Kenya - Ol Pejeta Conservency Game Drive Part 1

Through the bedroom window I awoke to the sight of a pair of Zebras in the bush opposite. They were quite shy and soon disappeared in the cover. Not to worry as i'm sure we would see plenty more as the day progressed.

A much needed restful sleep was followed by a breakfast cooked by our 'hired in Chef John'. He had also cooked us some very tasty steaks the night before as well.

We set off slightly later than planned, making the short trip to 'the other side of the fence'. The other side being where all the big game was located. Lying just a few kilometres  west of Nanyuki, and Northwest of Mount Kenya in the Laikipia district lies Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Formerly a cattle ranch it is mostly rolling grassland Acacia thicket. It has the highest densities of wildlife in Kenya outside of the Maasai Mara.

Southern White Rhino x2

 It all seemed a bit too simple really ? We paid our entrance fee and off we went in our small 4 wheel drive vehicle. Free to explore the 360 km² of open space and whatever may occupy it . The only advice given was to stay in the vehicle and to keep the windows up.

Amazingly our first 'real' sighting was of a pair of Southern White Rhino Rhino. One of which was absolutely huge, and I mean huge.


Ol Pejeta is home to two of the world’s last remaining northern white rhinos, and a sanctuary for over 110 critically endangered black rhinos.(The largest in East Africa).Years of widespread poaching and civil war in their home range have devastated northern white rhino populations, and they are now considered to be extinct in the wild. Ol Pejeta conservancy has 30 southern whites. Whilst the Southern White Rhino prefers the open grass plains, the Black Rhino is smaller, shy and solitary and harder to spot .

Yellow-Necked Spur fowl.

2 passing Black-backed Jackals.

 Everywhere you look there is something to see, you really do need eyes in the back of your head. All the 'Big 5' are out there somewhere.





Rare animals that can be found on Ol Pejeta include the endangered African Wild Dog, Oryx, Cheetah and the Bat Eared Fox.

The more common African wildlife can, of course, be found here too, including, Giraffes, Vervet Monkeys,  Babboons, Hippos, Impala, Eland, Grants Gazelle , Dik-Dik, Plains Zebra, Silver backed Jackal and Hyena . There are also over 300 bird species on the Conservancy.

As expected it wasn't too long before we came across Zebras in vast numbers .

Mother with young Plains Zebra foal

 In fact they were more or less everywhere that we went.

The Plains Zebra , also known as the common Zebra  Burchell's Zebra and is the most common and geographically widespread species of Zebra.





We then came across one of the saddest sights you will ever see. The Rhino Graveyard or 'Where Fallen Giants Lay'.

I did actually get out of the car to pay my respects to these majestic beasts whose lives were tragically cut short in most cases.

'Where Fallen Giants Lay'

 A tombstone marking the final resting place of a 12-month pregnant rhino felled by poachers stands conspicuously amid many others.
Ishrini was 20 years old, on the verge of giving birth, when it fell victim to poaching on February 22, 2016.

The continued decline in rhino population size because of poaching led to the opening of the cemetery in 2004, in a move to raise awareness.

 The tombstones are a stark reminder of how illegal poaching is fast depleting the rhinos and of the devastation of the illegal wildlife trade.

I t felt safe getting out of the vehicle , as if time was standing still and this was sacred ground. Where the suffering is over and the aura of peace prevails . 

Rhino horns are made up primarily of keratin, a protein found in hair and fingernails, the misconception about rhino horn products continues to fuel the slaughter. It is of course to any right minded thinker totally barbaric as well as moronic. But there are those misguided enough to believe that powdered Rhino horn is some powerful elixir to cure illness.

Morani was the first rhino to be buried in the cemetery and was an ambassador in the conservancy, an icon used to raise awareness on the endangered species.

Also buried is Sudan, the last Northern White male in the world, who died On the 19th of March, 2018. He had been suffering from age-related health issues and from a series of infections. Once his condition worsened significantly and he was unable to stand up and evidently, suffered a great deal, the decision to euthanise him was made by his veterinary team.