Kenya, Mugie Conservancy - Laikipia

Jul 2
3 min read

Updated: Jul 9

After staying in the Masai Mara at the Governors Il Moran camp, we flew to another of their camps in the North of Kenya's Laikipia plateau. I'll be honest, calling it a camp is doing where we stayed a huge disservice. We stayed at Mugie House, a beautiful stone building with individual cottages throughout the grounds. Think four poster beds, a fireplace lit as part of your turndown service, and the opportunity to encounter wonderful wildife on your walk to the main house. There's also a golf course, which was a key attraction for my husband, though I don't think he expected to see military training taking place on the 8th fairway!

Visiting a conservancy is a different experience than being in the Masai Mara, which is 9 times bigger than the Mugie Conservancy (it's 46,000 acres). It's much quieter as the number of vehicles are usually limited so it feels more secluded than the national park.

Mugie House
Suite at Mugie House
The bedroom in the suite
Breakfast with a view

The Mugie Conservancy has an incredible variety of bird life, which is of one of the reasons I wanted to visit. This is a selection of what could be found in the grounds of Mugie House. It was the ideal scenario, camera in one hand and glass of South African wine in the other, photographing wildlife.

Fork tailed drongo
Crowned hornbill
White bellied go away bird
Common bulbul having a bath
Crowned hornbill
Cape glossy starling
African wagtail
Cape glossy starling
Emerald spotted wood dove

The grounds are also home to a few rather confiding mammals, who can be found wandering the gardens.

Bush squirrel
Bush squirrel
African striped ground squirrel
Rock hyrax
Rock hyrax
Dik dik

Ok, that's enough of the grounds, we have some exploring to do! Out on the reserve, we were under the care of our guide Akiba. He worked hard to find us some of the unique species found here, including the elusive striped hyena, reticulated giraffe, and grevy's zebra.

Female Striped hyena
Female Striped hyena
Reticulated giraffe
Grevy's zebra
Grevy's zebra and plains zebra

Of course there are the usual star species to be found and we had the best encounter with cheetah as they feasted on a reasonably fresh impala kill. The benefit of a conservancy is the ability to go off road, which isn't possible in the Masai Mara. Having put my go-go gadget eyes in, I spotted a pair of lionesses in the grass so we ventured over to them and found one had had an unfortunate encounter with a porcupine, with a quill hanging out her jaw. Akiba assured us this wouldn't cause any long lasting damage and it would fall out naturally. Niche millennial reference incoming - it made me think of the film homeward bound, where one of the dogs has a similar experience.

Cheetah
Chongo (Swahili for bad eye)
Young female lioness
Chongo (Swahili for bad eye)
Cheetah
Lioness with porcupine quill

One difference to looking for and photographing wildlife in Kenya compared to Scotland is how confiding the animals are. Here, you only have to think of taking a picture of a buzzard and it's flown away. On safari, the birds are practically posing to make sure you get their best side. It certainly makes life a lot easier.

Tawny eagle
African spoonbill
African fish eagle
Crowned lapwing
Northern white-crowned Shrike
Black bellied bustard
African hoopoe
Lilac breasted roller

Finishing our trip at Mugie House was the perfect way to end our week long trip to Kenya. It was an incredibly relaxing location, where it felt like you were encouraged to slow down during what can be a pretty full on safari. We're so glad we visited and experienced a different area of Kenya, new wildlife, and beautiful scenery.

Plumbago auriculta
Totem pole cactus
Ivy leaved geranium

What kit did I take with me?

Canon R6 and R6mkii

Canon RF 100-500

Canon RF 70-200 (hired from Lenses for Hire)

Canon 1.4x TC (also hired from Lenses for Hire)

Please note, when doing a fly in safari you are restricted to a 15kg luggage allowance, which includes your hand luggage. It has to be in a soft bag, with no wheels. The camp has a laundry so pack sensibly but know you can get your clothes cleaned.