Home · Destinations · Kenya
Loisaba Conservancy
A vast Laikipia wilderness of star-beds, elephant corridors and returning black rhino
- Type
- Private conservancy, Laikipia County
- Size
- ~58,000 acres (~235 km²)
- Altitude
- ~1,500–1,800 m
- Best for
- Exclusive luxury, star-beds, elephant & black rhino
- Setting
- Laikipia plateau, north of Mount Kenya
- Conservation
- Wildlife, livestock & community managed together
Loisaba is a private conservancy on the Laikipia plateau in northern Kenya, a great sweep of rolling acacia country, escarpment and open plain that rises towards Mount Kenya in the south and falls away towards the dry northern rangelands. It is wild, lightly visited land — measured in tens of thousands of acres rather than fenced game-park parcels — and that scale is the point: here you share the wilderness with very few other vehicles, and often with none at all.
What sets Loisaba apart is the way it is used. This is working rangeland as much as it is a wildlife sanctuary, a place where cattle, wildlife and tourism are managed together rather than walled off from one another. Loisaba sits within a wider mosaic of Laikipia conservancies and community lands that form one of the most important wildlife corridors in Kenya — particularly for elephant, which move through the conservancy on seasonal routes across the Laikipia–Samburu ecosystem, watered by the Ewaso Ng'iro and Ngare Narok rivers.
You come to Loisaba for space and for a different rhythm of safari. Game drives are unhurried and exclusive; you can also walk, ride, or sleep out under the stars on one of the conservancy's famous star-beds — wheeled four-poster beds rolled into the open air for a night beneath the Laikipia sky. It is luxury defined by wildness and privacy rather than crowds, and — since the return of eastern black rhino to a fenced sanctuary within the conservancy — it now adds rhino to a wildlife list once defined by elephant and the northern dry-country specials.
What you come here for
Sleeping under the stars
Loisaba's star-beds are wheeled, hand-built four-poster beds rolled out onto a raised deck so you can fall asleep under the open Laikipia sky and wake to the dawn over the plains.
Black rhino returned
In recent years eastern black rhino were brought back to Loisaba after around half a century's absence, into a large fenced sanctuary within the conservancy — a genuine conservation milestone you can now witness on a drive.
The elephant corridor
The conservancy sits on one of northern Kenya's key elephant movement routes, with herds passing through on seasonal paths across the Laikipia–Samburu ecosystem.
Safari on horseback and on foot
Because this is a private conservancy, you can leave the vehicle behind entirely — track wildlife on foot with an armed guide, or ride out across the plains among grazing zebra and giraffe.
Exclusive, low-traffic wilderness
With low-density tourism across tens of thousands of acres, game drives here are genuinely private; it is common to spend a morning in the bush without seeing another vehicle.
The wildlife of Loisaba Conservancy
Elephant
The signature species — large herds move through on the conservancy's seasonal corridors, one of the reasons Loisaba's land is so important to protect.
Black rhino
Eastern black rhino were reintroduced to a fenced sanctuary within the conservancy after decades away, re-establishing a breeding population in northern Laikipia.
Reticulated giraffe
The elegant, sharply patterned northern giraffe of Laikipia and Samburu, seen browsing the acacia across the plains.
Grevy's zebra
The larger, narrow-striped, endangered zebra of northern Kenya occurs here alongside the common plains zebra — Laikipia is one of its strongholds.
Lion
Resident prides range across the conservancy; predator movements here are studied as part of long-running carnivore conservation in Laikipia.
Leopard & cheetah
Both cats are present — leopard in the rockier, wooded ground, cheetah out on the open plains.
African wild dog
Laikipia is one of the better regions in Kenya for this rare, wide-ranging predator, which moves through the wider landscape's corridors.
Beisa oryx & gerenuk
Dry-country specials of the north, including the long-necked, browsing gerenuk, give Loisaba a wildlife list distinct from the southern parks.
Ways to experience the park
Game drives
Unhurried morning, afternoon and full-day drives across open plain and escarpment, with the freedom of a private conservancy and very few other vehicles.
Star-bed nights
Sleep out under the Laikipia sky on a wheeled four-poster star-bed — a private deck, a wash of stars, and the sounds of the bush at night.
Walking safaris
Track wildlife on foot with an armed local guide, reading the smaller signs of the bush that you miss from a vehicle — only possible on private conservancy land like this.
Horseback safari
Ride out across the plains among zebra, giraffe and antelope; horseback lets you move quietly and get unusually close to grazing game.
Night drives & sundowners
After dark, spotlit drives turn up nocturnal animals not seen by day; at dusk, a drink on the escarpment looks out towards Mount Kenya.
Conservation & community visits
See how wildlife, livestock and people are managed together on a working conservancy, learn about the returning rhino, and meet some of the communities whose land underpins the corridor.
The best months, and the weather right now
Loisaba rewards a visit year-round, but the dry months of June to October and January to February give the easiest game viewing, with wildlife concentrating around water and good road conditions. The green seasons that follow the rains — roughly April to May and November — bring lush country, newborn animals, excellent birding and the quietest time to have this vast conservancy almost to yourself. As high, open ground, Laikipia stays comfortable in temperature through much of the year.
Indicative pattern for Kenya's safari circuit. The long rains (around March–May) and short rains (around November) shift year to year.
Loisaba lies on the Laikipia plateau north-west of Nanyuki, reached by a road transfer from Nairobi (a long but scenic drive of several hours past Mount Kenya), or — far quicker — by a short scheduled or chartered light-aircraft flight from Nairobi's Wilson Airport to the conservancy's own airstrip. Flying in is the usual choice and combines easily with Samburu to the north-east or with Ol Pejeta and Lewa to the south on the same northern-Kenya circuit.
Camps and lodges
Loisaba's accommodation is firmly at the luxury end and built around exclusivity: a small number of high-end lodges and tented camps spread across a huge area, plus the conservancy's signature open-air star-beds for a night sleeping out under the sky. Options run from a refined main lodge with sweeping plateau views to intimate tented and private-house style camps suited to families or sole-use bookings. Wildtouch matches the property and the journey to what you want — a classic luxury lodge base, a more adventurous star-bed night, or a private camp for an exclusive family or honeymoon stay.
Where Wildtouch puts you in Loisaba Conservancy
Hand-picked places, from honest-value comfort to the region's finest. Every stay is quoted as part of your safari — never a fixed nightly rate.
Loisaba Star Beds
Sleep in a handcrafted four-poster rolled into the open air beneath the night sky, overlooking a permanent waterhole frequented by resident wildlife — one of Kenya's original star-bed experiences.
View this lodge →LuxuryLoisaba Tented Camp
Twelve airy, contemporary tents on an escarpment with sweeping views across Laikipia to Mount Kenya, at the heart of a major wildlife corridor.
View this lodge →LuxuryLoisaba Lodo Springs
An intimate, design-led eight-tent camp where every room has a private plunge pool and a dedicated guest host, on a wildlife-rich conservancy.
View this lodge →Protecting Loisaba Conservancy
Loisaba's real story is its model of conservation. Rather than fencing wildlife away from people and livestock, the conservancy manages all three together: cattle are grazed in ways designed to keep the rangeland healthy, while the land stays open for wildlife to move freely. That openness matters far beyond Loisaba's own boundaries — the conservancy is a critical link in a wider network of Laikipia and Samburu conservancies and community lands, forming one of Kenya's most important elephant and predator corridors between Mount Kenya and the northern rangelands. In recent years that conservation work reached a milestone with the return of eastern black rhino to a dedicated sanctuary within the conservancy, around half a century after they were last seen here. Tourism, livestock and community partnerships fund the rangers, the research and the schools and clinics that give neighbouring communities a direct stake in keeping this land wild. Choosing Loisaba puts your visit to work protecting that corridor.
Parks that pair well with Loisaba Conservancy
Questions about Loisaba Conservancy
- What is a star-bed at Loisaba?
- A star-bed is a hand-built, wheeled four-poster bed that can be rolled out from under cover onto an open deck, so you sleep in the open air under the Laikipia night sky. It is one of Loisaba's signature experiences — comfortable and private, with the sounds of the bush around you and the stars overhead.
- How does Loisaba compare to a national park or reserve?
- Loisaba is a private conservancy, not a public park, so tourism is low-density and exclusive — you rarely share sightings with other vehicles, and activities forbidden in national parks, such as walking, horse riding and night drives, are all possible here. The trade-off is that it is a wilder, more dispersed wildlife experience rather than the dense big-cat plains of, say, the Maasai Mara.
- Can I see rhino at Loisaba?
- Yes — and this is recent news. Eastern black rhino were reintroduced to a fenced sanctuary within the conservancy after decades of absence, re-establishing a breeding population in northern Laikipia. Loisaba is still best known for its elephant, predators and northern dry-country specials, and it pairs naturally with nearby Ol Pejeta and Lewa to the south, both long-established rhino strongholds, on a classic northern-Kenya circuit.
- How many nights should I spend at Loisaba?
- Two to three nights lets you settle into the conservancy's slower rhythm — a mix of game drives, a walk or ride, and a night under the stars — without rushing. Many travellers fold it into a longer northern circuit alongside Samburu, Ol Pejeta or Lewa.
- Is Loisaba suitable for families?
- Yes. The exclusivity of a private conservancy suits families well, with private camps and sole-use options, flexible activities and the novelty of star-beds. Wildtouch will match the right property and tailor the activities to the ages and energy of your group.
Build Loisaba Conservancy into your safari
Sketch a route around it with the Wildtouch Safari Designer, then hand your plan to Jacob to make real.