Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya's Laikipia highlands is the only place on earth where you can stand beside the last two northern white rhinos, the mother Najin and her daughter Fatu. It is also the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa, the home of Kenya's only chimpanzee sanctuary and a working conservancy that lets you track lions, go on night drives and walk with rangers. This guide explains what Ol Pejeta is, how you meet the northern white rhinos, what the rescue programme has achieved so far, what the entry fees are, what else you can do, where to stay, how to get there and how to fit it into a safari. People search for it as Ol Pejeta, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Ol Pejeta northern white rhino, visit the last northern white rhinos, Najin and Fatu, Ol Pejeta entry fee, Sweetwaters chimpanzee sanctuary and Ol Pejeta day trip from Nairobi. The figures are those published by the conservancy and its partners in 2026.
Quick answer
Ol Pejeta is a 360 square kilometre not-for-profit conservancy in Laikipia County where visitors can meet the last two northern white rhinos, Najin and Fatu, on a ranger-led visit of about an hour, offered between 08:30 and 16:00. Entry for a non-resident adult is USD 110 a day, USD 55 for a child aged 3 to 11 and USD 32 for a student, and the northern white rhino visit is booked separately.
Ol Pejeta also holds over 165 black rhinos, the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, and offers night drives, lion tracking and walks. It lies about 200 kilometres from Nairobi, and most visitors stay at least one night.
Ol Pejeta at a glance
| Item | What to know |
|---|---|
| Size | About 360 km2, or 90,000 acres |
| Location | Laikipia County, near Nanyuki, central Kenya |
| Famous for | The last two northern white rhinos, Najin and Fatu |
| Black rhinos | Over 165, in the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa |
| Chimpanzees | Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, the only one in Kenya |
| Non-resident entry | Adult USD 110, child 3 to 11 USD 55, student USD 32, under 3 free |
| Rhino visit | Ranger-led, about an hour, 08:30 to 16:00, groups of up to 12 |
| Night drives | 7 to 9pm and 9 to 11pm |
| Distance from Nairobi | About 200 km each way |
| Best for | Rhinos, chimpanzees, conservation, families |
Chapter 01: What is Ol Pejeta Conservancy?
Ol Pejeta is a not-for-profit wildlife conservancy of about 360 square kilometres, or 90,000 acres, in Laikipia County, with views of Mount Kenya. It began on land set aside by a working cattle ranch in 1988 and now combines conservation, tourism and livestock, with Boran cattle grazing alongside wildlife. The money visitors pay goes to the conservancy's work protecting rhinos and other species.
It is a conservancy, not a national park, so it controls its own vehicle numbers and runs activities that a national park does not, such as night drives and walking with rangers. Our Laikipia guide places Ol Pejeta in the wider region.
Chapter 02: Who are the last northern white rhinos?
Najin and her daughter Fatu are the last two northern white rhinos on earth, both female. They were moved to Kenya from the Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic in 2009. The last male, Sudan, died of age-related complications in 2018. Najin and Fatu live in a fenced, guarded enclosure of about 700 acres, protected around the clock by armed keepers.
With no male alive, the subspecies cannot breed naturally, and its survival depends on assisted reproduction. Ol Pejeta's own pages in October 2026 still invite visitors to meet the last two northern white rhinos. That makes a visit a rare chance to see a subspecies on the edge of extinction and to support the work that may save it.
Chapter 03: How do you meet the northern white rhinos?
The experience is a ranger-led visit of about an hour, usually part of a morning or afternoon game drive, between 08:30 and 16:00. Keepers walk with the rhinos at all times. Depending on the circumstances, you may get out of the vehicle and feed the animals carrots, or you may need to stay in the vehicle. Groups are limited to twelve people, and there is no age restriction, but children must be kept under control.
The visit is booked separately from entry. Ol Pejeta sells it directly through its booking site, other operators add it to their itineraries, and day tours from Nairobi include it. We include it in your quotation when you stay with us, and the price appears there.
Chapter 04: What is the rescue programme doing?
The BioRescue consortium is working to bring the northern white rhino back using in-vitro fertilisation. Eggs from Fatu have produced embryos, and the embryos are transferred into southern white rhino surrogates at Ol Pejeta. In the second half of 2025, three embryo transfers were made, and none of them led to a long-term pregnancy. By April 2026 the consortium had carried out six embryo transfers in all, and two more southern white females had been added as possible surrogates.
As of the latest BioRescue update, dated April 2026, no pregnancy and no birth had been announced. The work is slow and uncertain, which is why meeting Najin and Fatu is both a privilege and a reason to support the programme. Check the BioRescue website for the latest news before you travel.
Chapter 05: What is the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary?
Sweetwaters is a sanctuary for rescued chimpanzees within Ol Pejeta, and it is the only place in Kenya where you can see them, because chimpanzees are not native to Kenya. Viewing is included in your entry fee, and the "Meet the Chimpanzees" sessions run from 8.30am to 12.30pm and from 2pm to 4.30pm. A "behind the scenes" experience can be booked in addition.
If you want to see wild chimpanzees, you need to travel to Uganda or Tanzania. Our Kibale chimpanzee guide covers the Ugandan option.
Chapter 06: What else can you do at Ol Pejeta?
The conservancy offers a wide range of activities, each booked separately: all-day game drives from 7am to 7pm, night drives from 7 to 9pm and 9 to 11pm, tracking radio-collared lions with a tracker, tracking with the conservancy's bloodhounds in the canine unit, a guided bush or bird walk, rhino monitoring and identification, a run with rangers over five to seven kilometres, conservation talks that need booking three days ahead and a look at how livestock and wildlife share the land.
Night drives and walks are available because Ol Pejeta is a private conservancy, and they are not allowed in Kenya's national reserves. Our night drives and walking safaris guide explains the difference.
Chapter 07: What are the entry fees?
For non-residents, entry is USD 110 for an adult, USD 55 for a child aged 3 to 11 and USD 32 for a student, and children under 3 enter free. East African citizens pay KSh 2,000 for an adult, KSh 1,000 for a child and KSh 500 for a student, and East African residents pay KSh 3,500, KSh 1,750 and KSh 500.
Vehicles pay an entry fee too: KSh 1,000 for up to six seats, KSh 5,000 for seven to fourteen seats and KSh 12,000 for fifteen or more. Entry is single-entry, so re-entry needs a new fee, and the conservancy's online booking system handles the payment. Driving is not allowed after 7pm, except on night drives, and the speed limit is 40 kilometres an hour. If you book through an accommodation provider, check whether entry is included. Our quotation shows the entry fee, the rhino visit and the activities separately.
Chapter 08: Where can you stay?
Ol Pejeta's accommodation partners include Sweetwaters Serena Camp, with en-suite rooms and a pool, Porini Rhino Camp, with eight tents and a wildlife hide, Sanctuary Tambarare, with ten tents, Kicheche Laikipia, with six tents in the wilderness zone, Mutara Camp, the only accommodation in the neighbouring 20,000-acre Mutara Conservancy, Ol Pejeta Bush Camp, Ol Pejeta Safari Cottages and River Camp. Rates vary by camp and season, and the written quotation shows the price for your dates.
Chapter 09: How do you get there?
Ol Pejeta is about 200 kilometres from Nairobi, near the town of Nanyuki, and most visitors drive for around half a day or fly to a nearby airstrip with a small aircraft. Day tours from Nairobi leave very early, and a day trip is possible but long and rushed, with a full day on the road for a few hours at the conservancy.
An overnight stay changes the experience, because you can visit the rhinos in the morning, track lions in the afternoon and take a night drive. Our how many days guide shows where it fits in a longer trip.
Chapter 10: When is the best time to visit?
The conservancy is open throughout the year, and the rhinos and chimpanzees can be seen in any month. The dry months, June to October and January to February, make driving easiest, while April and May bring the long rains, when tracks slow down. Our best time to visit Kenya guide gives the calendar.
Chapter 11: How does Ol Pejeta fit into a safari?
Many travellers combine Ol Pejeta with the Mara. A typical route runs from Nairobi to Laikipia for two nights, then flies to the Mara for three. Others add Samburu, which lies further north. Our Samburu and Laikipia wilderness safari and our Kenya safari packages guide show how.
Chapter 12: How does it compare with other places to see rhinos?
Ol Pejeta is the only place to see northern white rhinos, and it also has Kenya's largest black rhino population. For black rhino, other conservancies such as Lewa and parks such as Lake Nakuru and Nairobi National Park also offer sightings. Our Kenya Big Five guide and rhino tracking guide compare the options.
Chapter 13: Is Ol Pejeta good for families?
Yes. Children aged 3 to 11 pay a reduced fee, there is no age restriction on the rhino visit and the chimpanzees appeal to children. Children must be kept under control near the rhinos. Our Kenya family safaris guide covers age limits at camps.
Chapter 14: How should you behave around the rhinos?
Follow the keepers, keep your voice low, do not approach beyond the distance they set, do not touch the animals unless a keeper invites you to feed them and keep children close. The rhinos are protected animals in a delicate situation, and the keepers' instructions are for their safety and yours.
Chapter 15: What mistakes do visitors make?
Trying to do Ol Pejeta as a long day trip, assuming the rhino visit is included in the entry fee, arriving without checking the booking time, expecting wild chimpanzees at the sanctuary, ignoring the rainy-season tracks and forgetting to book night drives and lion tracking in advance.
Chapter 16: What is the verdict?
Ol Pejeta is worth a night or two for the chance to meet the last two northern white rhinos, for the black rhinos and chimpanzees and for the activities that a national park does not allow. Book the rhino visit in advance, stay overnight and treat the experience as a contribution to a conservation effort that is still in progress.
Tell us your dates and how long you can spare, and we will send a written quotation with the entry, the rhino visit and the camp. See our Kenya destination page and tours such as our Samburu and Laikipia wilderness safari and our private conservancy safari.
Tell us your dates and the rest of your route, and we will reply within 24 hours with a written quotation that fits Ol Pejeta around the Mara, Samburu or Amboseli.
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