Rhinos, chimps and snow on the equator

The first thing you notice in Ol Pejeta is the quiet. Then the mountain, its jagged peaks floating above the plains on a clear morning.

Ol Pejeta Conservancy covers about 360 square kilometres of the Laikipia Plateau, between the Aberdares and Mount Kenya. It is one of the best places in Kenya to see rhinos, and home to the last two northern white rhinos on Earth, Najin and her daughter Fatu.

It is also an easy place to love on a short trip. The roads inside are good, the plains are open, and the big animals are rarely far from the track.

What to do in two days

Arrive for an afternoon game drive, then spend a full day on the plains and at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, the only place in Kenya to see chimps. Stop at the equator sign in Nanyuki on the way in.

Day 1. Leave Nairobi after breakfast and you will be in Nanyuki for lunch. Take a photo at the equator, then drive the last stretch to the conservancy for a late afternoon game drive, when the light turns gold and the animals come out to graze.

Day 2. Start early, with the mountain at its clearest. Spend the morning looking for rhinos, lions and elephants, visit the chimpanzees around midday, and save the late afternoon for a guided rhino visit or a slow drive back to camp.

When to go

Ol Pejeta is good all year. The dry months, January to February and late June to October, are the easiest for game drives, with animals gathering near water and the mountain often clear. The long rains in April and May turn the plains green and the roads muddy, but the camps are quieter.

Getting there from Nairobi

The drive is about 220 km on good tarmac, north through Thika, Karatina and Nanyuki. Allow three and a half hours, a little more if you leave in the morning rush. Going by car means you can stop at the equator, pick up lunch in Nanyuki and arrive in time for an afternoon drive.