Muringa Villa

Muringa Villa | Located in central Kenyan highlands at Nyeri

Muringa Villas is a spacious villa  fitted with 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, bed linen, towels, a flat-screen TV, a dining area, a fully equipped kitchen, and a terrace with garden views and free wifi. Guests can take in the ambience of the surroundings from an outdoor dining area or keep themselves warm by the fireplace on colder days. For added privacy, the accommodation has a private entrance and is protected by full-day security.

Activities Around Muringa Villa

Aberdare National Park

The Aberdares are the third highest mountain range in Kenya. They are around 100 km long from north to south. There are two main peaks, Ol Donyo Lesatima (3,999 m) to the north and Kinangop (3,906 m) to the south. The Aberdare National Park, with an area of 767 km² covers the higher areas of the Aberdare Mountain Ranges. The park contains a wide range of landscapes – from the mountain peaks that rise to 4,300 m above sea level, to their deep,
v-shaped valleys intersected by streams, rivers, and large cascading waterfalls. The main ecosystems within the mountain range are rainforest giving way to dense bamboo forests and then moorland. Through the treetops, a spectacular view of the Rift Valley and the summit of Mt Kenya show itself. The steep western edges of the hillside are sparsely inhabited by wildlife compared to the forested gentle slopes to the east, which are home to a wide variety of wildlife.

Herds of forest elephants and buffalo move almost silently through the undergrowth, while overhead loud chirping birds, Colobus monkeys, and Sykes monkeys dominate the canopy. Other animals that are relatively easily observed include the lion, leopard, and giant forest hog, which is almost twice the size as the normal warthog. Also abundant are waterbuck, reedbuck, duikers, and bushbuck. Rarer sightings include those of the golden cat and the bongo, an elusive forest antelope that lives in the bamboo forest. Animals like the eland and serval cats can be found higher up in the moorlands. The Aberdare National Park also contains a large population of the black rhino. The crystal clear mountain streams are teeming with trout. And even the bird viewing is rewarding, with over 250 species of birds in the park.

The National Park can be explored with our safari jeeps or on foot. The forests and moorlands have great hiking trails. A safari to the Aberdares National Park is part of the Rhino Watch standard program. The drive to the entrance of the park takes approximately 30 minutes. We will spend a full day in the park. At lunchtime, we will enjoy a picnic at 3,500 m altitude surrounded by a breathtaking landscape of waterfalls and forest and the sound of screaming monkeys in the treetops.

Ol Pejeta Conservancy

This extraordinary reserve is located about 2hour away from the Muringa Villa. Ol Pejeta is East Africa’s Largest Black Rhino Sanctuary, home to 87 black rhinos after the single largest rhino translocation ever. As one of the world’s most endangered species, the care, and protection of the black rhino are one of the largest operations of the Ol Pejeta conservancy.

In addition to the black rhinos, the reserve accommodates 11 Southern white rhinos and 4 of the world’s last remaining 7 Northern white rhinos. These animals were relocated from a zoo in the Czech Republic to the conservancy aimed at providing the rhinos with the most favorable breeding conditions in an attempt to pull the species back from the verge of extinction. Besides the endangered rhinos, the reserve is also home to a number of other endangered species including the locally threatened Jackson’s hartebeest and Grevy’s zebra.
Dependent upon seasonal migration patterns Ol Pejeta estimates a total of 300 elephants on the Conservancy at any one time. The Conservancy incorporates corridors within its northern boundary fence to ensure wildlife connectivity to the greater Laikipia/Samburu ecosystem. These corridors allow free movement of all species on the Conservancy – except for rhinos – and are used heavily by elephants.

The Ol Pejeta Conservancy holds some of the highest predator densities in Kenya with approximately 67 lions, 30 cheetahs, 20 leopards, and 60 spotted hyenae. Since mid-2011 there have also been frequent sightings of a pack of 5 wild dogs.

Moreover, the Ol Pejeta Conservancy houses a Chimpanzee Sanctuary and it is the only place in Kenya where this highly endangered and remarkably intelligent species can be seen. The facility was initially established to receive and provide lifelong refuge to orphaned and abused chimpanzees from West and Central Africa. Over the last decade, however, the sanctuary has been compelled to keep accepting chimpanzees rescued from various traumatic situations.
In the Ol Pejeta reserve, you have a good chance to encounter the ‘Big Five’ all in one day. With such a high wildlife density, a game safari to the Conservancy is a great completion of the Rhino Watch safari program. Currently, Ol Pejetta is one of the best places in Kenya to observe the rare wild dogs

Solio Reserve

The ‘Solio Ranch’ is one of the finest wildlife parks in Africa, which hasn´t figured on the tourist map for generations. The park is a fenced, privately-owned wildlife conservancy geared towards rhino conservation. The Solio Game Reserve was founded in 1970 when the owner of the Solio cattle ranch fenced off a large section of land and dedicated it to conservation. The park plays a major part in the protection and breeding of black rhinos in Kenya. Breeding has been so successful that rhino from Solio has stocked game reserves all over Africa. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for more information on the Solio Reserve and rhino conservation.

The park entrance to this wildlife and nature paradise is located only 5 minutes away from the Rhino Watch Safari Lodge, which is one of the reasons we consider the Solio Reserve one of our main attractions. In addition to the world’s largest population of white rhinos and the near hundred black rhino, the Solio Reserve is inhabited by different other wildlife, such as buffalo, zebra, giraffe, oryx, antelope, Thompson’s gazelle, impala, waterbuck, and warthog. The park also offers some of the best leopard viewings in the country, and lion and cheetah can also be found. Our safari team is almost daily underway in the Solio Reserve and is constantly informed about the movements of the animals. Unforgettable game drives are guaranteed.

The Solio Reserve is also an ideal place for bird watching. The acacia forest in the middle of the reserve is traversed by a river that at times turns into a swamp-like area. This habitat is a paradise for birds. Including the more than 300 species that are found in the game, the reserve is European rollers, flycatchers, and birds of prey such as vultures, eagle owls, Montagu’s Harriers, long-crested eagles, and buzzards. Also crowned cranes and the European stork can be found here every year.

Despite a concerning decline of lions in Africa, the lion population in the Solio Reserve has managed to stabilize itself in the last few years. New since 2012 is our nightly game safaris into the Solio Reserve to observe these big cats and other animals. Cheetahs, lions, hyenas, and leopards are mainly nocturnal hunters, which can make night observations an exhilarating experience.

Game drives into the Solio Reserve are taking place from the Rhino Watch Lodge. As part of our Rhino specials, we visit the park during almost all our game safaris. However, we are more than happy to offer you a single game safari with one of our experienced Solio guides. Please contact us for further details.

The Solio Reserve operates one of the oldest and most successful projects for the conservation of rhinos in their natural habitat.