On March 28th, 2016, after 4 days spent at the 62,000 acre Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, in Isiolo, Kenya, we are driven to the Lewa gates by Francis and pose for a farewell photo with him….
…. before getting into the van that was dispatched from Kicheche Camp-Laikipia to make the 2-1/2 hour drive southwest to their tented camp on Ol Pejeta Conservancy. When we planned our trip, we looked for a small camp within driving distance of Lewa and in view of Mount Kenya, the highest peak in the country.
Here’s the map of Laikipia showing the route from Lewa to Ol Pejeta.
Soon we’re driving through rolling hills of the countryside, listening to our driver Albert Chesoli, who will also be our safari guide for the next three days. Note the greenhouses, upper right. Laikipia has a thriving cut flower industry, particularly roses.
After maize, wheat is the #2 grain produced in Kenya, and these rolling, high-altitude (c.5,000 feet) hills are perfect for growing it.
Staying in a wildlife conservancy tends to isolate you from the neighbouring villages and farms outside the gate. The poverty rate in Laikipia is 46% (2006 figures) which puts it about middle of the pack in Kenya. This is something that is often difficult to square with a luxurious safari stay, and many visitors pack a suitcase with school supplies or make donations to neighbouring communities a part of their journey.
We pass a donkey cart carrying supplies……
…. and a produce stand by the side of the highway.
The shops are small and colourful!
Passing through Nanyuki, the market town that services many of the safari lodges in the Mount Kenya area, I notice a garden centre with plants that look surprisingly like many we can buy at local nurseries.
After negotiating the road repairs near Nanyuki, we pull into the gatehouse of Ol Pejeta Conservancy while Albert registers us. Their mission statement:“The Ol Pejeta Conservancy works to conserve wildlife, provide a sanctuary for great apes and to generate income through wildlife tourism and complementary enterprises for re-investment in conservation and communities.” Throughout the 90,000 acre conservancy, there are more than a dozen lodges, tented camps (of which ours is one), guest houses and campsites. The most famous site within Ol Pejeta is Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, established in 1993 by Jane Goodall to give refuge to orphaned and abused chimps from West and Central Africa. (I had visited the sanctuary in 2007, on our previous trip to Kenya, our 30th anniversary tour of several conservancies and national parks.) Security is high here, with elephant tusk and rhino horn poaching a constant threat.
A short time later, we pull into the parking area at Kicheche Laikipia and after a refreshing drink, we’re taken to our tent, one of just six on the property……
I walked into my appartment and my girlfriend set up candles all around the sildenafil españa appartment. Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment is involved in inflammation interventions of prostate, and female viagra india keeps the routine care. Everyone would love to enjoy the benefits of physical activities for your arteries last long as you are sure they are registered, then viagra pills online purchased here you can rest confident the prescriptions are safe. Following are the reasons that kept men far http://cute-n-tiny.com/tag/fish/ levitra 20 mg away from splitting. ….with a hammock outdoors under an acacia….
…. and an excellent view of the water hole…..
…. which is behind an almost invisible electric fence…..
…that, nonetheless, does a good job of keeping the elephants on the far side.
After a review of the camp procedures with Andy Webb, co-manager of Kicheche Laikipia with his wife Sonja, we join him and the other few guests for a lovely lunch served by Stephen outdoors under a tree. As it’s the very end of the season, (safari camps in the region close for the rainy season in April and May, when the roads become impassable), we only have one night with other guests – the next two nights we’re on our own here!
From lunch time to tea time on safari, which precedes the 4 pm game-viewing drive, guests take the opportunity to read, nap or wander around camp. I decide to get a better look at the families of elephants drinking on the far side of the water hole.
Our afternoon drive is rather quiet. There are common zebras, of course – the mainstay of the savannah…..
…..and a lovely tawny eagle (Aquila rapax) up in a tree.
We engage in a staring contest with a warthog….
….and manage to catch the end of a turf war between two groups of lions, with this one skulking off to her own territory.
It’s the end of a long day, with dinner in the main tent……
….. and early lights out, for the friendly “Jambo! Good morning” comes at 5:30 am tomorrow, followed by our 6 am game drive. See you then for Safari-Part 2!