4 Days Laikipia Women Only Flying Safari | Ol Gaboli Lodge

Most of our women’s journeys begin with a night on the Wangari Maathai Wing in Nairobi, Kenya’s first hotel wing reserved solely for female guests. This one skips the overnight entirely: you’re collected the same morning at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and driven straight to Wilson Airport, so you’re on the ground in Laikipia by the time other itineraries are still checking out of their Nairobi hotel. A short Fly ALS flight trades Nairobi’s traffic for open Laikipia bush within the hour, before a road transfer through acacia scrub, volcanic hills and river-fed woodland quite different from the grass plains of the Masai Mara.

At the end of that road sits Ol Gaboli, a small riverside lodge built, owned and governed by the Ol Gaboli Women’s Group of the Ilmotiok Community. It’s named for the fig tree that has stood at the heart of the property for generations, and it’s the only lodge of its kind anywhere in Kenya. Funds from every stay are split directly between the Women’s Group and the Community’s land management committee, channelled toward the local school and dispensary, which means your three nights here fund something specific rather than something abstract.

Your vehicle, your guide and your pace: this journey is built for the solo female traveler or for the women you choose to bring along. Two full days at Ol Gaboli are given to tracking the Laikipia Five across open bush, sharing a meal and conversation with the Women’s Group who own and run the lodge, and, for those who want it, an optional search for Giza Mrembo, the black leopard that has made this part of Laikipia famous. Evenings are unhurried: dinner in the riverside mess, a fire under a wide northern sky and the kind of quiet most Nairobi-bound travelers never get close to.

At a Glance:

• Duration: 4 days / 3 nights
• Destinations: Nairobi, Laikipia (Ol Gaboli Lodge on the Ewaso Nyiro River)
• Accommodation: Ol Gaboli Lodge, Laikipia, all 3 nights
• Guiding: An all-female Afrikan Accent Adventures team from Nairobi to Wilson Airport, with the Ilmotiok Community’s own local guides and trackers at Ol Gaboli
• Group Style: For the solo female traveler or your own group, private throughout
• Best Season: Year-round for resident wildlife; July to October and January to March bring the clearest visibility

Key Highlights:

• An entirely female-led welcome, from your Jomo Kenyatta International Airport pickup to a flight arranged by our all-female team
• Two nights at Ol Gaboli, the only lodge in Kenya owned and run entirely by Maasai women
• A short scheduled flight with Fly ALS from Wilson Airport straight into Laikipia’s open bush
• Tracking the Laikipia Five: Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, Jackson’s hartebeest and striped hyena
• A visit with the Ol Gaboli Women’s Group, meeting the beekeepers, bead-makers and community leaders who govern the lodge
• An optional search for Giza, Laikipia’s celebrated black leopard, alongside a ranger from Mpala Research Centre

Practical Information:

Physical Requirements

This is an easy itinerary suited to most fitness levels. Game drives and walks are led by Ol Gaboli’s own guides in the lodge’s vehicles, since self-drive safaris are not permitted on site. The flight leg is under an hour and a half, and the road transfer between Loisaba and the lodge takes around ninety minutes.

Best Time to Visit

Laikipia offers strong resident wildlife year-round. Dry seasons, roughly July through October and January through March, tend to give clearer visibility for both general game viewing and Giza’s range, while the green season from April to May brings dramatic skies and fewer vehicles on the ground.

Getting There

This itinerary flies rather than drives, and it doesn’t include a Nairobi overnight. You’re collected at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport the same morning and transferred directly to Wilson Airport for a daily scheduled Fly ALS service to Loisaba Airstrip, then by road for around ninety minutes into Laikipia to reach Ol Gaboli. We arrange the airport pickup, the flight and the transfer as part of this package.

Why This Safari

• Yours Alone or With Your Own Group
• Straight From Nairobi to Laikipia
• Kenya’s Only Women-Owned Lodge
• Fly ALS to Laikipia
• Ol Gaboli Women’s Group Visit
• Giza the Black Leopard