Reviews of Laikipia Wilderness

"This was my second visit to Laikipia Wilderness. I stayed there in June 2023, and most of my review of that trip still stands. If anything, the camp is better thanks to a general tidy and refurb, which is probably partly due to the success brought by its now famous melanistic leopard, Giza.

I saw her in 2023, but not this time, although most of my fellow guests managed. I was accepting of that but the black cat does bring out the worst in some people. One of the camp’s wonderful guides was being driven quite hard by a family who’d booked a two night stay and expected the magic, as if they’d ordered it from a menu and had a God given right. They did see Giza, fortunately, but I avoided seeing them, or the other group whose long lenses and video cameras hogged the only view of a golden leopard for over an hour. Most people know better.

My guide and spotter (Joseph and Francis) were inventive and tireless and knew every inch of their patch. We saw wild dogs two days running, had sundowners with a striped hyena, spent time (eventually) with the golden leopard and also saw his father, who walked straight up to us on a night drive.

As with 2023, the most memorable bit of all was camping out and sleeping under the stars after the best fillet steak and hasselback potatoes ever - cooked on an open fire by the South African guide, Byron.

I’ve recommended this camp to acquaintances who haven’t liked it. I misjudged them, not the camp. Laikipia Wilderness is comfortable, not luxurious. The atmosphere is friendly and laid back, not formal. Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed, even less so in Laikipia compared to the Mara, but they’re a lot more special and unique when they happen." See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya

"We booked this trip to Laikipia with the aim of searching for the Black Leopard. We had previously experienced disappointment in India - a whole week in Nagarahole with only one very distant and unclear sighting and then an unfortunate non-sighting in Tadoba. So we were prepared for frustration, particularly when told on arrival that no black leopard had been seen for 3 days. So when we managed SEVEN sightings of Giza the enigmatic Black Leopard, 3 of which we were first to find, you can imagine our elation. All these sightings were wonderful. Giza was active, relaxed - or at least untroubled by our presence - and happy to give us many excellent photographic opportunities.

The whole trip was a great success in fact, with many other interesting wildlife encounters and several ‘firsts’. We have for example never before seen Grevy’s Zebra as they are endangered and limited in territory. We have never seen so many Hyena together and in daylight. We also had an interesting first (evening) drive when a leopard had made a large Impala kill in the morning and been unable to move it away from opportunistic predators. The hyena family arrived, followed by a Pride of lions and the leopard went hungry. Loud crunching could be seen and heard on the far bank in dim light. We also had a lengthy and close encounter with a herd of elephants, many amusing reticulated giraffe and more Dik Dik antelope than we ever thought possible. There were many different species of bird from Eagles to starlings and we were delighted with all the colour. We had good sightings of everything from Rock Hyrax & African Hares to Kudu & Leopard - we were of course delighted to see several normal leopards too. Even the guinea fowl were fun, along with the Warthogs and Agama Lizards.

Dan Peel was probably the best safari guide we have had anywhere. He is both passionate and knowledgable on all aspects of this place and many beyond. We even bought his excellent book on Giza. We don’t usually do that!

We were pleased with the safari regime. The off road driving permission and limited vehicle numbers as well as continuation after dark was all critical to the quality of our sightings. Sundowners, brunch in the park, lookout platforms, waterfalls … these all added to a sense of involvement. This has not been our experience of Indian Wildlife Parks or even some of the more regimented parks in Africa. We also had exclusive use of the vehicle on all bar 2 safaris.

So all in all, we had a wonderful time in Laikipia with 7 great sightings of Giza the Black Leopard and all sorts of other interesting encounters as well.

Our only complaint relates to the Priority vehicle. This is expensive and not worth doing, one might say a disingenuous offer, given that it makes no difference at all to your ‘priority'. There was never an occasion where we were at an advantage over other vehicles. How does the Priority Vehicle differ from any other? If it is the vehicle carrying the orange searchlight, we never had it. If it is the vehicle given priority position by the other vehicles, this also did not happen. When we had so called 'Shared Priority’ our guide had to ask another guide if it "would be possible to come a bit closer as we had no line of sight". In fact we were indebted to other guests on that occasion for withdrawing their vehicle to give us a view.

Having said that, all vehicles got to see the Black Leopard and there were never more than 4 vehicles at any sighting, usually 3. Whilst the Priority Vehicle issue did not detract from our experience in the end, we believe your guests should not be asked to pay for a non-existent service.

The Wilderness accommodation was absolutely apposite - we felt we were living in the middle of the action. In fact Giza was often spotted close to the camp. This property is the place to be, at least for now. Who knows if we would be so lucky next time." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya

"A traditional camp. Tents comfortable with everything we needed but brown tint to hot water supply a little off putting at first.

Hosts very welcoming and knowledgeable. Game drives variable with one drive being very quiet. But we did see a leopard with cub and subsequently a cheetah with two cubs on our transfer to the airport.

Night drives showed up some interesting wildlife including several Genet and Giza, the black leopard, very briefly." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya

"We wanted a more simple camp which is what we got.

It was simple and rustic and provided everything one would need. The tents were large and basic. Whilst this may not be to the taste of some people it more than suited us. The roads (Tracks!!!) are extremely rough and bumpy the worst we have ever experienced, so be prepared.

It has to be said that the game viewing overall was disappointing while we were there. However the views of the countryside were beautiful and awe inspiring." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya

"Having visited before I know what a great place this is. Very good food, old friends, attentive service and fine tents make for an excellent base.

Steve Carey has created a wonderful camp. Mugambi was our driver/guide and he showed great skills, sense of humour, and tried so hard to help us. He knew his birds which was very helpful. He was great fun!

Unfortunately it rained every day and this meant that animals and birds were hiding up but we made the best of it. Good leopard sighting but not the black leopard who was not seen at all by anyone while we were there.

Striped hyena was probably the most exciting thing." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya

"The room was a good shape and size, and very "African", and for that I have no criticism. However, internally, there was shortage of much comfort - lighting, bathroom facilities bathroon layout etc.

Management was friendly, but rather distant and unconcerned, and there was little guidance about how to progress with life. Food was OK but no better than that.

Our guide (Simon) was poor, and that contributed to the lack of game we found. Wildlife generally was sparse.

Frankly, I was left wondering quite why this camp is on your website" See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya

"This is a lovely 'old-style' tented camp.

The owner/managers are very 'hands on". We were fortunate to see the black leopard on several occasions in the daylight and at night.

We also had close encounters with two other leopards and several sightings of striped hyena." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya

"Staff were exceptional, very welcoming, couldn't do enough for us around the camp.

Food was good quality and very flexible with varying arrival times, often changing at very short notice as wildlife was spotted near the end of game drives.

Our guide was training for his exams but was extremely knowledgable and put 100% in to finding wildlife and ensuring we had good views without disturbing the animals unduly." See all these reviews: 16n in Kenya

"Laikipia Wilderness is a very well run camp in a beautiful area. The sightings were wonderful, including 2 nights out of 4 with Giza, and the standard of guiding exceptional.

The team could not have done more to provide a wonderful stay or experience. The food and hospitality were both of a really high standard. Laikipia Wilderness is in a wonderful setting and the accommodation is sympathetic to the environment and also offers a wonderful position.

Every game drive was immensely enjoyable and the guides, trackers and camp staff are all passionate about the guest experience. A beautiful and exciting location with amazing opportunities." See all these reviews: 17n in Kenya

"We were very fortunate to see Giza twice and also the wild dogs so I can't complain on that score!

Otherwise the camp is pretty basic, and our vehicle had no windshield or side curtains so several of our drives were just cold and soaked, even the guide was soaked.

There isn't a lot of other wildlife other than loads of dik dik so anyone going there should be prepared for that." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya