The North Kenya/Ethiopia Expedition

Trip code: Z516

A 13 night/14 day expedition

A 13 night/14 day expedition departing and ending from Nairobi international aiport. Three guides and several vehicles, self equipped, travel by road staying in either permanent camps or setting up overnight camps where no suitable accommodation exists.

 The Day-to-day itinerary:

Day 1:  Arrive Jomo Kenyatta airport, Nairobi; transfer to Fairview Hotel and meet the rest of the group, overnight Fairview Hotel

Day 2-5  Charter flight Nairobi to Namunyak (Eastern Mathews range of mountains); overnight Sarara Community Camp.  Stay three nights in Sarara which has a swimming pool, and activities include walks and night drives. There is a waterhole in front of the camp which attracts most of the species in the area.

• The Nomadic Samburu pastoralists, one of Kenya's most colorful tribes populate this area. During the dry season (July to October) the Samburu can be seen using the age old method of digging deep wells in the sand watercourses.
• These singing wells are used to bring water to the surface by hand accompanied by traditional songs of praise to the cattle.
• Sharing the land with elephant, buffalo, reticulated giraffe, both lesser and greater kudu, gerenuk, Grants gazelle, lion, leopard and cheetah. The area has one of the largest wild dog populations left in Africa.

Day 5: Depart by road for the Milgis/Seya Lugga, a vast sand river which is a raging river in the hot season. Overnight in a lightweight camp en route to Baragoi, South Horr onto Loyengalani (focal point of John Le Carr's novel "The Constant Gardener").

Day 6: Overnight Loyengalani in a run down lodge supplemented by own supplies on the lake shore of Lake Turkana. The lodge has a hot spring pool fed out of the lava.

• Lake Turkana formerly Lake Rudolf, sometimes referred to as the Jade Sea, lies in the far north of Kenya and is the largest lake in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya stretching 3500 miles from the Red Sea to the coast of Mozambique. Turkana is famous as one of the sites of man's earliest konwn existence "The Cradle of Mankind" is the name by which it is known.
• North of the equator the lake is bordered by Sudan and Ethiopia in the north and the primeval sentinels of Count Teliki's volcano and the Nabiyatum Cone.
• A rich variety of bird life inhabit the region feeding on the rich lacustine life. Loyengalani is an NGO feeding centre for Rendville, Turkana Gabbra and El Molo tribesman. It is left to you to decide on the benefits or detrimental results of these aid programs.

Day 7: Drive north to overnight amongst the Gabbra an attractive race of Cushitic camel herders. On the way visiting the El Molo fishing villages. These villagers are the last remnants of Kenya's smallest tribe which traditionally lived on the shores of the lake.

• The Turkana tribe who populate most of the lake shore are some of the toughest most resilient humans on the planet.

Day 8: To the Hurri Hills north of Kalacha visiting the grave cairns of a tribe of giant people, returning to overnight in the community camp of the Gabbra. As this camp is in the middle of the desert, the facilities are limited.

Day 9 and 10: Depart for Koobi Fora and Richard Leakey's (Origins of Man), overnighting in either the museum bandas or in camp to visit the fossil sites and museum in the morning

Day 11: Drive through the Northern sector of Sibiloi National Park (one of the least visited areas of Kenya) to Ileret, on the border of Ethiopia, to spend time with the Dassenechs. This tribe have fine cattle herds on the Omo Delta. Scarification is practiced amongst the men depicting enemy killed in battle. Overnight mobile tented camp.

Day 12 & 13: Spend the morning in Iliret which is a garrison town and depart for Alia Bay via the petrified forests which have been dated to 4 million years old camping in Sibiloi for two nights. Overnighting in mobile tented camp.

Day 14: Depart from Alia by charter aircraft to Nairobi. Day room at the Aero Club departing on evening flights from Nairobi international airport.

The expedition starts with fresh vegetables, fruits and foods but towards the latter part of the trip will use dehydrated and canned foods supplemented wherever possible by fish, sheep which will be purchased en route.

• A list of clothing and other general supplies is supplied on booking
  
  

Cost:  Please contact us for the 2010 and 2011 prices

Rates	Duration
US$ POA per person sharing	13 night/14 day expedition

• Maximum 8 guests on the expedition
• Space is limited - please check availability
• ALL FARES AND TAXES ARE SUBJECT TO INCREASE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE AND AT THE DISCRETION OF THE AIRLINES AND GOVERNMENT. ALL FARES ARE SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY IN THE CORRECT BOOKING CLASSES AT THE TIME OF MAKING THE RESERVATION

Featured Camps & Lodges:

• Sarara Community Camp