Meet
‍Giza

Giza is a wild female black (melanistic) leopard who lives in the Laikipia landscape around Ol Gaboli. She’s become one of Africa’s best-known black leopards because she’s been photographed and filmed more often than almost any other individual, yet she remains entirely wild and free-ranging.

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No – sightings are never guaranteed, and that’s part of the magic. We encourage guests who are travelling especially for Giza to spend a minimum of four nights at Ol Gaboli. Camera traps and long-term research show that these cats are mostly nocturnal, secretive and highly mobile, so even being in the right place doesn’t mean you’ll see her.

If a potential Giza sighting is a big part of your dream, we recommend at least 4–6 nights. That gives us time to learn where she’s been moving from fresh tracks, research updates and prey activity – and still lets you enjoy everything else Ol Gaboli and Mpala have to offer if she doesn’t appear.

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No. We do not sell special black leopard vehicles or daily black panther safaris. We think that kind of productisation risks putting too much pressure on a single wild animal. Instead:

• All normal drives are mixed wildlife drives, where Giza is one possibility among many.
• On rare occasions we may host a specialist, conservation-focused or photographic expedition with agreed protocols – but those are one-off hosted trips, not something we sell every day.

Our guiding principle is simple: Giza’s welfare comes before anyone’s photograph. That means:

• Always cary a ranger from Mpala Research Centre with our guests
• Limited time and vehicle numbers in sensitive areas
• No off-road driving where it could damage habitat or disturb prey
• No baiting, no call-ups, no drones, no flash at close range
• Leaving immediately if she shows any sign of discomfort

We’d rather miss a sighting than push Giza beyond what feels respectful.

Our access comes through a community-based partnership with Mpala Research Centre. Mpala is a working research landscape, and we are guests there: we only use agreed tracks and viewing areas, we follow researcher guidelines, and we treat Giza first and foremost as a study animal and a wild leopard, not an attraction. We are very proud of this relationship, and look forward to continuing to work with Mpala on a number of community initiatives.

Access is strictly from sunrise to sunset. We do not drive into Mpala’s research areas at night, we do not spotlight Giza, and we do not use bait, calls or any other artificial methods to find her. All sightings are on her terms.

Yes. You’ll always be with an experienced guide, in a vehicle, following Mpala and conservancy safety rules. Leopards – even black ones – avoid people on foot. Your biggest “risk” is mild sleep deprivation from early starts!

Yes. We run high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi at the lodge and plenty of solar power with battery storage, so photographers can charge camera batteries, laptops, hard drives and phones throughout their stay. You can back up images, send raws to editors or simply gloat on Instagram from the middle of Laikipia.

Black leopards have been recorded in Laikipia year-round, so there’s no single “season” when they appear and disappear. Dry seasons (roughly July–October and January–March) often give better visibility and access, while green seasons can offer dramatic skies and fewer vehicles. The key is staying long enough and managing expectations.

Camera-trap and photographic projects centred on Mpala, Loisaba and surrounding conservancies have identified only a small number of melanistic leopards – roughly half a dozen to around ten individuals across the wider landscape. Laikipia likely holds the highest density of black leopards known anywhere in Africa, but they are still exceptionally rare.

Melanism is a naturally occurring genetic variation where a mutation increases the production of melanin, the dark pigment in skin and hair. In leopards, this turns the coat very dark but doesn’t remove the rosette pattern – under certain light, you can still see Giza’s spots like a ghost pattern in the black.

Black leopards aren’t a separate species; they’re the same African leopard, just with a different colour. Their conservation status is tied to leopard populations as a whole. African leopards are listed as Vulnerable, mainly because of habitat loss, loss of prey and human-wildlife conflict.

By staying with us you’re directly supporting:

• Community partnerships with Mpala and local women’s groups
• A model of tourism that values research and low-impact viewing over volume
• Ongoing leopard and predator work in the wider landscape, through conservation fees and collaboration

The more we can show that careful, community-led tourism has real value, the stronger the case for keeping this landscape wild for Giza and every other creature that lives here.

“Black panther” isn’t a species – it’s a loose nickname for any big cat in the genus Panthera with a black coat, most often black leopards in Africa/Asia and black jaguars in the Americas. Giza is, scientifically, an African leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) with melanism – a black leopard. Calling her a “black panther” is popular shorthand on social media, but biologically she’s the same species as a “normal” spotted leopard, just with a different colour morph.

Please contact us on reservations@olgaboli.com