Ol Pejeta Conservancy is one of the unique destinations of Rhinos in Kenya where we really experienced face to face encounters with Extinct Northern White Rhinos and Black Rhinos in their natural habitat, which is only possible in few places in the world! We made our way close to the Rhino during our second trip to Ol Pejeta conservancy and believe us that was one of the lifetime moment we had in our life.
Planning your trip to Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Check out our blog on Amazing Ol Pejeta Accommodations at Serena Sweetwaters Tented Camp here. You can also book by visiting their website here.
Fascinated to visit Sweetwaters camp? Make sure you experience the Night Game Drive in Ol Pejeta by booking through Sweetwaters Lodge. Check our amazing experience here.
Want to visit Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Ol Pejeta? Check out our experience here.
When and how to reach Ol Pejeta Conservancy
There is no particular season of travelling Ol Pejeta and one can really visit throughout the year due to the very rare climatic change.
By road: You can directly drive to Ol Pejeta Serena sweet waters from Nairobi which would take around 3hrs. depending on traffic, by entering the Rongai gate towards the east end of Nanyuki town. Just turn on the GPS and you would be good to go.
(Note-make sure you are driving a 4wd car if you wish to go for self-game drive at Ol Pejeta)
By flight : Also you can take a direct flight from Wilson airport (flights operated by Air Kenya & Safari-link)which would land at Nanyuki airstrip from where it would take another 45min to reach. It is also possible to take a charter flight to Ol Pejeta’s airstrip if you are coming from any other wildlife conservancy.
Know about the White Rhinos and Black Rhinos at Ol Pejeta
Africa is famous for its wildlife and natural beauty and what could be a better place to experience some the endless safaris and adventure opportunities which Kenya offers. During our stay we stayed at Serena sweet waters which is inside the conservancy itself and did something crazy and extraordinary.
Ol Pejeta is a home for more than 100 African two horned black Rhinos and the last remaining northern white Rhinos. It’s possible to see many black Rhinos during the game drives within the conservancy itself. With the widespread of poaching and civil war the northern white Rhinos are almost in the verge of extinction. However, there are only last 2 northern white Rhinos left in the world, which are now only found at Ol Pejeta conservancy.
When we went to meet those gorgeous giants our guide narrated in brief that in the year 2009 four of the seven last remaining white Rhinos were brought here from Czech Republic. Earlier all the scientific breeding attempts failed and later the remaining Rhinos were transferred to Ol Pejeta with a hope they might see better results of further breeding being in their native habitat with rich grasslands and favorable climatic conditions.
Our experience with Rhinos at – Ol Pejeta
We drove our 4wd car from Nairobi throughout the game drive in Ol Pejeta . From Serena sweet waters it took us around 15-20 min to reach the barricaded area of Morani where the black blind Rhino is kept and taken care of. Our guide accompanied us all the time, as we walked on the soil trail for 5min and saw Baraka (the blind black rhino) standing quietly at a distance. When the guide made a whitelisting sound he came closer in search of food and some affection. He is the friendliest & lovable one there, the guide mentioned.
We wished to feed Baraka and make some physical contact, as he was harmless. The guide provided us with some leaves and we moved forward. We were saddened to see Baraka not in a good shape as his health might have deteriorated. Also our guide mentioned he went blind during a fight between him and other wild bulls while he was defending his territory. The Rhino sanctuary remain open from 7am- 7pm and its free for public access (entry charges includes in park fee itself).
Getting close to Last Remaining Northern White Rhinos
Moving further we were on our nerves to go for the real and deadly fun. Our guide sat in the back-seat of our car while we drove towards the gate of northern white Rhinos. We were not allowed to enter the gate without a valid identification at the gate. So make sure not to forget one. As we entered, our heart raced in actual. While our guide came out of the car we were asked to remain seated. In no time we were surrounded with those gigantic and extinct species. It was so exciting and thrilling to see them so close. Even once or twice they banged on the car for food.
There was a time we saw one huge horn which almost came midway near the window, as the head was pretty big to get inside, and that gave us chills while we quickly closed the windows in fear ha-ha. But trust us these Rhinos are absolutely harmless unless provoked, as now they mostly spend time with human contact and not in to the wild. We had one of the best evening interacting with the last remains feeding carrots and touching their rough and huge horns whenever we could keeping our fear aside.
Hope you would definitely like to see and interact with those amazing creatures in real before they become history.
Thanks.
