Below you will find a short description of the national parks and the places you will visit during both trips. Because you will camp at remote sites during the safari, you will travel in groups. You will have to take into consideration that your freedom will be limited. All game drives in order to observe wildlife are included in the trip. There may be unforeseen circumstances due to the nature of these trips in these countries that cause a change in schedule or even a change in itinerary. Djoser’s Land Program begins and ends in Nairobi. The days on this program are numbered to match the Djoser Netherland’s program so that travelers from North America and the Netherlands will all be on the same schedule. An additional travel day from the United States is denoted as +1.
Nairobi, Samburu, Mount Kenya
+1 Day Flight from USA
Day 1 Arrival Nairobi
Day 2 Nairobi - Samburu Nature Reserve
Day 3 Samburu National Reserve
Day 4 Samburu NR - Mount Kenya
At the end of the 19th century Nairobi was merely a poor encampment for construction workers of the “crazy railroad” from Mombasa to the heart of Africa. Despite the unhygienic circumstances in the camp due to drainage problems, the administrative machinery was quickly moved to Nairobi and the commercial sector followed soon after. The Nairobi of today with more than a million inhabitants is an administrative, cultural and commercial center unequaled in Africa. The Somalia’s, Arabs, Nubians, Indians, Pakistani, Japanese and Westerners live together relatively trouble-free among the African majority. The presence of mosques, temples, synagogues and churches are proof of the cosmopolitan character of Nairobi.
The day after arrival we immediately start our trip. It will take about 7 hours to drive to Samburu National Reserve, north of Isiolo. The last part of the trip is on a bumpy sandy road through the region of the Samburu tribe. This park is less touristy than Masai Mara and is famous for the Grevy’s zebra, giraffes and Somalia ostriches. Chances are that you will see elephants and crocodiles. Plains of lava, deep gorges and round hilltops dominate the landscape. Vegetation mainly consists of prickly bushes and acacias, and forest along the Ewaso Nyiro. We will set up the tents in the shade of the trees. The Samburu mainly live off their goats and cattle. They are closely related to the Masai; they speak the same language, the Maa, and wear the same red and purple clothing.
About four hours from Samburu is the holy mountain of the Kikuyu, residence of their god Ngei who maintains the mysterious white – the eternal snow. Around 1890, when the first travelers returned from this region, they were laughed at when they talked about the eternal snow on the equator. The top of Mount Kenya was not reached until 1930. The region around Mount Kenya consists of several mountain ranges, snowfields, glaciers, ponds, lakes, waterfalls and gigantic rubble slopes. Extensive dense rainforests at the bottom of the mountains host a large variety of wildlife. The vegetation on the slopes is very exceptional, especially the large ragwort and the numerous heather plants. The surroundings of Mount Kenya consist of grassy plains and farmlands of the Kikuyu, the largest agricultural community of Kenya. Most of the food supply of Nairobi comes from this region. During our stay you are free to explore the broad-leaved forest of Mount Kenya by foot, by mountain bike or on horseback.
Lake Baringo
Day 5 Mount Kenya - Nyahururu waterfalls - Lake Baringo
Day 6 Lake Baringo
We travel back to Nanyuki the next day. With some luck you will be able to glance at Mount Kenya once more in the morning. On the way to Lake Baringo we will stop at the Nyahururu Waterfalls. Local women to their souvenir shops will guarantee you an invitation. Lake Baringo is the absolute highlight for bird lovers. Birdwatchers from all over of the world come here to catch sight of the more than 450 kinds of birds around the lake. You will have the option to visit the crocodiles and the hippos in the lake by boat. By the way, hippos are good-natured animals that leave the water at night to graze their daily quantity of 132 pounds of grass, at times going a distance of 24 miles Chances are they choose to graze around your tent. We will also look for the impressive fish hawks that are common here. In the evening we may pay a visit to the village of Kampi ya Samaki where people usually have a good time into the early morning hours.
Cherangani Hills, Lake Turkana
Day 7 Lake Baringo - Cherangani Hills
Day 8 Cherangani Hills - Lake Turkana, to Central Island
Day 9 Lake Turkana, return from Central Island (stay in huts)
Day 10 Lake Turkana - Cherangani Hills
Day 11 Cherangani Hills
It is a long journey from Lake Baringo to the Cherangani Hills, where we will spend one night in Marich Pass. From the northerly Cherangani Hills with its spectacular gorges you will overlook the green plains. After the heat and the burning sun of the desert you will enjoy the shady campground in the hills. We will set up camp at the Morun River. This is an ideal area for hiking with its many small villages inhabited by the Pokot who are related to the Turkana, and its beautiful views of the pleasant mountain scenery. You may want to try your luck in the Morun River. Rumor has it that gold is hidden in the river silt! After we leave this green hilly country we descend into the arid and hot north part of Kenya. The road to Lake Turkana is 147 miles of stretch of asphalt through a flat sand desert. After a long ride via Lodwar, the region’s capital, we reach Lake Turkana near the village of Kalokol where there is hardly any vegetation. This is the home of the Turkana who, like the Masai, Samburu and Pokot, belong to the Nile population and spread south over the course of centuries from the Nile delta. Because of their isolated location the Turkana have hardly had any exposure to the outside world. Over the past few years, more or less forced by lack of land and by persisting drought, these herdsmen have moved on to fishing and, when possible, to farming.
After lunch, we board a boat on the bluish green water of the Jade Sea to Central Island, which is located about nine miles from Lake Turkana’s west shore consists of three non-active volcanoes. The edge of one crater lake is the breeding ground of a small population of Nile crocodiles. This windy island also hosts a variety of birds. You are likely to see flamingoes at the greenish alkaline lake called Lake Flamingo. The next day we return to the west shore of the lake where you will have an opportunity to go for a swim before you return to spend the night at in huts. Traveling south the following day from Lake Turkana to the Cherangani Hills, we set up camp in the beautiful yard of an old English colonial farm. Here you may take a walk in the country, by yourself or with a guide, and meet with the friendly Pokot.
Lakes Nakuru and Navaisha
Day 12 Cherangani Hills - Lake Nakuru
Day 13 Lake Nakuru – Lake Navaisha
We drive to Lake Nakuru National Park. This park is famous for its alkaline lake of the same name and is the home base of thousands of flamingoes and numerous other sorts of birds. On the shore of the lake you can pick up the unusual scent of the brackish, mineral-rich water. During the drought the water surface may drop so much that salt rims become visible. Since 1986 Lake Nakuru National Park has a special region set aside called ”Rhino Rescue” to protect the endangered species of the rhinoceros, so there is a good chance that you will see rhinos in this park. Other wildlife in this park includes lions, buffalos and giraffes. From ”Baboon Cliff” you will have a beautiful view of the lake. The following day we drive from Lake Nakuru to the highest lake in the Rift Valley, Lake Navaisha. In the afternoon you may take an optional boat ride on the lake and be sure to encounter some of the many hippos that live in the lake. The lake also has a great diversity of birds. At the shore of this lake, we might visit Villa Elsamere, the residence of the Adamson family, famous for the book ”Born Free”, where a number of black and white (colobus) monkeys live in the yard, who are easy to photograph.
Masai Mara
Day 14 Lake Navaisha - Masai Mara
Day 15 Masai Mara, game drives
From Lake Navaisha we drive to Masai Mara, where we will set up camp just in front of the park’s main entrance on a private site. During our two-day stay you will have ample time to observe the great variety of fauna up close. Almost every traveler through Kenya visits this extensive region bordering Tanzania, and rightfully so, because the number of wildlife varieties is gigantic. It is not rare to see lions hunting. The huge migration of wildebeest from the south in July/August and back in October is quite an adventure. Characteristic for the ‘“Mara” are the sloping grasslands with the typical African acacias. The ‘Mara’ is the residential area of the Masai. Masai Mara has the status of National Reserve, different from the National Parks, where human population is not permitted. The Masai let their cattle graze in the reserve and if wild animals become life threatening to them, they have the right to kill the animals. You may exit the bus here and explore the surroundings of the park by foot and meet the Masai in their own habitat. Unfortunately it is forbidden to walk into the park itself; imagine you run into a hungry lion.
Nyali Beach
Day 16 Masai Mara – Nairobi, night train to Mombasa
Day 17 Arrival Mombasa, transfer to Nyali Beach
Day 18 Nyali Beach
Day 19 Nyali Beach
Day 20 Nyali Beach – Mombasa, flight to Nairobi
Day 21 Flight Nairobi - In Transit
+1 Day Arrival USA
Via the town of Narok we drive back to Nairobi, where we will take the night train to Mombasa. We spend the night on the train, four persons per berth. The train ride takes about 14 hours. Bed linens are provided. Dinner and breakfast are included. The population of Kenya’s shore region is known for their easygoing lifestyle. Nyali Beach is about 3 miles north of Mombasa. Here we spend the night in a pleasant hotel at the beach. The complex has a swimming pool and a nice yard. The fine sandy beaches are protected by the coral reefs, where you can observe many varieties of tiny fish in the clear and warm seawater. From Nyalia Beach you are able to visit the port Mombasa with an interesting mixture of eastern character, narrow streets and the bustle of a large seaport. Mombasa has a rich colonial past and an unusual mix of the Swahili and Arab cultures. The narrow streets of the old town’s center form a true labyrinth. Fort Jesus, built by the Portuguese, is definitely worth a visit.
The next morning we fly back to Nairobi, where you have the afternoon to explore the town. Nairobi has a small center and most sights, such as the covered City Market, the Jamia Mosque and the Nairobi National Museum next to ”Snake-Park”, are a short distance by foot or by taxi from the hotel. From the Kenyatta Conference Building you have a magnificent view of the city. Around City Market you find multiple souvenir shops for your final souvenir shopping.
The next day we fly back to the States.
