Laikipia
Unrushed
Laikipa Unrushed is a carefully paced photo safari centred on the remarkable wildlife of Laikipia Wildlife Conservancy. With time to work the light, behaviour, and conditions properly, it offers intimate encounters with the most tolerant and easily photographed leopard population in East Africa - including Giza the stunning black leopard. Plus breeding herds of elephants, loads of plains game and the chance to see wild dogs too. With excellent off-road and respectful night driving, a superb spotter setup for the best chance of encounters and based in an exclusive camp just for our group. Finally world-class guiding from leopard lover, backlight specialist, multi award winning pro photographer Andy Rouse. An incredible 7 day adventure.
Join Andy in November 2026 for our latest “Unrushed” safari in Laikipa Wildlife Conservancy. This photo safari is about slowing down and doing wildlife photography properly. Rather than rushing between parks, we stay in one exceptional area for a full seven days, giving you 14 game drives and the time to really understand the landscape, the light, and the animals that live here.
This will be a focused 7-night, 14-drive safari dedicated to photographing the elusive and beautiful leopard in what is undoubtedly the best leopard location in East Africa. The area is home to the world famous black leopard, Giza, and with luck you will meet this gorgeous big cat too. Staying for longer allows us to maximise our chances of great encounters and to follow a hunch, without the pressure of multi-centre safaris.
Set within a private conservancy where respectful off-road driving is the norm, this exclusive experience follows three highly successful tours where the last one delivered 14 different leopards that we photographed. With expert local Masai guides, a strict limit of four vehicles per sighting, and the real possibility of encountering one of Kenya’s few packs of wild dogs, this safari offers exceptional photographic opportunities staying in our own exclusive camp.
Andy will be your guide throughout, leading from the front and sharing decades of experience with photographing big cats, his prediction skills with wildlife are truly unrivalled allowing you to get in the best place for the best shot. Whether you come primarily to photograph or simply to experience wildlife at its best, this is a journey built around time, understanding, and one that leaves you with lasting memories of one of Kenya’s most special places.
Trip Highlights
7-night immersive photography safari
14 game drives targeting the amazing leopard population of the area including Giza the black leopard!
See breeding herds of elephants and maybe wild dogs
Respectful off road and night driving for great opportunities with priority vehicle
Stay in an exclusive camp for just our group
Good Wifi available in central area of the camp
Expert guiding team and photo logistics
Travel with Sunworld Safaris, Kenya’s most trusted eco-operator
Led by Andy Rouse with expert photographic guidance and leopard love throughout
Backed by our Travel Trust Association binding for your peace of mind
All land costs included from arrival to departure (some exclusion apply). Extra permits included for neighbouring conservancy too to maximise opportunities.
You will be looked after from the minute you arrive to the minute you depart!
Dates & Prices
Dates: November 18th -26th 2026
Price: £8495 per person (full land only cost)
Availability: 1 / 4
Laikipia in November
Laikipia Wildlife Conservancy is a very diverse habitat, with grasslands, acacia and scrub bush, a winding river and stunning rock outcrops. There are even palm trees! It’s an incredible landscape and so varied that you can never be bored! November should be green and lush as the short rains will have hopefully finished a few weeks before. The air will feel clean and the contrast between the green grass and the leopards will be stunning. The waterholes will be full everywhere so wildlife will be easily seen coming down to drink / wallow. The river will be fuller too, which means hippos and lots of bird life along its banks.
Days will be pleasantly warm, nights a little chilly so a layer will be needed first thing. In short it’s a great time to come to Laikipia and outside the main tourist season too.
Giza
The world knows all about this amazing 7 year old black leopard. When you see her she literally takes your breath away, she is so beautiful and with a personality unlike any leopard we have ever known. A wonderful mother and a fierce hunter, she is completely unafraid of vehicles and many times she went right under hours watched by a many smiling and happy faces. She brings such joy to everyone and of course makes for fantastic photography. The picture you see here won Andy a highly commended in the European wildlife photographer of the year.
When we find her we will follow her on her daily life, never interrupting it and always watching from a distance when she is hunting.
Right now she is splitting her time between the conservancy we will be on next door, so we have included 3 extra permits for that conservancy so that we can go and find her.
She’s amazing but she is not the only star of the show, to build a tour on one leopard and concentrate on her would not do Laikipia justice. The leopard population there is simply incredible and we will encounter multiple… as you will see now.
A special place for leopards
We saw 14 different leopards on our last tour, this is truly a mecca for all leopard loving photographers out there. You will hopefully get the chance to meet the big males, usually so tough to see but as you see opposite here they are very approachable. Females too abound, some don’t like us much whilst others could not care less. If there are cubs around then we stand a great chance of seeing them too.
Because we drive off road for most of the time we are able to follow leopards during their daily lives, walking, hunting, chilling, cleaning, you name it we can see it. They come close sometimes, very close, or we keep them at a distance for longer lens shots. Andy will always lead from the front and make the best decisions for position - but always the leopard will come first.
On several drives the last groups decided not to goto see Giza in her territory but to concentrate on the other leopard population instead. They just look great in the habitat and nowhere else can you get shots like here.
Having 14 drives allows us to really get the best encounters possible with all the leopards of Laikipia… but they are not the only stars of the show as you will see.
Other cool wildlife
Leopards are not the only stars of Laikipia, it’s becoming a really great all around safari destination. Laikipia has two resident packs of wild dogs and they regularly come into the reserve, which allows us to follow them. On the last tour we had two magical sessions with them hunting all around us, it’s fast and furious action but so much fun to see as they are becoming rare in Kenya. That’s the benefit of an unrushed safari!
Apart from leopards and wild dogs, Laikipia has so much other wildlife too. Big herds of breeding elephants come daily to waterholes around the park to drink, herds of giraffes forage the acacia and other local flora and of course there are two resident prides of lions on the edges of the reserve. Add to that spectacular bird life, striped and spotted hyenas and the ever present cute dikdik and you can see how this is so much more than just a place to see leopards.
Having 7 full days at Samburu allows us to really get the best encounters possible, and create memories that will last a life time.
Night drives
At Laikipia we operate a slightly different game drive schedule in the evenings from usual as we continue our photography through dusk and into the 1st hour of the night. This allows us to follow our leopards into their main activity time and we switch from daylight to photography to spotlight assisted photography. All lights are red coated to minimise disturbance to all wildlife and their use is strictly controlled when the leopards are close, especially when they are hunting.
It’s a fun time to be out and Andy has worked out a really good system to take images that are different from the rest and to make full use of the lighting available. That is why you need his expertise on this trip, every second of every drive it counts.
Spotters and vehicles
Everything at this place is geared towards you getting great encounters with the wildlife. On top of several hills there are spotters during morning and afternoon game drives, using their high powered binoculars to see leopard movements. The communicate with all cars via private radios. It has made such a difference to our sightings.
Several wild dogs within the pack are collared, which allows us to track their whereabouts from the vehicles and get to where they are quickly and without delay.
We will have a Black Leopard Private Vehicle for our group which gives us many benefits that normal tourists do not get. Our vehicles are superb Toyota Landcruisers, built for off road and modified for photography. With low angle shooting slots for you to share and great all round visibility, they are perfect for what we do. Each drive you will rotate around the front seats with the low angle door to ensure fairness but to be honest in this habitat shooting low angle is not always the best choice. The driver and spotter that we have with us are amazing, Andy has worked with the same team now for all of his trips. In short your photography is in safe hands.
Accommodation and food
For this tour we will be staying at an exclusive camp with 4 comfortable cottages where we will be the only guests. That means friendly and personal service and the chance to really relax and unwind in peace and calm., Central to the camp is the large open chill out area, with a roaring camp fire, comfortable sofas and our dining area and bar. It’s a wonderful place to relax day or night and it’s where the wifi is strongest too. The rooms are comfortable with decent beds, mosquito nets (the area is malaria free), plenty of power sockets and a great outdoor shower and toilet with hot water on demand. Each cottage has a nice river view where you can just sit and watch nature with a tea or coffee in hand.
Food is freshly cooked by our own chef, it is wholesome and tasty. We can cater for special diets so please get in touch to discuss this. We often have brunch out, at maybe the elephant waterhole or a viewpoint, and a stop for tea / coffee and a muffin is a breakfast treat. It’s a lovely relaxing place to stay and our clients all love it as it gives you a real chance to unwind.
The Guide Team
Lots of people run safaris, what separates our expeditions is the experienced guide team that we have, plus the Travel Trust Association bonding that protects your holiday money from supplier failure. Your guide for this trip will be multi award winning wildlife photographer and leopard lover Andy Rouse who is known to continually go the extra mile for his clients and prides himself on getting them in the right place at the right time…
Andy Rouse
Perhaps a little about Andy for those that have never worked with him before. Andy has won over 28 major international awards, been a pro for nearly 25 years and has led photographic expeditions all over the world. He prides himself in only offering the very best destinations, and has built a reputation as one of the best photographic safari guides in the world. Put simply, if you book a WildBunch safari, you can rest assured that you will be guided by one of the best in the business. Andy’s safari’s are always packed with fantastic opportunities, expert guidance and a drive to get the very best for his clients, as well as being a lot of fun - you are on holiday after all!
Andy shoots with the Sony A1 Mark II, but rest assured no matter what system you use, Andy will be able to help you get the most from your system and yourself.
Away from work he is a proud husband, Dad and West Ham fan (perhaps not the best season so far).
Travel Trust Association
Now we know that there are a lot of people out there offering photographic tours, however rest assured that this safari is backed by the Travel Trust Association (TTA). The TTA is an independent trade organisation of tour operators that we are proud members of. The TTA provides guarantees for your booking with us in two forms.
The first is that all monies are deposited to a trustee managed trust bank account and any payments to / from them have to be authorised at several levels.
Secondly your booking is protected by the TTA Safe Seat Plan and Supplier Failure
Cover, both of which are insurance policies to protect your money from fraud and
supplier failure.
We include the costs of these policies automatically in your booking fee,
so that you can have total financial confidence in us, and your booking with
us, as a trusted and reputable tour operator.
Further details of our TTA membership can be found by clicking here.
Essential Information
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We manage everything for you every step of the way from arrival to departure with our professional team:
18th November - Arrive Nairobi, met and transferred to hotel overnight
19th November - morning flight to Laikipa, settle in, afternoon / evening drive
20th - 25th - Laikipia
26th November - Early morning game drive, quick breakfast, flight back to Nairobi, lunch at craft centre, transfer to hotel for dinner and day room. Hotel transfer to airport for flight home.
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We are out just before dawn; this is to maximise the possibilities with the early morning light. We will track leopards / dogs whilst the light is still good, stopping to take advantage of anything we see.
Once the golden light disappears we will stop for a tea / coffee / muffin and then continue on looking for opportunities with elephants, giraffes, birds and anything else we find!
Brunch is taken 11-1130 either our ot back at camp. You then have the day to chill until tae and cake at 4pm before we leave for the afternoon drive at 4pm. We return at 8pm for dinner and bed!
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All over the world the weather is tough to predict! Typically at this time it is after the short rains so will be green and fresh everywhere with pleasant daytime temperatures.
It should be dry but we may experience some showers, like we said the weather is unpredictable but nothing affects leopard behaviour!
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This is one of those trips where a very long lens can be a disadvantage. Andy uses a 200-600 or a 300 2.8 for his long lens, but the most used lens is. 70-200 f2.8 with a converter.. A wide angle is also great too.
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We have put this section in as it's very important that anyone considering coming on this tour reads it. We are always 100% honest with our clients so there are no surprises when you arrive.
When we go offroad it can be slightly rough, we will drive very slowly and carefully but there will be thorn bushes that will try to come in the vehicle, you will be warned and have time to get out the way but you need to know we will be bushwhacking!
Now because of the habitat, and the way that leopards move, you cannot expect to sit in your seat and have a clear view. Sometimes it might be but there might be grass from where you are sitting, whereas for others it will be clear. The vehicle will always stop in the best place for the leopard and the sighting, it will be upto you to move in the vehicle to ensure a clear shot.
Andy will be at the front controlling it for everyone BUT it's sometimes impossible to get a clear shot for everyone, whereas other times it's easy, so you have to understand that moving is essential. There is a low angle slot at the front that you will share between you.
The camp is comfortable but not luxurious, the food is hearty.
So that's that, all the slight negatives, which is just our way of being honest. It's an easily manageable trip for anyone!
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It’s important that you understand that whilst we guarantee that everyone will do their very best to get you the very best in photographic opportunities we cannot guarantee photographable sightings. As stated this tour has a very high success rate, but nature and wildlife can be unpredictable.
Please come with a positive attitude and this in mind.
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The tour is open to both photographers and non photographers. The atmosphere is holiday when we are in the lodge, and wildlife focus when we are out and about.
Our tours are inclusive, anyone is welcome irrespective of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. We just ask that you come with a smile and a love of wildlife.
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There are many companies that guarantee sightings of Giza. We do not as we consider this dishonest. Things can happen to all animals before our tour. So if Giza is around and the situation permits we will 100% do our best to get you up close and personal with her.
We include 3 permits onto the adjoining conservancy as she currently spends 50% of her time there. This is to ensure you have the best tchances.
But as we have said in this brochure repeatedly, we will also be focussing on the other leopards in Laikipia and you must be prepared for this. Giza may vanish for a few days in an area we cannot get to or with a large kill. Trust us when we say that the other leopards are just as mega as her and in many ways more rewarding. We saw 14 different leopards on the last safari and many we were alone with and stayed at least an hour each time.
So this tour is not just about Giza.
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Since we are staying in an unfenced camp there will be lots of wildlife around. Yes there will be some bugs and mossies around, but your tents are sprayed and the area is malaria free. It’s no worse than anywhere else in Kenya and the leopards make up for anything anyway!
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Of course we can but please email us to check in advance of booking your trip.
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This is a very easy trip since all activities will be from our 4×4 vehicle.
Booking Information
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The price for this trip is a very reasonable £8495 per person based on sharing or single occupancy..
With it’s position as the premier leopard camp in East Africa please do not expect this to be a cheap safari. Having an exclusive camp, for this amount of time with a priority vehicle and all the local transport costs adds up!
We will never compete with cheap safaris as they are cheap for a reason, we just offer an all round quality experience including the best photo guiding around.
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The price includes all accommodation from arrival in Nairobi to departure, all meals (except arrival and departure days), return domestic flights with additional baggage allowance, alcoholic drinks, all transfers and all guiding services.
Emergency medical evacuation insurance is also included to Nairobi as standard.
In addition we are including 3 permits for drives in the adjacent conservancy in case Giza is still there with the cubs.
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The price excludes your international flights to Nairobi, insurance, tips and items of a personal nature. Plus dinner / lunch on arrival and departure days.
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The payment will be £1500 now and the remainder 3 months before travel.
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Our cancellation policies are strict and come from experience. We operate a non refundable policy to protect the other clients on the tour. This applies to both deposit and balance. Therefore it is a requirement of booking that you take out comprehensive travel insurance to cover all eventualities. By booking this safari you agree to these conditions and no discussion will be entered into. If we postpone then your payment will be held over for a replacement safari at a later date or you will of course be entitled to a full refund. If you have to cancel then we will provide you will all the necessary documents for an insurance claim. In some instances it may be possible to fill your place at short notice, at which point you will receive a partial refund of monies paid, but this very much depends on the time of the cancellation and not guarantees can be made.
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We will provide full guidance for international flights and tell you when to be there and when you can leave. No matter where you are from in the world we will help you and of course we will meet you from your flight and transfer you to the team hotel.
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We will provide extensive pre departure info 3 months before the trip with everything you need to know including visas, clothing and camera kit.
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Rest assured that this safari is backed by the Travel Trust Association (TTA). The TTA is an independent trade organisation of tour operators that we are proud members of. The TTA provides guarantees for your booking with us in two forms.
The first is that all monies are deposited to a trustee managed trust bank account and any payments to / from them have to be authorised at several levels.
Secondly your booking is protected by the TTA Safe Seat Plan and Supplier Failure Cover, both of which are insurance policies to protect your money from fraud and supplier failure.
We include the costs of these policies automatically in your booking fee, so that you can have total financial confidence in us, and your booking with us, as a trusted and reputable tour operator.
Further details of our TTA membership can be found by clicking here
Private Guiding
We are getting increasingly asked to arrange and run private tours for single travellers, couples or a group of friends / business colleagues. We call this private guiding and it’s for the discerning traveller that wants something a little more exclusive.
Past clients have come from the world of media and entertainment, banking, a lottery winner and just couples that want a special safari just for them.
We can organise a bespoke safari of any length, either guided by Andy or just using our local guides and contacts. All backed by our TTA bonding and awesome ground agents in Kenya and beyond.
Get in touch about your private guiding requirements today…
