written by Melissa Barronton

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Setting out for your first safari is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Even if you return, you'll never forget your first game drive.  Visiting Solio Ranch would give us the chance to spot white rhinos and perhaps catch a glimpse of black rhinos as well.

With great anticipation, Richard, our private guide for the next few days, picked us up at Macushla House in Karen, and we set off for our drive to our first safari camp, Glamping Kenya, for lunch before our very first afternoon drive.  

We hadn't seen much of Nairobi since we had driven straight from NBO airport to Karen, so heading out to Glamping Kenya gave us a chance to see a little more.  Not that we really knew what to expect, but honestly, we were surprised by how clean and developed Nairobi was (we had just come from Cairo, where we found Nairobi much cleaner). 

When many people come to Kenya for a safari, they often head straight to the Maasai Mara or other places directly by plane.  Personally, I liked the drive from Nairobi to Laikipia, where Solio Ranch is located, as it gave us a chance to see more of what Kenya, outside Nairobi and outside of the National Parks and Game Preserves, is really like.  Having the drive with Richard allowed us to get to know him as well, why he is a guide, about his kids and family, and the fact that a lot of his family has never been on a safari game drive and that for various reasons, many locals don't view the animals the same way we do.

How to See the Rhinos at Solio Ranch

For our safari, we worked with Mackay Africa to arrange a private safari.  Since this trip was for our 30th anniversary and photography was important to us, we chose to hire them for transportation and the drives.  This meant that Richard picked us up in Nairobi, drove us to Glamping Kenya, did our game drives in Solio Ranch, drove us to Samburu, did our game drives in Samburu, and then drove us to the airstrip near Samburu for a flight to the Maasai Mara, where another guide, Sammy, would pick us up for our Maasai Mara drives. 

Many camps and lodges provide game-drive vehicles and guides, but you'll be in a safari vehicle with other lodge guests who want to go out that day, rather than having a private game drive.  The camp at Solio is called Solio Lodge and is part of the Safari Collection, which also includes Giraffe Manor, located in Karen. 

Giddy with excitement at our first tented camp experience, we arrived at Glamping Kenya to check in and have lunch.  We would have an afternoon game drive at Solio Ranch, dinner and breakfast at the camp, and a morning game drive at Solio Ranch before heading to Samburu National Park.

Richard was so patient with us as we were excited about everything we saw.  We were here to see the rhinos, as it would be our only chance among all the places we visited, but he indulged us by taking us to see the Zebras in the wild for the first time.

And then we began to spot the rhinos... (these are taken at various times and places in Solio Ranch over the course of the afternoon and next morning game drive by both myself (on a Nikon) and Scott (on a Sony) and thus the difference in the lighting).

And there were babies too...

And a moment for this nursing baby zebra as the sun is setting...

These two big guys who were ready to fight (over a female I think)...

Richard is so knowledgeable about all the animals we saw (you have to be highly trained and certified to guide safari) and he would tell us so many things about each species, differences between males and females, the mating and birthing behavior and so much more. He also pointed about so many plants, trees, flowers and the significance of them as well. Here are a few of the birds we saw in Solio Ranch. 

We personally love spoonbills and see them in Florida during part of the year so it was a treat to spot them here as well. 

Where we Stayed to visit Solio Ranch

For this trip we stayed at Glamping Kenya, with views of Mt Kenya in the distance. Here are a few shots of Glamping Kenya. Glamping Kenya is family owned and run and was fairly new when we visited. All food was included, alcoholic beverages could be purchased separately.  We only stayed here one night at the beginning of our trip so there wasn't time or the need for laundry.  It was cool the night we stayed here so this was our first experience with them putting the hot water bottles in the bed for warmth as we went to bed. We visited during the first week of October. 

We would love to help you plan your dream safari in Kenya through our partnership with Mackay Africa and our travel agency, Sunshine Travelers Experiences.  You can reach out to for more information here.