Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy: one of the most special places in Africa!

[post last updated in March 2018]

Enter Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Ol Pejeta Conservancy is high profile wildlife sanctuary of significant importance to conservation. It is a relatively uncrowded wilderness area, home to an impressive variety of wildlife, including critically endangered and even functionally extinct species! 

The scenic Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a 90 000 acre (360 km²) non-profit wildlife conservancy located in the foothills of the Aberdare Mountain Range and Mount Kenya. It was established as a game ranch back in 1988 and transformed into a wildlife conservancy in 2004.

Claims to Fame - Ol Pejeta Conservancy Highlights

• Home to the last two northern white rhinos in the world. The northern white rhino became a functionally extinct subspecies of white rhino in March 2018, when the last male northern white rhino died at Ol Pejeta.

Last male northern white rhino by Ol Pejeta Conservancy

• East Africa's largest black rhino sanctuary

Black rhinos by Ol Pejeta Conservancy

• The only place in Kenya to view chimpanzees (Kenya's only chimpanzee sanctuary)

Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary by Laika ac

• Hosts some of the highest predator densities in Kenya

Ol Pejeta lions by kimvanderwaal

• A higher wildlife-to-area ratio than any other Kenyan national park

Ol Pejeta wildlife by Weldon Kennedy

• Home to the Big Five of Africa (elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo and leopard)

Ol Pejeta Big Five - elephant herd by Weldon Kennedy

Ol Pejeta buffalo by Weldon Kennedy

• One of only four private game conservancies founded in Kenya

Wildlife of Ol Pejeta

Ol Pejeta hosts more than 10000 large mammals and features an endangered species boma, home to rhino species, Grevy’s zebra and Jackson’s hartebeest.

Visits to the conservancy include access to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary opened in 1993 by Ol Pejeta Conservancy, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Jane Goodall Institute.

Ol Pejeta chimpanzee by Weldon Kennedy

Wild Animals at Ol Pejeta include:

• Black rhinos, southern white rhinos and functionally extinct northern white rhino (the last two northern white rhinos in the world).

Ol Pejeta Conservancy rhinos by Laika ac

• About 300 elephants - the Conservancy features wildlife corridors within its boundaries to enable movement between Ol Pejeta and the greater Laikipia/Samburu ecosystem.

Ol Pejeta elephants by kimvanderwaal

• Large predators - about 67 lions, 30 cheetahs, 20 leopards and 60 spotted hyenas, as well as a pack of African wild dogs.

Ol Pejeta cheetah by kimvanderwaal

• Smaller predators - black-backed jackal, serval, caracal and the bat-eared fox. 

Ol Pejeta jackal by Weldon Kennedy

• Hippo, giraffe, baboon, monkey, aardvark and ostrich.

Ol Pejeta giraffe by Weldon Kennedy

• Antelopes - Grant's gazelle, Thomson's gazelle, impala, Beisa oryx, waterbuck and eland.

Ol Pejeta antelopes by kimvanderwaal

• Over 300 species of birds.

Ol Pejeta birdlife by Weldon Kennedy

Conservation at Ol Pejeta Conservancy

This non-profit conservancy is at the forefront of wildlife conservation in Kenya, sheltering large numbers of rare and endangered species.

Ol Pejeta Conservancy aims to function as a financially self-sufficient entity that serves as a model of innovation in conservation and community outreach. The Conservancy strives to conserve wildlife in a way that creates tangible social benefits for local people of the region and nationwide. Ol Pejeta runs a wildlife tourism programme with a Conservation Education Centre and an integrated livestock production system, as a means of achieving its aims.

The Ol Pejeta Mission 

"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 community development. Working closely with the Government of Kenya, our conservation activities are carried out to the highest international standards."

Activities at Ol Pejeta Conservancy

• Game walks
• Horserides
• Camel rides
• Game drives
• Night drives

Ol Pejeta game drive by France structure Toulouse

Where on Earth is Ol Pejeta Conservancy?

Short answer: Central Kenya in East Africa.

Longer answer: Situated on the plains of the Laikipia Plateau, near Nanyuki town in the Laikipia District of Kenya. It lies 17 kilometres northeast of Lake Nakuru National Park and 217 kilometres north of Nairobi. Road transfers from Nairobi to Ol Pejeta Conservancy take about 2-3 hours. The conservancy lies on the equator.

16933987558 e45ffcd565 z by Weldon Kennedy

More on Ol Pejeta Conservancy

• Check out Ol Pejeta Conservancy on Facebook.
• See what people who have been there are saying about Ol Pejeta Conservancy on Tripadvisor. The reviews almost all rate the conservancy as excellent to very good.
• More about Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.

Ol Pejeta zebras by kimvanderwaal

Go to Ol Pejeta on one of our affordable Kenya Safaris:

• 5-day Fly & Drive Amboseli & Ol Pejeta Safari
• 6-day Kenya Great Rift Valley & Mara Lodge Safari
• 8-day Budget Kenya Family Safari

For more safari options that visit Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya contact us.