For visitors traveling from the UK and interested to explore beyond the famous Maasai Mara for a new experience, Laikipia serves as another great destination alternative. Laikipia is located at the northern plains and foothills of Mt Kenya and offers a completely different perspective of the Kenyan attractions. The destination is rich in wildlife and landscapes found in ranches, community conservancies and conservation areas.

Getting to Laikipia from the UK is quite easy with good planning and guiding. Destinations in Laikipia include Loisaba, Ol Pejeta, Lewa conservancy among others. The safari begins from one of the major airports in the United Kingdom, then an international flight to Nairobi, JKIA from where you can connect to Laikipia by road or by air through Wilson airport.

Here is how you can travel from the UK to Laikipia.

1. Flight from the United Kingdom to Nairobi

Travelers begin with an international flight from the UK to Kenya. Those who live in London can use the British Airways which operates from London, Heathrow to Nairobi JKIA. The whole flight journey takes about eight hours forty minutes. Alternatively, they can use the Kenya Airways which operate between London Heathrow and Gatwick.

Visitors from Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow can connect through London or any other major international airport depending on their itinerary and airline.

Other flight alternatives include Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Turkish Airlines, KLM or Emirates.

Irrespective of the airline chosen, the most important thing here is not finding the cheapest ticket but getting a flight that will fit in according to your itinerary.

2. Landing in JKIA

When international travelers arrive in Kenya, they land at JKIA, Nairobi. They undergo the Kenyan immigration procedures, clear customs and collect their luggage upon landing. The next stage depends on the client’s choice of transfer to Laikipia whether by road or air.

3. Choosing between Air or Road

Travelers can either fly or drive to Laikipia depending on their budget, safari style and the time set aside for the safari.

For visitors going by road, the journey begins at JKIA towards Northern Kenya through the highlands at central Kenya and may take about four hours to reach Nanyuki. Traveling by road is an adventure by itself as you will get to enjoy the scenic landscapes and attractions from the urban Kenya and across the countryside.

4. Flying to Laikipia

For travelers on luxury or on a limited time, flying to Laikipia is the most convenient option for them. From JKIA they proceed to Wilson airport through road transfer. At Wilson airport they can either board Safarilink or AirKenya airlines who operate scheduled flights to Laikipia destinations including Loisaba, Lewa and Nanyuki, a town which serves as the main getway to Laikipia.

5. Safari destinations in Laikipia

It is important for visitors to understand that Laikipia is not a single centre of attraction with one entrance gate. It has diverse tourist attraction centers and wildlife landscapes including conservancies such as Borana Conservancy, Loisaba Conservancy, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and Olpejeta among others all which have their own unique nature and experiences.

For this reason, it is important to book your accommodation near your area of interest.

6. What to Expect in Laikipia

Laikipia offers diverse tourist attractions such as wildlife including, leopards, lions, cheetahs, elephants, buffalo and other experiences including night drives, horseback experiences, camel activities and conservation activities.

Generally, a safari from the UK to Laikipia takes the following sequence

UK → Nairobi → JKIA → road transfer or Wilson Airport → Nanyuki or another Laikipia destination → safari camp → wildlife experiences.