2008 Loita Hills Trek – North American departures

9 days safari 4.5 days walking 8 nights camping Fitness level – easy to moderate for fit participants

Experience game viewing in the Masai Mara Game Reserve and then we will take you on a walking safari adventure with a team of Masai guides in their homeland progressing through a variety of fast changing landscapes, forest, plains and summits reaching 2400m. Enjoy rich cultural contact with the Masai people on our journey up to the escarpment of the Rift Valley and then down onto the hot valley floor.

We will walk up to 15km per day with plenty of stops to appreciate the nature and surroundings, to talk with the local people and visit their villages.

Donkeys carry equipment and luggage during walking safari. A small daypack with camera, sun cream and water bottle is all you are expected to carry.

Highlights
Masai Mara Game Reserve – endless game on endless plains!
Walking with Masai guides in the Loita forest & Nguruman Escarpment – they will explain their traditions & culture, which is still very strong in todays way of life.
Experience the untamed Rift Valley & its soda lakes Natron & Magadi.

Optional extension: Two nights extension to Shompole Lodge, the art of mixing luxury and landscape

Days 1 / 2 & 3 NAIROBI - MASAI MARA GAME RESERVE

We take a one hour flight from Wilson airport to Masai Mara National Reserve where we camp for the next three days. Enjoy game viewing in the Masai Mara Game Reserve in specially fitted vehicles with open roof hatches.
Although the Masai people of Nilotic origin were feared by the first explorers to the region, the proud warriors of today spend most of their time herding cattle in search of fresh pasturage. Masai Mara Game Reserve was established in 1961 and covers a surface of 1812 square km which is divided into 2 zones. The Masai are permitted to graze their cattle in the exterior section, but the interior park of 518 square km is reserved strictly for the fauna.
Masai Mara is a succession of undulating plains and rivers lined with acacia trees, where we can observe an exceptionally rich variety of wildlife. Here we find the largest lion population in Kenya, but even more spectacular is the enormous concentration of antelopes, zebras, and wildebest. During the migration period the number of animals can reach the millions. In 1982 when the last survey was taken, there were recorded to be 1,200,000 wildebeest, 700,000 zebra, 400,000 gazelle, and of course all the hyenas, lions, cheetah and other predators that follow these herds and hunt the more vulnerable. Game driving in the reserve. – Camping.

Day 4 LOITA HILLS

Leaving the game reserve on our last day in vehicles, we head for the Loita Hills. Even outside the park boundary the wildlife is abundant. The Masai are not hunters, as they don’t appreciate the taste of game meat. So it’s not unusual to pass a herd of Thompson’s gazelle or wildebeest close to the Masai dwellings. At Olasur we meet our Masai guides.

Day 5 ENGARE NANYUKI

Leaving our vehicles and accompanied by our Masai guides we head into the hills on foot. The surrounding landscape is magnificent. The forest with green grassy clearings reminds us somehow of the English countryside. But not for long however, as we are brought back to reality and Africa by the sight of a Masai armed with his spear. Our day’s walk takes us through the forest where we discover giant indigenous trees covered in moss and native orchids. Our Masai guides will explain to us the various traditional medicines & concoctions made from the different trees.

Days 6 TIAMANAGEN

We follow the edge of the Nguruman forest where there are colobus monkeys and Hartlaubs turaco. We pass waterholes and with a bit of luck can catch a glimpse of some antelope or buffalo. We are now very close to the Tanzanian border and forest has given way to open fields. There are many Masai villages and we frequently meet with herdsmen and warriors. We have joined an important track that is used by the Masai to herd their cattle to the highlands for grazing during the dry season. And the Masai who live on the escarpment use the track to take their cattle down to Lakes Magadi and Natron for the salt and minerals. On this high open plateau we stroll easily whilst appreciating
unusual rock formations and the magnificent view of the Loliondo Hills in Tanzania.

Day 7 OLDORO OIBOR

A short walking day takes us to the edge of the Rift Valley. Once again the views are grandiose. Lakes Magadi and Natron cover the floor of the Rift Valley 1000 metres below us and to the south we look towards the Gelai and Lengai volcanoes which are the sacred home of the Masai God “Ngei”. And a few hundred kilometres to the north we can discern the Ngong Hills. Growing on the side of the mountain we find one of the most ancient plants of East Africa, the cycad “Encephalartos Bibalensis”. We spend a leisurely afternoon feeling on top of the world.

Day 8 PAKASE RIVER

Passing through Mima we descend the escarpment heading toward Lake Natron and into the Rift Valley. The path is steep & rocky, sometimes a little difficult and the vegetation changes rapidly as we descend in altitude. We find ourselves in the open savannah at only 600 metres altitude where it’s now hot and dry. The Masai have begun cultivating plantations of bananas and papayas using long irrigation channels from the river. The waters of the Pakase flow clear and rapidly after the rains.

In the afternoon we relax in the dense shade on the riverbank where our camp is set up for the night. In the cool afternoon we climb a nearby hill to get a fantastic view over the small village below and towards the edge of Lake Natron. On our return to camp we visit a nearby village.

Day 9 SHOMPOLE MOUNTAIN & LAKES NATRON & MAGADI – return Nairobi

Our last day of safari begins with a walk across the soda flats & swamp flowing into Lake Natron (strong sandals needed for this walk through water).

Meeting our vehicles we continue on small tracks exploring the areas of Magadi & Natron. Lakes Magadi and Natron were discovered by English geologist Gregory, and are certainly the most spectacular in the Rift Valley. Enormous pans of pink soda stretch out into the horizon. Around the edge of the lake hot springs bubble from the ground at temperatures exceeding 50°. These springs produce microscopic aquatic life that feed a variety of local bird species, along with a number of migratory birds. Areas concentrated in soda are favourable for the reproduction of algae which flamingos feed upon. It’s not unusual for the flocks to number into the hundreds of thousands.

After our last picnic lunch together at Lake Magadi we join a good tarmac road which takes us up the Rift Valley escarpment and onto the hustle & bustle of Nairobi city life. You will be dropped at your hotel in the afternoon.

END OF SAFARI

Extension option to Shompole Lodge day 9 & 10
Participants choosing this option will be accompanied to Shompole Lodge in the morning where they will spend 2 nights relaxing in the comfort & luxury of this small stylish lodge.

Located on the edge of the Nguruman Escarpment overlooking the Great Rift Valley, the camp is positioned ideally to make the most of both an incredible view and the cool breeze. Meals and overnight Shompole Lodge.

Day 11
On the last morning you will return to Nairobi by charter flight arriving before lunch.