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Have you ever thought how exhilarating it would be hand-feeding a black rhino, the world’s second-largest land mammal?

At Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia, you get this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interact with rhinos.

Ol Pejeta Conservancy Kenya. [Photos Travel Notes]

Extending approximately 360 square kilometres, the conservancy is positioned on the equator west of the market town of Nanyuki and between the Aberdares and Mount Kenya. The conservancy is the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa with about 100 rhinos and also remains Kenya’s only conservancy that houses the only two remaining northern white rhinos in the world brought back from the Czech Republic years ago.

Ol Pejeta is home to an array of African wild animals but more importantly, it is one of the places in Kenya where you effortlessly sight the big five: elephants, rhinos, buffalos, leopards and lions making it a top safari destination in Kenya.

Besides the black rhino sanctuary, the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary offering shelter to orphaned or abandoned chimpanzees is situated at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Besides the chimpanzees, the great apes stroll the vast conservancy making it one of Kenya’s ape-rich zones.

Interestingly, Ol Pejeta is a non-profit conservancy that was established decades ago with the intent to conserve wildlife and generate income through wildlife tourism which in turn, channels its proceeds towards community development and environmental conservation.

The community development funding by the conservancy often goes into the health sector, education, infrastructural development among other things which are tourism-based.

Ol Pejeta also offers classy camping experience at the Ol Pejeta Bush Camp which is touted to be Kenya’s embodiment in safari excellence. There are seven traditional but classy safari tents in the camp from which you get idyllic views of this vast conservancy.