Ol Pejeta Conservancy — Where the Last Northern White Rhinos Live
Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a privately managed wildlife conservancy covering 360 square kilometres in the Laikipia Plateau of central Kenya, about three hours north of Nairobi. It is best known for one fact that has received more media coverage than almost any wildlife story in recent memory: it is home to the last two northern white rhinoceroses on earth. Najin and Fatu, a mother and daughter, live under 24-hour armed guard in a section of the conservancy. The northern white rhino is functionally extinct in the wild — these two animals are the species. It is a sobering encounter, and a significant one.
The Northern White Rhinos
Both Najin and Fatu are female and neither is capable of carrying a pregnancy to term due to age and health conditions. The only hope for the subspecies is through a laboratory IVF programme using frozen genetic material from deceased northern white rhinos, with southern white rhino females as surrogate mothers. The science is genuinely experimental, and whether it succeeds remains uncertain. Visiting them at Ol Pejeta is not a wildlife spectacle — they are calm, accustomed to visitors, and will approach vehicles at feeding time — but the knowledge of what they represent gives the encounter a weight that most wildlife sightings do not carry.
Ol Pejeta’s Wider Wildlife
Beyond the northern whites, Ol Pejeta has a substantial population of black rhinos — one of the largest in East Africa — as well as lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, hippo, and a wide range of antelope species. The conservancy also runs the only chimpanzee sanctuary in East Africa that houses chimps in a natural open environment — animals rescued from the bushmeat and pet trade across Central and West Africa, living in a forested section of the conservancy. It is not a primate tracking experience in the way that Kibale or Bwindi is, but it is an interesting addition to a Laikipia visit.
Who Should Visit Ol Pejeta
Ol Pejeta works well for conservation-minded travellers, for those with a specific interest in rhinos, and for families — the conservancy’s educational programmes are thoughtfully designed for younger visitors. It is less suited to the visitor whose primary goal is the Big Five in a dramatic wilderness setting, though the wildlife is genuinely excellent. Most visitors combine Ol Pejeta with Samburu on a northern Kenya circuit, or use it as a stop between Nairobi and the north. Ask us about building it into your itinerary.