Kenya: face to face with the world’s last two northern white rhinos

(Posted 15th October 2026)

Courtesy of Charlotte ‘Nagawa’ Beauvoisin of Diary of a Muzungu

A moving moment: Najin is one of only two northern white rhinos.

Despite her VASTNESS Najin is a very gentle creature. She walked straight towards us, her metre-long horn pointed directly at me. Thankfully I was secure in the comfort of a safari vehicle but I did have a moment of: WTF?

Najin’s weakness? Carrots!

Why I was unsure about a “last chance to see” visit


Najin and her daughter Fatu are the only two surviving northern white rhinos. To be honest, I wasn’t sure about taking part in a “last chance to see” experience. The idea feels macabre and not a trend I want to promote but my visit to Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy changed that concern. Why?

The plan to save the northern white rhino

There’s an ambitious programme to implant embryos of northern white rhino (from animals in European zoos) into surrogate white rhinos. There are just 20-something embryos and success is not guaranteed but the project gives hope, nonetheless. I first learned about this programme with Ugandan David Bakeine, an expert in rhino conservation.

Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary

I’ve been in Kenya for ten days now, courtesy of Kenya Tourism Board. Our itinerary included a visit to the chimp sanctuary at Sweetwaters, another popular stop on Kenyan safaris. It’s built along the lines of Uganda’s Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary: giving a home to animals from West and Central Africa rescued from poachers and the pet trade. The Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary is a collaboration between the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Jane Goodall Institute. Sweetwaters is a PASA (Pan African Sanctuary Alliance) accredited sanctuary.

I had dozens of questions for our guide Sam Makesen. Ol Pejeta episode of the East Africa Travel Podcast coming soon!

Chimps are not native to Kenya but wild chimpanzees are regularly heard around my home at Sunbird Hill on the edge of Uganda’s Kibale Forest. Chimpanzees have become a big part of my life.

Game drives in Ol Pejeta Conservancy

On our game drive in Ol Pejeta Conservancy we saw black rhino. (Can you tell the difference between black and white?) When we pulled over to watch a small herd of elephant, a lioness appeared out of the bush! Known by locals as Sarah, we watched her pause to drink from a puddle behind our vehicle.

Mount Kenya, Nanyuki and Samburu

A hike through the mist on Mount Kenya, guided by Elijah the ‘prolific mountain climber’ and Peter the botanist; a rooftop jacuzzi in Nanyuki; game drives in search of big cats; campfires (and camels); Samburu’s Big Five: Somali ostrich, Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, the gerenuk and (my favourite) the handsome Beisa oryx.

“Marco!” My fellow travellers teased me. My frequent questions to our driver proved to be quite entertaining!

Ten days, hundreds of questions and one very gentle rhino later, I’m heading home to Kibale Forest with a lot to think about. Najin and Fatu can’t save their subspecies on their own, but the people working alongside them just might. Visiting Ol Pejeta isn’t a last chance to see, it’s a chance to support what comes next.