Sweetwaters Game Reserve Day Trip

Sweetwaters Game Reserve Day Trip is an affordable full-day Big 5 safari that takes place in Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy, on the plains of the Laikipia Plateau, near Nanyuki town in the Laikipia District of Kenya.

Sweetwaters Game Reserve, also known as Ol Pejeta Conservancy, lies 17 km from Nanyuki town and 217 km north of Nairobi. Road transfers from Nairobi to Ol Pejeta Conservancy take about 3½ hours to 4 hours. The conservancy lies on the equator.

This Full-Day Ol Pejeta Conservancy Safari starts in Nairobi, where you are collected from your residence at 0430 hours and then drive straight to Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The drive of about 3½ hours brings us to the entrance of the game reserve.

Entering the park, we make our way, scanning for wildlife, birds, and other creatures. Ol Pejeta Conservancy is home to elephants, leopards, lions, buffalo, and rhinos. During the game drive, we pause to watch any exciting animal or bird sightings and take photographs.

You also visit the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, which opened in 1993 and was established by Ol Pejeta Conservancy, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), and the Jane Goodall Institute. This is the only place in Kenya where chimpanzees can be seen (the country’s only chimpanzee sanctuary).

Later, we stop to stretch our legs and enjoy a fresh coffee or tea at Morani’s Restaurant inside Ol Pejeta Conservancy.  After our coffee break, we pass several watering holes where animals often congregate to drink and bathe.

We have a delicious international-cuisine lunch at the Sweetwaters Serena Camp, with views of the waterhole. Then we make our way back through the conservation area, watching for wildlife along the way. We exit the park via the south gate later in the afternoon and return to Nairobi.

Back in the city, you can choose to be dropped off at one of Nairobi’s excellent restaurants or at your residence, bringing your action-packed 1-day safari to a close.

Sweetwaters Game Reserve Day Trip Itinerary

 0430 Hours – 0500 Hours: Early departure from Nairobi to beat traffic and maximize game viewing time.
0900 Hours – 1000 Hours: Arrive at Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Begin with a mid-morning game drive or a visit to the Chimpanzee Sanctuary
1000 Hours – 1230 Hours: Game viewing across the plains, featuring rhinos, elephants, and predators
1230 Hours – 1400 Hours: Lunch at Sweetwaters Serena Camp or Morani’s Restaurant
1400 Hours– 1600 Hours: Afternoon activities, such as visiting Baraka (the blind black rhino) or a cultural manyatta, followed by a final game drive
1600 Hours: Depart for Nairobi, arriving back by approximately 2030 Hours

Sweetwaters Game Reserve Day Trip  Key Attractions & Activities

Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary
✓A haven for orphaned and rescued chimps from West and Central Africa. Open daily from 08:30–12:30 and 14:00–16:30.
✓ Rhino Conservation: Visit the world’s last two remaining northern white rhinos (extra fee applies) or feed Baraka, a blind black rhino.
✓ Morani Information Center: An educational center named after a famous tame rhino, perfect for learning about the ecosystem.
✓ Optional Activities: Camel rides, lion tracking, and guided bush walks (pre-booking required)

Planning Tips

Sweetwaters Ol Pejeta Day Trip Safari is an action-packed day safari in Ol Pejeta Conservancy, starting and ending in Nairobi. You could also start the safari from any of the hotels in Aberdare, Nyeri, Mweiga, Timau, or Nanyuki. 

Ol Pejeta Conservancy (Sweetwaters Game Reserve) is situated on the plains of the Laikipia Plateau, near Nanyuki town in the Laikipia District of Kenya. The Conservancy lies 17 km northeast of Nanyuki Town and 217 km north of Nairobi. Road transfers from Nairobi to Ol Pejeta Conservancy take about 3.5 to 4 hours. The conservancy lies on the equator.

It is the closest place for you to come and see the Big 5 from Nairobi. The scenic Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a 90 000 acre (360 km²) non-profit wildlife conservancy located in the foothills of the Aberdare Mountain Range and Mount Kenya.

Spend the day out in the African bush watching elephants and all kinds of other wild animals and birds in Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Visits to the conservancy include access to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, opened in 1993 by Ol Pejeta Conservancy, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), and the Jane Goodall Institute (Open daily from 8:30 – 12:30 & 14:30 – 16:30).

Sit back and relax while your experienced guide takes you on exciting game drives in search of the Big Five and more, sharing their knowledge as you explore. Wild Animals at Ol Pejeta include 300 elephants, 67 lions, 30 cheetahs, 20 leopards, and 60 spotted hyenas, as well as a pack of African wild dogs. 

Smaller predators include black-backed jackals, servals, caracals, and bat-eared foxes. There are also hippos, giraffes, baboons, monkeys, aardvarks, and ostriches. Antelopes include Grant’s gazelle, Thomson’s gazelle, impala, Beisa oryx, waterbuck, eland, and over 300 species of birds. A coffee break and lunch stop are also included in your Full-day Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.

This is an affordable, short Sweetwaters Game Reserve Safari you’ll be forever glad you took.

Ol Pejeta Conservancy Highlights

* East Africa’s largest black rhino sanctuary
* Hosts some of the highest predator densities in Kenya
*  One of only four private game conservancies founded in Kenya
* A higher wildlife-to-area ratio than any other Kenyan national park
* Night game drive  (Available daily at 19:00 – 21:00 and 21:00 – 23:00)
* Home to the Big Five of Africa (elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, and leopard)
* The only place in Kenya to view chimpanzees (Kenya’s only chimpanzee sanctuary)
* Ride with Rhinos (Available daily at 08:00, 10:00, 14:00, and 16:00) and will last approximately one hour
* Meet the northern white rhinos (Available daily at 08:30 – 09:30, 11:00 – 12:00, 15:00 – 16:00, and 16:30 – 17:30)

Ol Pejeta Conservancy Day Trip Safari Rates Include:

✓ Visit Chimpanzee Sanctuary
✓ Price per person (Request for rates)
✓ All park entry fees, service charges, and taxes
✓ Pickup from your hotel in Nairobi or Nanyuki and drop-off at your hotel
✓ Extensive game drives at Ol Pejeta/ Sweetwaters Conservancy
✓ Lunch at Sweetwaters Serena Tented Camp or a deluxe lunch box from Nairobi
✓ Professional English-speaking guides. All are experts in African wildlife, culture, and tour guiding, many of whom speak other European languages

Notes

* This tour departs daily from Nairobi Hotels or any Hotels within Aberdare/ Nyeri/ Mweiga/ Nanyuki, etc
* GATE TIMES: Entry and Exit strictly through Rongai and Serat gates between 0700 to 1900 daily

2026 OL-PEJETA CONSERVANCY FEES PER DAY
* Children pay half the price of the adult
* Non-resident Adult = 90 US Dollars
* East African Citizen = 1,700 Kenya shillings
* East African Residents = 3,000 Kenya shillings

PROOF OF RESIDENCY REQUIRED:
* East African Citizen: National identity card, valid passport
* East African Resident: Valid passport showing work permit or alien certificate

Sweetwaters Ol Pejeta Day Trip Safari Do Not Include:

* Drinks
* Laundry
* Tips or gratuity
* Travelers Insurance
* Communication charges
* Minimum of 1 person required
* Visas, international airfares, and airport taxes; meals
* Sightseeing not included in the package; optional activities
* Personal expenses such as transfers to/ from the airport (supplement airport transfer cost applies for tours starting from the airport)

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