Solio Game Reserve

Solio is a fenced private ranch on the plain between the Aberdare range and Mount Kenya, and its importance in Kenyan conservation is out of proportion to its size: from the 1970s it bred black and white rhino so successfully that animals from here were used to restock parks and reserves across the country, including Nakuru, Tsavo and the Aberdares. The setting is open grassland with scattered acacia, ringed by two great mountain ranges, which makes for unusually good visibility and photographs. Rhino density is high enough that sightings are close to guaranteed, which is not true almost anywhere else. Other plains game, buffalo, zebra, eland, giraffe and predators including lion and cheetah, share the ranch. Access is mostly through the single lodge, which keeps visitor numbers very low.

What you actually see

• High rhino density - black and white rhino seen reliably on open ground.
• Mountain backdrops - the Aberdares one side, Mount Kenya the other.
• Open grassland - visibility far better than in bush country.
• Plains game and predators - buffalo, eland, giraffe, lion and cheetah.

When to go

June to October and January to March for dry tracks and concentrated game. The reserve is small enough to cover in a day or two, and low visitor numbers mean it rarely feels crowded at any season.

Honest expectations

It is a fenced private ranch rather than a wilderness, which some visitors find limiting. Access is essentially through the lodge, and independent entry is restricted. Costs are high. The area is compact, so it works better as an addition to a Laikipia or Aberdare trip than as a standalone destination.

Nearby

The Aberdares rise west; Ol Pejeta and Nanyuki lie north.