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Walking
Safaris
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Probably
the most natural way of experiencing Kenya's wildlife and its
local people, walking safaris are exciting and eco-friendly. Often
the safaris are based around mobile camps which move along with
the safari either by vehicle or using donkeys as transport in
inaccesible areas. Shorter walking treks can also be arranged
around lodges or within game sanctuaries. Walking is not allowed
in all but three national parks/reserves but there are many other
areas in Kenya which are ideal for walking and offer good chances
of spotting wildlife. Some preffered walking locations are described
below as are selected itineraries, which can be customised.
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| Locations
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| Loita
Hills |
| These grassy rolling hills bordering
the Masai Mara are ideal for a walking safari and offer game viewing,
a diversity of vegetation and some excellent campsites by rivers or perched
up on hillsides. Access to these hills is via Narok and takes about 3
and half hours by road. |
| Chyulu
Hills |
| Lying
to the immediate north east of the magnificent Mount Kilimanjaro, these
range of hills offer stunning views of the mountain and are a challenging
but rewarding site for walking safaris. Wildlife includes plains game
but may be more dispersed than in the nearby Amboseli park and it's surrounding
plains. Accomodation is in camps pitched at scenic spots carefully selected
by the safari guide. Walks can start from Amboseli all the way to the
coast through the Chyulu Hills and down past the Tsavo parks, partly by
road till Mombasa. |
| Rift
Valley Area |
| Several
rewarding sites which are usually located around the prolific Rift Valley
lakes, such as Lake Elementaita, Lake Baringo and Lake Bogoria. There
are plenty of chances for game spotting and the area is generally scenic
and accesible by road. |
| Mount
Longonot |
| A
senile , almost extinct volcano which provides for a half /full day trek
up to the rim of the mountain and around the ragged rim, with excellent
views of the crater on one end, and the Rift valley on the other with
the glistening Lake Naivasha dominating the westward view. Game includes
buffalo among other plains wildlife. Campsite available at the base of
the mountain. |
| Hell's
Gate National Park |
| This
small but spectacular park located past Lake Naivasha is famous for it's
geological formations and dramatic landscapes. Good for a one day trek,
the walker here is rewarded by the scenery, variety of bird life and plains
game, with chance to spot the leopard. Access is one and a half hours
from Nairobi, by road.
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| Walking
Safaris |
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| Stt
W01 - 1 Day Walking Safari - Hell's Gate National Park : |
One
of only 3 national parks in Kenya, where walking / cycling is allowed,
Hell's Gate is a spectacular park with powerful rock foundations dominating
the landscape.
One can walk through the savannah grassland among a variety of plains
game such as giraffe, zebra, eland, hartebeest and buffalo. There is also
a possibility of seeing the cheetah and leopard. The birdlife is prolific
and varied.
Safari involves walking through the large Ol Njorowa Gorge and offers
options of climbing a volcanic formation, Central Tower and the smaller
Fischer Tower named after a German Explorer.
Further walking will take you to the Geothermal site where the underground
water temperature of 300 degrees centigrade is one of the highest in the
world.
Tour starts at 0800hrs in Nairobi and ends 1800hrs in Nairobi. One may
choose to camp overnight at one of the campsites within the park. Contact
us for rates
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W02 - 3 Day Walking Safari : |
Day
1 - The tour starts in Nairobi in the morning. Arrive at Hell's
Gate National Park. Enjoy an exciting walk through the gorge sometimes
amidst herds of plains game. Break for a picnic lunch at one of
the picnic sites while you enjoy the spectacular scenery of this
park. Proceed to the OlKaria geothermal station where you get a
spectacular view of the gorge. Overnight at one of the campsites.
Option of a lodge stay in Naivasha.
Day 2 - Early start to the day after breakfast. Arrive at the
Mount Longonot National |
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Park.
This senile volcano offers magnificent views of the Great Rift Valley
on the one hand and the deep crater on the other. You start your trek
up the mountain which usually takes around an hour, with the last part
being steep and exhaustive. Once at the top, proceed to walk around the
rim of the crater passing by the summit on the southern end. Three hours
later, you may start your descent to the ranger's post. You may encounter
the odd buffalo during your trek and requesting a ranger escort is an
option.
-Camp overnight at the base campsite.
-Option of a lodge stay in Naivasha. |
| Day
3 - Depart after breakfast for Lake Elementaita, an hour away. Arrive
at this small but scenic lake with a varied and interesting bird and animal
life. Explore the area around the lake while watching out for plains game.
Visit the nearby hot water springs on Kokopey Hill. This walk will include
a visit to the local eco-tourism project run by the local community. Lunch
at one of the picnic sites under the shade of an Acacia
tree. Depart for Nairobi reaching late afternoon.Contact
us for rates |
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| Stt
W03 - 5 Day Walking Safari : |
Day
1 - Depart Nairobi around 0800hrs, for the 3 hour drive down
the Mombasa road to Kibwezi. Here we will leave the tarmac and take
a dirt road. for the 30km to where we start walking the caves. Lunch
will be served, then another walk to the entrance of the caves.
Afternoon spent exploring.
Day 2 - After breakfast, explore sections of one of the longest
lava tube caves in the world - Leviathan. These caves, which are
wide, are relatively rare, and thought to have been formed when
molten lava of specific type flowed down a slope of a |
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specific
angle. The surface layer cooled and solidified, but the lower part standing
molten continued to flow on down. Afternoon and evening spent down in
the caves looking at some of the fascinating formations found therein
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| Day
3 - After early breakfast, depart by road for the top of the Chyulu
Hills. It is a superb walking place with grasslands with dense patches
of forest. You could possibly view herds of eland, antelope, giraffe,
zebra and wildebeest. Mt. Kilimanjaro could also be viewed just 50 kms
away. Overnight along the crest. |
| Day
4 - After breakfast, the whole day will be spent walking and exploring
other areas of Chyulu Hills. |
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5 - Early morning gamedrive or short walk before breakfast. Depart
for Nairobi after breakfast. Arrive late afternoon. |
| Contact
us for rates |
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| Stt
W04 - 9 Day Walking Safari : |
Day
1
- After breakfast, depart for Amboseli National Park, set
at the foot of the magnificent Mt. Kilimanjaro. Arrive at the park
by lunchtime. Afternoon gamedrive after lunch.This park is known
especially for its prolific elephant population. Dinner and overnight
at the campsite.
Day 2
- After a buffet breakfast, go for a morning gamedrive. Lunch
and afternoon drive down to Kimana Camp, a sanctuary with magnificent
backdrop of Kilimanjaro. Overnight at the campsite......Contact
us for rates
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W05 - 10 Day Walking / Driving Safari : |
Day
1 - You will be met by our tour driver cum guide and transferred
to your hotel for an overnight stay. Afternoon can be spent shopping
at one of the many malls or Nairobi City Tour can be taken.Overnight
in Nairobi hotel.
Day 2 - After breakfast,leave for Lake Naivasha, a fresh
water lake in the Rift Valley, known for its variety of about 400
types of birds. Arrive at Crater Lake in time for lunch. Do a circular
trek on top of the crater from where you can see the lake and also
can view the birds closely. Return to the lodge for dinner. Overnight
at Naivasha Lodge. |
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3 - Wake up early in the morning to see the variety of water birds
found in the lake. Breakfast and transfer to the park entrance where you
will walk among giraffes, zebras, warthogs and gazelles. After a picnic
lunch, walk to Hell's Gate Gorge passing by the wild vegetation and running
water from the geysers. Return to the lodge for dinner. Overnight at Naivasha
Lodge. |
| Day
4 - After breakfast, transfer to Longonot National Park, an extinct
crater in the Rift Valley. Start the walk by a steady climb to the crater
rim, the highest point in the Rift Valley. Walk around the cater rim in
the afternoon. Descend to the park gate and transfer to Naivasha town
for lunch at 'La Belle Inn'. Return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight
at Lake Naivasha Lodge. |
| Day
5 - After breakfast, drive down to Lake Nakuru National Park, a bird
and rhino sanctuary and famous for its pink flamingoes.It is also a World
Heritage site. Arrive Lake Nakuru Park by lunchtime. Lunch at Nakuru Lodge
and afternoon gamedrive follows. Big game like white buffalo, waterbuck,
Grant's and Thomson's Gazelle, impala, jackal, lion and leopard can be
seen during the gamedrive. Late afternoon transfer to Lake Elementaita
Lodge for dinner and overnight. |
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6 - After breakfast, transfer to Malewa Ranch, a wildlife conservancy
situated on the banks of Malewa river. Start the walk by crossing Malewa
River. Return via a cliff from where you can have wonderful views of Mount
Longonot, Lake Naivasha and Rift Valley. Make a detour across the bridge
over the Malewa river and to the lodge where you can have late lunch before
returning to the hotel. Dinner and overnight at Lake Elementaita Lodge. |
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7 - After breakfast, walk up to the lakeshore from where you will
proceed to the hot springs and intothe Kokopey Hill. Walk mainly in open
savannah and the gentle sloping hills have panoramic view. Return to the
lodge in time for lunch and a leisurely afternoon. Dinner and overnight
at Lake Elementaita Lodge. |
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8 - After breakfast, depart for world famous Masai Mara Game Reserve.
Arrive at the lodge / camp in time for lunch. After relaxing at the swimming
pool, go for an evening gamedrive through the park. Return to the lodge
/ camp for dinner. Overnight at Masai Mara Lodge. |
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9 - Early morning gamedrive in the park before breakfast.Head for
the park gate from where you start walking to the Masai manyatta or homestead,
where you can see how the Masai live. Return to the lodge for lunch and
afternoon can be spent relaxing by the swimming pool. Afternoon gamedrive
allows sightings of the game. Dinner and overnight at the lodge. |
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10 - After breakfast, depart for Nairobi. Complimentary lunch at Carnivore
Restaurant, one of Africa's most famous restaurant and also known for
its barbecued game meat. Afternoon can be spent doing last minute shopping.
Late afternoon transfer to the airport for flight home....Contact
us for rates |
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| Information
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| From
one to ten days, one walks in the cool hours of the morning and in the
afternoon a gamedrive is undertaken in a four-wheel-drive. Recently introduced
is an exciting walk along the edge of the spectacular Great Rift Valley
north of Maralal. |
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