|
|
LAIKIPIA
THE LAIKIPIA PLATEAU, KENYA
The Laikipia plateau in central Kenya is the last stronghold of romantic East Africa: vast open ranches, shadowed by snow-capped Mount Kenya, home to ethnically diverse communities including the Mukogodo Maasai and Samburu. These indigenous tribespeople have joined together in partnership with the settlers and ranchers to create a conservation and wildlife haven that spans two million acres (800,000 hectares) of wild savannah.
Fed by the Ewaso Nyiro and Ewaso Narok rivers, Laikipia's abundant plains have long nurtured exceptional diversity, with traditional resources still very much the mainstay of the community: from wheat and livestock ranching to wildlife conservation and now tourism.
Diversity is the key to Laikipia's attraction as a tourist destination - there is something for everyone. From wildlife conservation, activity holidays, to simply retreating from the world, it's all here. The "Big 5" are often seen (rhino, elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo) and the district is home to more endangered mammals than anywhere else in Kenya, protecting half of Kenya's black rhino in the Solio, Lewa, Ol Jogi, Ol Pejeta and Ol Ari Nyiro Sanctuaries. Laikipia also boasts the biggest herds of elephant (over 3200 at last count) outside the Tsavo National Parks and is the only place to view the endangered Jackson's Hartebeest.
Wild dog, leopard, lion, cheetah and other predators hunt the plentiful plains game: impala, gazelle, reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, Somali ostrich, Beisa oryx (endemic to the north of Kenya) and gerenuk. |
