On Our Way to Laikipia Camp – Kenya African Safari

We had an amazing start to our trip in Nairobi and Amboseli (our first blog post of this series). Our next stop during our Kenya African Safari was to Kicheche’s Laikipia camp.  We were thrilled to start this part of our adventure.  Our flight arrived at the Nanyki airport and we were on our way to the camp. Our driver Mohammed was excellent and gave us a quick lay of the land. He provided some general background on the area.  The area was home to the largest tribe in Kenya, the Kikuyu tribe.

 

Mohammed continued along the route to our camp.  Along the way he suggested we make a quick stop at the equator, which ran right through the area. We could feel the elevated altitude in the areas, as we were nearly 6,000 ft above sea level.  

 

Kenya African Safari – Entering the Ol Pejata Conservancy & Camp

We entered into the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. We signed a few waivers and received clearance to enter.  This was a protected area in the region. Our first stop in this area was at the Kicheche Laikipia camp, where would call home for a couple of days. We were warmly greeted at Kicheche Kaikipia by the camp manager.  This was a beautiful camp and we had the majestic Mt. Kenya as our backdrop, the largest mountain in Kenya.  The mountain is much older than Mt. Kilimijaro, which we had the pleasure of seeing during our first few days at Amboseli. We loved the remoteness of the camp and it was very small & intimate. The camp had 6 tents in total and one was a family tent.  

Similar to all camps that we stayed, there were guards to escort guests in the evening. This was in case wildlife was too close for comfort with the camp.  The guards were available overnight by walkie talkies along the bedside in case of an emergency. The inside of the tents were clean and luxurious.  There was a large bed, rain shower with hot water, flush toilet and dressers. It was our own luxury tent and honestly nicer than many hotel rooms. There was also a front porch with comfortable chairs and a beautiful view.  It was so peaceful!  

   

   

 

Searching for Wildlife – Kenya African Safari

After relaxing for a bit, we were eager to get on with our next safari. Our guide Mohammed loaded up our private jeep (4-person capacity) and we were ready to head out.  Shortly after taking off,  we came upon several giraffes and younger zebras (notice their brown color) at a watering hole. We sat quietly watching them for a while.  

 

Cheetah Brothers Thrilling Hunt

As we continued along, we saw more zebra, hartebeests, buffalo and native birds along the safari. However,  our best experience of this game drive was when we spotted the infamous “three cheetah brothers” stalking their dinner. These brothers were known around these parts for traveling and hunting together. We tracked the three brothers for nearly 30 minutes as they watched a dazzle (group) of zebra graze. They were extremely patient, as they were making a move to attack the zebra. Just as they moved in for the kill, one of the sterile hybrid zebras snorted a extremely loud warning signal.  The cheetahs were spotted and their chance of dinner that night quickly disappeared.  

 

 

 

Enjoying the Sundowner Tradition

After a thrilling 30 minutes of tracking the cheetahs, we took a break to enjoy our sundowners and sunset. The sundowners are a nice tradition, as it’s a celebration of the day transitioning to evening.  Our guide set up snacks, drinks (Tusker Beer) and we watched a fantastic sunset.

 

 

Relaxing After our Daytime Safari Game Drives

We came back after an unforgetable safari. We quickly showered and cleaned up before dinner & fire at night.  Our meals here were absolutely delicious.  They consisted of a homemade tomato soup, steak & veggie wraps and butternut squash, roasted potatoes and fresh green beans.  The dessert was elaborate as well, with a decadent chocolate mousse with toffee.  I’m not even a dessert fan, but it was tasty.  

 

 

Night Drive – Kenyan African Safari

After dinner we set out for a night safari.  The animals and approach at night is much different than our day experiences.  There are  nocturnal animals out and it’s more difficult to spot animals. Our driver Mohammed mentioned that you can tell a predator vs a prey in the night. If the headlights from the vehicle shine into the eyes of a predator, more than likely you’ll see a red eye looking back at you. This signals a predators (such as lion or hyena).  An impala or buffalo would have white in the eyes. The highlight of this game drive were the 3 lioness that we spotted hunting a heard of elans. We tracked them for 15 minutes, but we didn’t want to interfere with the natural hunt. The headlights on the vehicles are unnatural, so we moved along.  After a fun but chilly night drive, we went back home to call it a night. One of the nicest surprises was being greeted with turn down service with a hot water bottle under the bedding.

Walking Safari and Moving to the Masai Mara

We woke up early the next morning at 6:15am greeted with coffee, tea and cookies. The breakfast was again delicious with fresh fruit, granola/cereal, honey, eggs, toast, grilled tomatoes and baked beans. They made sure we were comfortable before heading out to our walking safari.  Mohammed grabbed a rifle for our protection and we set off on foot (and yes, we said rifle). The walking experience is very different than driving.  They say that the animals don’t entirely recognize you as person when you are in a vehicle, but they see just a large object.

  After our morning safari, we were on our way to the next Kenya African safari region. We said thank and goodbye to our amazing host and guides.

We were headed next to the Masai Mara region, which is well known for its game and the Great Migration. Make sure to continue to follow our Kenya African safari blog post.  Our next post will feature some stunning pictures and footage from our time in the Mara.  We saw more there than all of the other areas combined! We would love to hear your thoughts on this post in the comment section below! Happy to help you plan as well if you are interested in a trip!