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An exhilarating safari across the rugged Laikipia plateau is a perfect contrast to the lazy days that follow on the Indian Ocean island of Lamu. |
Farmers turned gamekeepers. From the cabin of a Cessna the immense landscape north of Mount Kenya looks like pristine wilderness. But much of the lonely Laikipia plateau is grazed by livestock – cattle, sheep and goats who co-exist with lion, leopard and hyena.
Kenya’s northern ranchers, who include the Laikipia Maasai, have turned to conservation to sustain their way of life, and this rugged region is now one of the most exclusive safari destinations in East Africa.
At Wilderness Trails, the delightful homestead at the heart of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, our hosts at dinner are two handsome young men wearing scarlet shukas and elaborate beadwork. Their courteous conversation would ornament any dining room in Europe, but occasionally the table talk turns a touch surreal. ‘You’re not married?’ I remark to Kitonga, who has been telling me he walks the 40 miles to his Maasai village in an afternoon. ‘Marriage is expensive,’ he says gravely. ‘I would need at least 10 cattle for the bride-gift.’ And I’m suddenly reminded that our hosts belong to a culture so different that we must seem as exotic to them as they do to us.
If you’re cash-rich but time-poor (or have merely saved for a special occasion) how do you sample something of Kenya’s breathtaking interior and voluptuous coast in seven days? How do you avoid the minibus safaris and package hotels of the popular game parks and beaches? The Laikipia plateau and the offshore island of Lamu, where we exchange safari dust for trade winds, are destinations in a class of their own.
Kenya’s well-organised network of scheduled and charter flights make both remote areas comfortably accessible. We leave Edinburgh on an afternoon flight for our Heathrow connection to Nairobi, and by nine o’ clock the next morning we’re inspecting Grevy’s zebras on the drive from Lewa’s airstrip to our cottage at Wilderness Trails. Grevy’s zebras are among the rare or endangered species of wildlife established on Will and Emma Craig’s 18,000 hectare ranch, which is now managed by a non-profit-making trust specialising in conservation.
Wilderness Trails is the Craig family home, shared with eight guest cottages in a huge, flower-filled garden above a gorge. Perfect leopard territory. Between early morning horse rides and late afternoon game drives we look for leopard the lazy way: hanging on the lip of the infinity pool or lounging on our terrace, which has stupendous views and a resident pair of hornbill. But the secretive cat keeps its distance, ‘although it’s quite possible,’ the Craigs tell us, ‘to see the Big Five in one day at Lewa.’
The conservancy has them all: lion, leopard, elephant,
