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Laikipia Wilderness
Laikipia Wilderness
Laikipia Wilderness
Laikipia Wilderness
Laikipia Wilderness
Laikipia Wilderness
Laikipia Wilderness
Laikipia Wilderness

Reviews of Laikipia Wilderness

Wildlife sightings and reviews

39 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Laikipia Wilderness and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Dec-2018, 27 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Laikipia Wilderness.
Lion

57% success

Leopard

92% success

Cheetah

9% success

Wild dog

44% success

Elephant

100% success

Giraffe

100% success

Hippo

100% success

Zebra

100% success

Spotted Hyena

75% success

Buffalo

71% success

Eland

65% success

Striped Hyena

46% success

Aardvark

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Showing 1-10 of 39
Duration
Arrival date
LN
Suffolk

"Laikipia Wilderness review"

6 nights Arrived 24 Oct 2024
"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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs C
Nailsworth

"Laikipia Wilderness review"

3 nights Arrived 28 Sep 2024
"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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average

Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Average
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Average
Sightings Report

Cheetah

1 sighting

Eland

1 sighting

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Hippo

1 sighting

Leopard

3 sightings

Lion

1 sighting

Spotted Hyena

4 sightings

Striped Hyena

2 sightings

Wild dog

1 sighting

Zebra

10 sightings

Mr & Mrs E
Glos.

"A friendly rustic camp."

5 nights Arrived 15 Sep 2024
"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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Food:
Average
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Sightings Report

Elephant

2 sightings

Giraffe

3 sightings

Hippo

2 sightings

Leopard

2 sightings

Lion

2 sightings

Zebra

2 sightings

J and R
Bedford

"Laikipia Wilderness review"

4 nights Arrived 15 Jul 2024
"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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Sightings Report

Buffalo

1 sighting

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

1 sighting

Leopard

1 sighting

Lion

1 sighting

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

Striped Hyena

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Mr & Mrs K from
Wales

"Laikipia Wilderness review"

3 nights Arrived 19 Feb 2024
"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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Poor

Location:
Good
Service:
Poor
Activities:
Poor
Rooms:
Average
Food:
Average
Facilities:
Average
Sightings Report

Buffalo

2 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

6 sightings

Hippo

3 sightings

Leopard

2 sightings

Lion

3 sightings

Spotted Hyena

1 sighting

Zebra

2 sightings

Dr W & Dr D
Leeds

"Laikipia Wilderness review"

5 nights Arrived 20 Jan 2024
"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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Sightings Report

Buffalo

1 sighting

Eland

3 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Hippo

4 sightings

Leopard

8 sightings

Lion

1 sighting

Striped Hyena

3 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Mr & Mrs P
Norfolk

"Laikipia Wilderness review"

6 nights Arrived 18 Jan 2024
"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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Buffalo

2 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Hippo

6 sightings

Leopard

9 sightings

Lion

2 sightings

Spotted Hyena

8 sightings

Striped Hyena

2 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Nick_H
Herts

"Laikipia Wilderness review"

4 nights Arrived 19 Dec 2023
"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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Buffalo

1 sighting

Eland

2 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Hippo

7 sightings

Leopard

5 sightings

Spotted Hyena

3 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Mr BG
Newport Coast

"Laikipia Wilderness review"

3 nights Arrived 19 Nov 2023
"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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Average
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Average
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Average
Sightings Report

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Wild dog

1 sighting

Mr & Mrs B
Yorkshire

"Laikipia Wilderness review"

5 nights Arrived 17 Oct 2023
"We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Laikipia. The staff were extremely helpful and kind. Accessibility was as good as it could be given the location.

The food was good, plenty for us but a bit short for hungry young men particularly in the meat department!

Game drives were good.

Whilst the weather did impact things we feel that extra activities e.g. game walks etc could have been more forthcoming." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Sightings Report

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Hippo

2 sightings

Leopard

4 sightings

Lion

2 sightings

Spotted Hyena

10 sightings

Striped Hyena

2 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Showing 1-10 of 39
93%
39 reviews of Laikipia Wilderness by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
29
7
2
1
0
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