Segera spreads across 50,000 acres of the Laikipia Plateau, high above sea level and facing Mount Kenya on the clear days. It was Jochen Zeitz, the former chief executive of Puma, who bought what was then a degraded cattle ranch. He made it his home, and later opened it as a retreat built around four principles: conservation, community, culture and commerce.
Almost all of it was restored, replanted or brought back to life
Those principles show most clearly in the art. His contemporary African collection runs through the villas, the restored stables and the gardens, so the whole place reads as an open-air gallery in the highlands, where a piece turns up where you least expect it and the line between home and museum quietly dissolves. Little here was found ready-made. Almost all of it was restored, replanted or brought back to life.
Days can be as full or as empty as guests choose. Game drives run by day and by night, guided walks cross the conservancy on foot, and community visits reach local schools and conservation projects. For quieter hours, art tours of the Zeitz Collection sit alongside spa treatments, the saltwater pool and long stretches spent doing very little at all.
Back at the table, dining carries much of Segera’s identity
For those wanting range, helicopter flights with Tropic Air reach Mount Kenya and the Great Rift Valley lakes, opening up the remote country beyond and turning long overland journeys into short hops. Back at the table, dining carries much of Segera’s identity, its ingredients drawn largely from the property’s organic gardens and the surrounding farms.
The accommodation carries the same attention to detail. Six timber and thatch villas stand raised on stilts, each with a private deck, a swing bed and a sunken Jacuzzi, the bedrooms set on the upper level to make the most of the views. For more space, Villa Segera offers two en-suite bedrooms linked by an elevated walkway around a private pool, while Segera House adds three master suites with its own garden and plunge pool. The restored Farmhouse and the two-bedroom Greenhouse suit families and groups, and the Nay Palad Bird Nest is a raised sleep-out with an open rooftop bed and long views across the plateau.
Restoration is written into the land itself, turning old ranch ground into wooded savannah, grassland and riverine forest along the Suguroi River. Wetlands and springs now draw giraffe, zebra and plains game across the property, and the conservancy protects a corridor used by elephants alongside endangered Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe and African wild dog. Segera does not carry the density of the Mara or some neighbouring conservancies, and it does not pretend to. This is a place built for slow days rather than dawn-to-dusk game chasing, where the pace is set by the guest rather than the herd.
Wetlands and springs now draw giraffe, zebra and plains game across the property
Every stay supports work already under way on the conservancy, from schools and tree-planting to beekeeping and anti-poaching patrols. Guests can go behind the scenes to see how it all runs, meeting the rangers on patrol and the nurseries in the organic gardens. Service comes from staff and management who know the land well, attentive without being intrusive, and the mood stays unhurried throughout. There are open fires and low loungers, hummingbirds in the gardens, birdsong by day and the distant sound of lions after dark.
Range comes easily, too. Helicopter flights by Tropic Air reach Mount Kenya and the Great Rift Valley lakes, turning long overland journeys into short hops. Closer to home, game drives run by day and by night, guided walks cross the conservancy on foot, and art tours of the Zeitz Collection sit alongside spa treatments and the saltwater pool. Dining carries much of Segera’s identity, its ingredients drawn largely from the property’s organic gardens and surrounding farms, in a retreat built on the idea that comfort and conservation can share the same ground.
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accommodation
Segera offers ten villas across a range of configurations, among them six timber and thatch garden villas raised on stilts with private decks, swing beds and sunken Jacuzzis. Larger options run from Villa Segera and Segera House to the restored Farmhouse and the two-bedroom Greenhouse, while the Nay Palad Bird Nest is a raised sleep-out with an open rooftop bed.
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activities
Within the private conservancy, guests can take day and night game drives, guided walks and community visits to local schools and projects. Beyond that lie art tours of the Zeitz Collection, spa treatments, the saltwater pool and villa sleep-outs, while helicopter flights with Tropic Air reach Mount Kenya, the Great Rift Valley lakes and the remote country to the north.
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conservation
Segera runs on the principles of conservation, community, culture and commerce, and is a founding member of The Long Run. The conservancy protects a wildlife corridor used by elephants and endangered species including Grevy's zebra and African wild dog, and every stay supports local schools, tree-planting, beekeeping and anti-poaching work on the land.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
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You fly up from Nairobi. A light aircraft from Wilson airport reaches the Laikipia airstrips in about an hour, and Segera meets you for the short transfer onto the conservancy. We build the flights into your itinerary and match them to your international arrival, and if you prefer to fly privately we can arrange a charter, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, direct to Laikipia on your own schedule.
The bush planes take soft bags of around fifteen kilograms per person, hand luggage included, so pack a duffel rather than a hard case. Segera also runs helicopter flights with Tropic Air for those who want to reach Mount Kenya and the Rift Valley lakes.
It is a lower-risk malaria area, but not a malaria-free one. The plateau's altitude and dry climate keep mosquito activity down, yet Laikipia still sits below the height at which the CDC and TravelHealthPro consider risk to fall away, so most travellers are advised to take antimalarial tablets rather than skip them.
Because this is a health question and guidance is updated regularly, please confirm the current position with a travel clinic or your doctor, and take the usual precautions against bites after dark.
Laikipia is high country, so days are warm and clear while nights and dawns are genuinely cold the year round. The dry seasons are dusty; the two rainy spells, roughly March to May and again later in the year, green the plateau and can bring afternoon showers.
Pack a proper warm layer, a hat and gloves for early game drives and any sleep-outs, alongside sun protection and neutral colours for the day. Light rain gear is worth having in the wetter months, and closed shoes for the walking.
The dry windows, July to September and December to February, bring the strongest viewing as game gathers along the rivers and dams, with clear skies for night drives, walking and sleeping out. The green seasons disperse the animals a little but reward you with fine birding and quieter conservancies.
The altitude keeps days warm and nights cold whenever you come, so pack for both regardless of season.
Segera is a private 50,000-acre conservancy, which frees the day well beyond a park's rules. You can drive after dark, walk the land on foot and visit community schools and projects, and the stay is built as much around art, the Zeitz Collection and quiet time as around game drives.
Helicopter flights open up country you could never reach by road, from Mount Kenya to the Rift Valley lakes. It is a broader, slower kind of safari than a park circuit, with the wildlife one part of a larger whole.
There is wifi in the main areas, which is the pattern across Laikipia's private lodges, so you can check in when you need to. Mobile coverage on the plateau is improving but comes and goes, and is best thought of as unreliable once you are out on a drive.
If staying reachable matters for part of your trip, tell us and we will confirm the current setup at the villas before you travel.
rated five stars by our clients
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
