Tour Summary:

9 days camping safari: Places to visit. Samburu ,Marsabit national park, Kalacha,Chalbi desert, Loiyangalani, Lake Turkana, Turkana Villages, Maralal, Nyahururu, Thomson Falls.

Day 1; Arrival in Nairobi
You are met upon arrival. Transfer to Boulevard Hotel / Similar for your briefing.
1930hrs pick up and transfer for an African Cuisine restaurant.
Meals and overnight at Boulevard Hotel / Similar BB.

Day 2; Nairobi- Samburu
After breakfast commence drive and drive northwards to Samburu Game Reserve via Mt. Kenya and Past Coffee plantations. We also pass Nyahururu market. Accommodation in our semi-permanent campsite is beautifully set under a canopy of trees. Alternatively we pitch tents at the banks of Uaso Nyiro river – translated Brown in Samburu dialect. Enjoy cold showers that will  refresh you in this hot dusty climates.

Day 3; Samburu
We spend this full day of game viewing this semi Arid national park park famous as the homeland of the semi-nomadic Samburu tribesmen. Other cat family to be found here include the lions, cheetahs, leopards. Samburu is a haven for birders with its diverse bird species. Animals to be seen include the reticulated giraffe, Somali Ostrich, Gerenuk Grevys Zebra. These are unique distinct animals not be seen in any other park in Kenya.

Meals and overnight at the camp.

Day 4 –  Samburu -  Marsabit
Breakfast and break camp. We further north along the Trans-African highway to Marsabit Town. The word Marsabit means cold weather. This is an amazing green, cool and hilly place that is a total contrast of its surrounding desert lands. This is the home for the Rendille and the Samburu people. Have a chance to interact with them and learn more of their culture.

We may have a chance of driving to Lakes Pardie and Little Lake where the indigenous forest and a desert merge to form the most awesome landscape you may ever live to see. Elephants and greater kudu are in plenty.

Day 4 –  Marsabit - Kalacha
We break camp and continue drive in this arid area and proceed drive to Kalacha – this is the home of the Gabbra people located on the edge of Chalbi desert.

The Gabbra are generally thought to be very good looking people, the men wearing traditional shorts and a blanket-cloak and the women wearing a wrap-around and a head cloth.Their traditions have a close relationship to those of the Israelite people as recorded in Genesis and Exodus.Relationships and family ties are very strong.

They Gabbra are an Eastern Cushite people related to the Somali-Rendille in their historical origins in the southern Ethiopian highlands about AD 1000. The men wear traditional shorts and a blanket-cloak and the women wear a wrap-around and head cloth. They are pastoralists, particularly attached to their camels.
 
Day 5 – Kalacha - Lake Turkana
Early morning departure across the Chalbi Desert to Lake Turkana. This is the largest recorded desert lake in the world surrounded by volcanic rock and desert. Check in to our our semi - permanent beach village where we have our traditional Turkana Huts; this makes it a perfect realxing place having withstood the scorching sun and heat..

Day 6 - Lake Turkana
Spend full day relaxing by the 'beach' or hire a local boat and go fishing. Alternatively you visit the adjacent lodge and plung in their pool (all at an extra cost). For those willing , we may visit Loiyangalani and the community settled there or better still visit the Turkana Manyattas [homesteads optional] for traditional dances( at an extra cost).

Lake Turkana , formerly L. Rudolf is now named after one of the tribes living here. It is in this area that Richard Leakey 'discovered' and uncovered the ‘Homo Erectus.’ The site is today known as the “Cradle of Mankind” and the  “Jade Sea”for its blue – green colour.

This is a result of algae particles, which shift with changes of the wind and light, so that the water surface shifts from blue to grey to fabulous jade. The largest population of Nile crocodiles in the world are also in this lake.

Dinner and overnight.

Day 7 – Lake Turkana - Maralal
Breakfast and journey on to Maralal via the Horr Valley between Mount Ol Doinye Mara and Nyiro as we enjoy the breath taking scenery. Again you witness one of the most breathtaking scenery in Africa – an endless stretch of land that drops down to Suguta valley. This is the Losiolo Escaparment.

Maralal is the capitol town of the Samburu people. This is the home to the world known Maralal International camel derby that takes place annually between July and October and has participants drawn from all over the world. It is only of its kind in the world.

This town has a colourful Samburu market and a game sanctuary that lies just outside of town.

Day 8 – Nairobi
Today we head south via Laikipia Plains and make a stop over at the Thomson falls. The falls are named afetr an explorer- Joseph Thomson who walked from Mombasa to Lake Victoria in the early 1880s. The falls plunge over 72m down into a rift. After lunch we drive back to Nairobi arriving mid afternoon.

Drop off at a city hotel or Jomo Kenyatta International airport for your out bound flight.

COST: Valid throughout the year - Per person EUR 682.00

RATES INCLUDE:

• Transport based on a purpose built overland truck
• All park and vehicle entry fees
• Accommodation in camps and tents (each tent shared by 2 people) and all meals while on safari
• Service of a safari cook and English-speaking driver
• Government taxes

RATES EXCLUDE:

• US$ 130 Local Payments e.g Park Fees, Locals Fees, etc
• Extras: Personal Expenses & toiletries e.g. mineral water, toilet tissue, laundry, telephones, beverages, tips, portage

WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING ON SAFARI:

• Sleeping bag (available for hire for US$ 15 per bag per safari plus a refundable deposit of US$ 400 after the safari)
• Money for personal spending and tipping – minimum approx. US$ 10 a day
• Only a small case or rucksack, as storage space is limited [maximum 20kgs].
• A pair of long trousers and jersey for the cool mornings and evenings, in addition to plenty of light clothes for hot days (do not forget a hat), swim suit, a pillow, good walking and biking shoes
• Torch, sunglasses, suntan lotion, insect repellent/spray but not mosquito coils
• Mineral water for drinking (available for sale in Nairobi and other towns)
• Camera, films, binoculars, maps and guide-books
• Toilet paper, towel, soap and toothbrush/paste