Three wildlife reserves sit within reach of the central Kenya highlands, and each offers a genuinely different animal-viewing experience: Solio Game Reserve for its exceptional rhino density, Ol Pejeta Conservancy for the Big Five alongside Kenya’s only chimpanzee sanctuary, and Aberdare National Park for forest-adapted species found almost nowhere else, including the critically endangered mountain bongo.
Quick take:
- Solio is one of the best places in Africa to see rhinos in large numbers, not just single sightings
- Ol Pejeta is the only conservancy in Kenya where you can see the Big Five and chimpanzees in the same visit
- Aberdare is a forest and high-altitude reserve, not a savannah park, home to species like the mountain bongo that don’t appear in Kenya’s open plains
- Each reserve rewards a different kind of game drive, so visiting more than one shows genuinely different wildlife, not repeats
Solio Game Reserve: Rhinos, in Numbers
Solio’s reputation rests on one thing above all else: rhino density. It is widely regarded as one of the best places in Africa to see both black and white rhinos, and unlike many reserves where a single rhino sighting is the goal, Solio is known for groups, sometimes called “crashes,” of multiple rhinos at once.
Rhino Watch Safari Lodge’s own guide to Solio, drawn from its team’s regular game drives there, describes the reserve as home to close to a hundred black rhinos, alongside a substantial white rhino population, with over 90 black and 50 white rhinos translocated out to other Kenyan reserves over the reserve’s history to help rebuild populations elsewhere. Beyond rhinos, Solio also supports buffalo, zebra, giraffe, oryx, antelope species including Thompson’s gazelle, impala, and waterbuck, plus some of the best leopard viewing in the country, along with lion and cheetah. Night game drives, running since 2012, add the chance to see nocturnal hunters like hyena in action
Solio Game Reserve sits just five minutes from Rhino Watch, which is part of why it’s central to nearly every game drive itinerary the lodge runs.
Ol Pejeta Conservancy: Big Five and Chimpanzees
Ol Pejeta is Kenya’s only conservancy where visitors can see the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino) and chimpanzees in a single visit. The chimpanzees live at Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, the only place in Kenya to see chimpanzees, run in partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute since 1993 as a refuge for animals rescued from poaching and trafficking, since chimpanzees are not native to Kenya.
On rhinos specifically, Ol Pejeta holds East Africa’s largest black rhino sanctuary, with well over 100 individuals, plus a southern white rhino population. It is also home to Najin and Fatu, the last two northern white rhinos left on Earth, kept under dedicated round-the-clock protection. Beyond the headline species, Ol Pejeta supports Grevy’s zebra, a rare and endangered species with a distinctive fine-striped pattern, along with lion, cheetah, and a small population of African wild dog.
“The game drives to Ol Pejeta were extraordinary. We saw rhinos up close, something we’ll never forget. The lodge itself feels like a home in the wilderness.”
— Klaus W., Germany, Booking.com
Ol Pejeta Conservancy is one of the three reserves within easy reach of Rhino Watch, and features regularly in the lodge’s own game drive itineraries.
Aberdare National Park: A Forest, Not a Savannah
Aberdare looks and feels different from the other two reserves before you even see an animal. Instead of open plains, it’s a forested, high-altitude park rising from lower montane forest through bamboo zones to open moorland, and that layered terrain shapes which species live where.
Elephants and buffalo are the most reliably seen large mammals, moving through the forest and gathering at waterholes, sometimes visible at night from lodges built specifically around floodlit water points. Aberdare also holds a genuinely important black rhino population, though the dense forest cover makes sightings less predictable than in the open terrain of Solio or Ol Pejeta.
The park’s signature species is the mountain bongo, a chestnut-colored forest antelope with white stripes, and one of the rarest large mammals in Africa, with fewer than 100 individuals believed to remain in the wild, most of them in the Aberdares. Seeing one is a genuine rarity, not something a first-time visitor should expect to check off a list. Beyond the bongo, the forest supports giant forest hog, bushbuck, black-and-white colobus monkey, and over 250 recorded bird species.
“Aberdares NP is close to the property and has a totally different climate from the plains, well worth it for gorgeous scenery… The most amazing thing was the perfect view of Mount Kenya.”
— Andreas, United States, Booking.com
Aberdare National Park rounds out the three reserves within reach of Rhino Watch, and is worth a dedicated day for travelers who want to see genuinely different terrain and species from a typical savannah safari.
Why Three Different Ecosystems Sit This Close Together
Solio, Ol Pejeta, and Aberdare aren’t variations on the same landscape. Solio and Ol Pejeta are both open savannah and grassland, built around rhino conservation and Big Five density. Aberdare is a mountain forest and moorland reserve, shaped by altitude rather than open plains. For a first-time visitor, that means a multi-reserve itinerary genuinely shows different wildlife and different terrain, rather than repeating the same experience three times.
This is part of what makes basing a stay in the central Kenya highlands worthwhile. From Rhino Watch Safari Lodge, guests can build game drives across all three reserves without relocating between stays. For a closer look at what a stay involves day to day, see the lodge’s complete guest guide, or browse activities and game drives directly. If this kind of multi-reserve wildlife variety is what you’re planning around, you can check availability directly with the lodge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which reserve is best for rhino sightings?
Solio Game Reserve is widely regarded as one of the best places in Africa for rhino sightings, known for large groups of both black and white rhinos rather than single, isolated sightings.
Can you see the Big Five at Ol Pejeta Conservancy?
Yes. Ol Pejeta is the only conservancy in Kenya where visitors can see the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino) and chimpanzees in the same visit, since Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary is located within the conservancy.
What is the mountain bongo and where can I see it?
The mountain bongo is a critically endangered forest antelope with a chestnut coat and white stripes, with fewer than 100 individuals believed to remain in the wild. Most live in Aberdare National Park’s bamboo forest zone, though sightings are genuinely rare, not guaranteed.
Can I visit all three reserves from one lodge?
Yes. Rhino Watch Safari Lodge sits within reach of Solio Game Reserve, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, and Aberdare National Park, so guests can build game drives across all three without changing accommodation.
