Ol Jogi Wildlife Conservancy

Ol Jogi Wildlife Conservancy has been held by the same family for more than forty years, run as a private reserve rather than a commercial park. It covers 58,000 acres of the Laikipia plateau, below the foothills of Mount Kenya, where granite kopjes rise from the grassland. Some of that rock is put to use: guests climb and scramble over formations dated to 800 million years old, with a chance of spotting striped hyena or leopard among the boulders. The conservancy runs its own wildlife rescue centre, opened in 1986 for animals orphaned or hurt by human activity, and a canine unit trained to track poachers without confrontation. Five suites make up the accommodation, each reached by a short walk from the main house. Simba and Mbogo have king beds, wood-burning fireplaces and two dressing rooms apiece; Tandala sleeps children in a pair of ship's bunk beds. Days are built around game drives and rhino tracking with professional guides, and there is horse riding across open plains for experienced riders. At night, local guides lead a star safari with a travelling telescope. It is a working conservancy as much as a private stay, with rangers, vets and around a thousand resident staff and their families living on site.