Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Wildlife conservancy in Laikipia County, Kenya

Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a protected area in Laikipia County, Kenya, lying between Mount Kenya and the Aberdares. The reserve covers savannah, grassland and patches of forest where lions, elephants, leopards, buffalo and rhinos roam.

The Laikipia Plateau was used for cattle ranching during the colonial era. John and Jane Kenyon took over management of Ol Pejeta in 1949 under Lord Delamere, expanding the 230 km2 ranch into a 360 km2 beef operation. In 1988 the Sweetwaters Game Reserve opened as a black rhino sanctuary, and in 2004 Fauna and Flora International bought the land with a $15 million Arcus Foundation donation, converting it into a conservation trust.

The name Ol Pejeta comes from the Samburu language and means 'place of burning', referring to local farmers setting fire to grazing scrub to rid the land of ticks. The Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, opened in 1993, is the only place in Kenya where chimpanzees can be seen; it took in chimps from a rescue centre in Burundi closed by the civil war and now gives lifelong refuge to orphans and abused animals.

Travelers reach the reserve by road in about four hours from Nairobi or by air to nearby airstrips. Lodges within the grounds offer places to stay during your visit.

The reserve holds the last two northern white rhinos left anywhere on the planet under constant watch. It also protects the largest population of black rhinos in East Africa with dozens of breeding animals.