If you’re planning to go on a Kenya Safari, Ol Pejeta is one of the awesome places for calm getaways in Kenya. Located on the equator and at the foothills of Mt. Kenya, Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a private wildlife conservancy stretching 360sq km in Laikipia county. Its game-to-area ratio tops all Kenya safari park reserves.
Ol Pejeta was initially a cattle farm, but elephants kept moving through the fields and breaking down the fences making intensive cattle farming impracticable. The Conservancy is home to two world’s remaining northern white rhinos, and it also hosts the big five game animals( lion, buffalo, leopard, elephant, and white &black rhino).
Ol Pejeta is among East Africa’s protected areas for the endangered black rhinoceros and the only place in Kenya where you can find chimpanzees. The Conservancy is exclusively home to orphaned and abused chimpanzees from Central and West Africa.
Ol Pejeta Conservancy Entry Fee
1st January -30th June, 1st September-31st December
| Per Person Per Day | East Africa Citizen | East Africa Resident | Non-Residents |
| Adult | Ksh 1400 | Ksh 2600 | USD 90 |
| Child | Ksh 700 | Ksh 1300 | USD 45 |
| Students | Ksh350 | Ksh 650 | USD 22 |
Vehicle Entry
- Upto 6 seats-Ksh 600
- 7-14 seats- Ksh 1200
- 15 or more- Ksh10,000
1st July -31st and all public holidays
| Per Person Per Day | East Africa Citizen | East Africa Resident | Non-Resident |
| Adult | Ksh 2000 | Ksh 2600 | USD 90 |
| Child | Ksh 1000 | Ksh 1300 | USD 45 |
| Student | Ksh 500 | Ksh 650 | USD 22 |
Vehicle Entry
- Upto 6 seats- Ksh 600
- 7-14 seats- Ksh 1200
- 15 or more-Ksh 15000
Ol Pejeta is a Home to Endangered Species
Ol Pejeta conservancy leads in the Kenyan park and reserve league and is home to more than 10, 000 large mammals. The Conservancy is also the only wildlife park in Kenya where you can find the big five animals and chimpanzees.
Additionally, Ol Pejeta is popular for its range of rhinos. Visiting this reserve can allow you to see this species’s endangered members firsthand. The large drive-through area is the protected home to the two remaining northern white rhinos, which became functionally endangered subspecies of white rhinos in march 2018 when the last male northern white rhino died at Ol Pejeta.
Other endangered species include Jackson’s hartebeest, oryx, bat-eared fox, and Grevy’s zebra.
Find Out: 9 Cheap Taxi Apps In Kenya
Kenya’s Only Chimpanzees Sanctuary
In Kenya, Ol Pajeta is the only place where you can find chimpanzees. Sweetwaters chimpanzees sanctuary was founded in 1993 by the Jane Goodall Institute, Kenya Wildlife Service, and Ol Pejeta conservancy.
The sanctuary hosts around 40 rescued orphaned and abandoned chimpanzees from across Africa. The Conservancy has 24-hour veterinary care to support and nurse the chimpanzees back to good health. Once they recover, they are placed into one of the two sizeable groups that live in big natural enclosures.
Things to Do in Ol Pejeta Conservancy
The Ol Pejeta Conservancy offers a distinctive experience which emphasises what makes this lovely Kenyan region so amazing. If you’re considering visiting Ol Pejeta in the future, here are some unique activities you can only experience at Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
Lion Tracking
The most amazing activity you can enjoy in Ol Pejeta conservancy is lion tracking. You should never miss this because it’s such a thrilling wildlife experience you can have in this world.
Ol Pejeta conservancy is the highest predator densities in Kenya and lions are dominant in this group; hence lion tracking is the best safari that fits everyone. The lions here are fixed with radio collars, and you can easily track the collared lions using the receiver and get information about each lion.
All the data you gather goes directly to the ecological monitoring unit and will help you find the possible solutions to the challenges of the conservancy’s lions. Tourists enjoy the safari with the guides on how to conserve the lions and assist them in collecting the data required to monitor the lions while identifying different features such as ear tears and nose spots which is a great way to learn about the lions while spending time with them in the bush.
Canine Anti-poaching Unit Visit
Ol Pejeta conservancy has the most special safari activity- the canine anti-poaching dog unit safari. This is where dogs are imperative in anti-poaching efforts. Every dog in Ol Pejeta’s K9 unit is trained in a certain speciality, from attacking and detaining suspects, detecting ammunition and tracking the scent of a poacher.
After the informative tour about the dogs’ training to become anti-poaching patrollers, you may play a game of human-canine hide and seek, trying to dodge the canines and locating a place to hide within the Morani Information Center.
It’s a great and exciting way to interact with dogs; you also get some exercise, and the dogs do as well. This activity is unsuitable for kids below 12 years, and the visit to the unit is limited to 6 people per group.
Riding with Rhinos in the Endangered Species Enclosure.
At Ol Pejeta conservancy, you’ll get an opportunity to experience a morning or late-evening horse ride and a myriad of plains game within the Endangered Species Enclosure. The highlight of this activity, however, is meeting the two remaining northern white rhinos.
The two rhinos, Fatu and Najin, are offspring of Sudan, who rose to fame as the only living male northern white rhino in the world before passing away in March 2018.
In December 2009, Fatu, Najin, Sudan and Suni (another male northern white rhino) were brought from a zoo in the Czech Republic to Ol Pejeta conservancy with the hopes of saving the species from extinction. It was believed that the grassland and climate of Kenya’s Laikipia Region have better breeding conditions.
During this time, the four northern white rhinos were the last of seven alive, and all earlier breeding efforts in the zoo had been unsuccessful. Three years after the arrival to Ol Pejeta, Suni was seen mating with Najin, but there were no baby rhinos after 16 months.
Shortly later, a southern white male was introduced to Fatu and Naji in the hopes of producing offspring, but once again, the efforts were futile. Suni died in late 2014 due to natural causes, leaving Sudan as the only living northern male white rhino.
At this point subspecies’ future depends on the advancement of in vitro fertilization techniques and stem cell technology, which are complex and expensive procedures that have never been tried in rhinos.
Running With Rangers
If you enjoy the outdoors and exercise, running with the soldiers from the conservancy is the best way to kick off your day. Accompany them as they take on a 5-7kilometers run which follows relatively flat terrain.
During the run, you may get a chance to come across wildlife like elephants and rhinos. If you get tired, you may take a break while the rangers do their push-ups or get a ride with the truck trailing the group.
After running, you can join the rangers for a cup of coffee and learn more about their special work to keep wildlife safe. For this activity, the group numbers are limited to 6 people, and physical fitness is a requirement.
Junior Ranger Programme
If you’ve kids between 4 and 12 years, you should not worry about how to keep them entertained because Ol Pejeta conservancy has activities for all ages. Your children can become a ranger for the day by buying a Junior Ranger Pack.
The pack comprises a book filled with fun activities, stickers and colouring crayons. The children must work on all the activities completing the questions in the booklet as they venture through the conservancy.
After their adventure ends, the tourism team at the Morani Information Center will ask the kids to repeat the official ranger oath before issuing them a certificate, ranger hat and a pin to confirm their status as honorary rangers.
Bottom Line
Ol Pejeta is a prominent wildlife reserve crucial for conservation. It’s a wilderness area that’s comparatively uncrowded, home to an exceptionally diverse array of wildlife, including highly endangered and even functionally extinct species.
The above mentioned are just a few one-of-a-kind things you should know about this conservancy and activities you can enjoy while there.
