After about 3/4 hour we were at the entrance to the conservancy where we had to go and sign in. It turned out we had to agree to their T&Cs which thanks to a new system were only available online. Of course our phones were in the truck so the ranger tried to produce the relevant information without much success and being me, I was not prepared to agree to something and waive rights sight unseen. After much faffing around I went back to the truck, got our phones, connected to their wifi and all was done but I can't help thinking the process needs a bit of work.
Peter had already said that the equator bi-sected the conservancy and our first stop was to mark the exact line.
We also had a clear view of Mount Kenya, 5199m and the second highest in Africa after Mt Kili.
The eastern side of the conservancy is open to anyone, including self drive and school buses full of kids on educational days out, and as a consequence the animals are incredibly habituated to trucks and don't scatter as we've seen elsewhere.
We soon came upon this little family of White Rhino, which proceeded to cross the road in front of us but Dad was a bit slow so I didn't get all 3 together as I would have like.
What magnificent creatures they are, almost prehistoric in appearance.
Mum then headed to the waterhole for a drink.
But her little one went straight in for a wallow.
There's always one - this image would have been a certainty for my Arses of Africa book.
Long Tailed Glossy Starlings nest building, I loved the way the male produced bedding material and patiently waited for his mate to take it.
We then crossed over the small river which divides the east and west sides of the park, self drive and the general public aren't allowed on the west side - it's reserved for residents only.
Eventually we arrived at camp which certainly seems very remote. The Manager Louise was there to meet us, she'd worked for Kicheche for quite a few years and until recently shared the position with another chap but he'd been moved to the Mara Camp. It's been quiet lately at Laikipia and in fact there are only 2 other guests in camp and they leave tomorrow. There's also an America rep from Abercrombie & Kent doing a reccy but again she'll leave the day after.
Having been to a Kicheche camp we knew roughly what to expect for the accommodation and it didn't disappoint. There is a lake in front of the camp and all 6 tents have a view of sorts.
As lunch was ready, we quickly went through the camp formalities with Louise (dos and don'ts), dumped our hand luggage and headed back to the main area. Pre-covid meals were taken at a communal table on the lawn but sadly now it has to be individual tables and because the forecast is a bit iffy we've been set up inside a tent but still overlooking the waterhole.
The food was delicious, far too much of it, and once again beautifully presented but I didn't think to take pictures. We had a chat with the other guests; mother and daughter from Alaska (although Mum was New York born and bred but left just as soon as she could). They both seem quite widely travelled and of course Abigail (rep) is in the trade and was interested to know where else we'd been.
Phew, a couple of hour's downtime now for Ian whilst I back-up the morning's photos.