Walking on Chyulu Hills
Day 1 Nairobi Chyulu
Depart Nairobi around
0800, for the 3 hour drive down the Mombasa road to Kibwezi. Here we will leave the tarmac, and take a dirt road, (probably an optimistic term for it), for the 30 km to where we start walking to the caves. First though, lunch of cold cuts, salads, bread and cheese, cold beer or soft drink, then an hour walk to the entrance of the caves. Afternoon spent exploring.
Day 2 Explorations.
Explore sections of one of the longest "Lava Tube" caves in the world - Leviathan. These caves, which world-wide, are relatively rare, are thought to have been formed when molten lava, of specific type and viscosity flowed down a slope of a specific angle. The surface layer cooled and solidified, but the lower part, still molten, continued to flow on down. At this point, somewhere up the hillside a collapse of the surface crust occurred through which air enters, and so a tube evacuated itself just below the surface. Afternoon and the evening spent down in the caves looking at some of the fascinating formations found therein - Sink holes, lava ropes, stalagmites and stalactites, benches and of course the secondary, water formed features.
Day 3 Chyulu Hills
Early morning departure by road for the top of the Chyulu Hills. Superb walking country with gently undulating grasslands, interspersed with dense patches of forest. Possibility of viewing herds of eland and other antelope, giraffe, zebra and wildebeest with slightly lesser chance to see elephant, lion and buffalo and the other game that live in the area. Probable views of Kilimanjaro just 50 km away. Night somewhere along the crest. Probably cool and windy with low cloud in the early morning.
Early morning departure by road for the top of the Chyulu Hills. Superb walking country with gently undulating grasslands, interspersed with dense patches of forest. Possibility of viewing herds of eland and other antelope, giraffe, zebra and wildebeest with slightly lesser chance to see elephant, lion and buffalo and the other game that live in the area. Probable views of Kilimanjaro just 50 km away. Night somewhere along the crest. Probably cool and windy with low cloud in the early morning.
Day 4 Chyulu Hills
Full day of walking and exploring this East Africa wilderness area.
Full day of walking and exploring this East Africa wilderness area.
Day 5 Chyulu Nairobi
Early morning game drive or short walk before a late breakfast / early lunch . It's then along the crest road and down the western side of the hills for the drive back to Nairobi arriving before nightfall.
Early morning game drive or short walk before a late breakfast / early lunch . It's then along the crest road and down the western side of the hills for the drive back to Nairobi arriving before nightfall.
Options are of course many and varied and in many cases we can be flexible about the itinerary whilst we are actually on the safari. One may, for instance, wish to spend an extra day caving (or cut out a day), thus spend less time (or longer) walking the Chyulus.
Itinerary may be varied from 3 - 7 or more days and is often combined with Athi River rafting or a visit to Tsavo / Amboseli National Parks
12 Days Hell's gate, Maasai Mara and Loita Hills Expedition
Day 1: Nairobi
On arrival in Nairobi,you are met and transferred to your hotel. Upon arrival in our Nairobi hotel our local representative will meet you to ensure that all is well. This representative will also provide details of a trip briefing to be held in the evening at the hotel, as well as any additional tours or activities that you may wish to enjoy whilst in Nairobi.The rest of the day is at your leisure.
NOTE THAT YOU WILL BE GUIDED BY THE LOCAL MAASAI GUIDE.
Day 2: Hell's Gate National Park
After breakfast, we drive north out of Nairobi and along an escarpment that overlooks the Great Rift Valley. Just before Naivasha we turn off the main road and enter Hell's Gate National Park. The setting here is spectacular, as dramatic cliffs form a backdrop to the entire gorge. After setting up camp we drive out to the shores of Lake Naivasha, where we spend the afternoon enjoying a walk around Crescent Island Sanctuary. This private game reserve enables us to get close to giraffes and zebras, as well as several other species. In the evening we return to our camp in Hell's Gate National Park.BLD
Day 3: Hell's Gate to
Mount LongonotAfter breakfast we traverse across Hell's Gate National Park by foot. Various species of animals are common in the parks, including Thompson's gazelle, zebra, Masai giraffe and baboon. Cheetah, leopard and ostrich are also known to inhabit the park and there is an abundance of bird life, including several birds of prey.On our walk we come across many of these inhabitants of the park.The gorge backdrop adds to the dramatic effect and our day-long walk will turn up surprises at every corner.After our walk, we are picked up by our vehicle and return to our camp - this time at the base of Mount Longonot in the national park of the same name.BLD
Day 4: Mount Longonot Day Walk
After breakfast we start a trek up to the rim of Mount Longonot (2776m). Starting at the campsite, we walk on a path and head uphill through the brush. Some sections are quite steep and care must be taken in wet weather. After approximately one hour of walking we reach the rim of the crater. The view is quite spectacular, as you can see down to the forested crater floor. We turn right and follow the path around the rim in an anti-clockwise direction. The walk can take up to six hours and care needs to be taken, especially if it is misty. There are also steep drops on either side at various points, but the reward is specular views in all directions.We look down on Hell's Gate and can see Lake Naivasha to the north and the Aberdares to the east.BLD
Days 5-6: Masai Mara National Reserve
We head south-west to our next destination, the Masai Mara - arguably one of the finest game reserves in Africa.The area is known for its rolling green plains and riverine woodlands, and amongst the many species of game,we may be lucky to observe black-maned lion,leopard and cheetah.These predators find an abundant food supply in the massive herds of wildebeest, zebra,Thomasin's and Grant's gazelle that roam the grasslands.We explore the open plains on full day,morning and/or afternoon game drives.We make camp on a private concession in the Sekenani camp.From this base we conduct game drives,game walks.This will maximize our chances of seeing as many different species as possible.BLD
Days 7-8: Masai Mara National Reserve - Maji Moto, Loita Hills Trek
After a morning game walk in a private nature reserve, we drive to the village of Maji Moto, meaning 'hot water', where a hot spring bubbles out of the earth at the foot of the hills.These hills divide the Masai Mara from the Great Rift Valley and are part of the traditional home of the pastoral Masai people, who are often seen with their herds of livestock.There is also an abundance of wildlife in the area.We set up camp for two nights in the Loita Hills Forest area. BLD
The Loita Hills walk threads its way from village to village through the traditional homelands of the Loita Masai.One of the incredible features of this trek is the complete lack of 'western civilization' encountered.We begin our journey into the Loita Hills with a day walk in the surrounding forested foothills.BLD
Day 9: Loita Hills Trek: Maji Moto to Olorien
Today we venture deeper into the Loita Hills region, as we trek from Maji Moto to the base of Olorien. The trek today covers 19 kilometers and should take approximately five hours. Leaving the surrounds of Maji Moto behind, we cross dry stream-beds and flat grasslands. Walking in the shadow of the Olchorro Nyukie ridge-line we approach the base of the Loita Hills and the small village of Olorien. The Masai village of Olorien is named after the large amount of firewood found in the area. Unfortunately for the local Masai, water is not as abundant in this area and can be quite scarce at times.BLD
Day 10: Loita Hills Trek: Olorien to Naro-Osura
Today 18 kilometers are traversed over a five hour walk to reach Naro Osura. We see a salt lake, where the cattle herders congregate with their livestock. After crossing the Moroto River we arrive at the open plains, where we have a better chance of viewing wildlife. Crossing another two rivers we reach the outskirts of Naro Osura, a small town, where we can stock up on supplies.Whilst Naro Osura is small by western standards,the town is a busy center for the Masai as livestock are bought and sold at the market here.BLD
Day 11: Loita Hills Trek: Naro Osura to Entasopia
After some relatively easy days of walking we embark on the longest trekking day yet. Taking from six to eight hours, we travel 22 kilometers into the Entasopia Valley. This scenic walk takes us along mountain ridges,down into valleys, past fields full of crops, across rivers and through villages. We pause for lunch at a village near Enkutoto before continuing along the wide river valley.Our final night of camping is along the banks of the Entasopia River.BLD
Day 12: Loita Hills Trek: Entasopia Valley to Kalema - Nairobi
Our final day of walking is a five to six hour journey to Kalema (18 km). En route we head into a thick forest before climbing to the Nguruman Escarpment, where we enjoy stunning views over the Great Rift Valley.The final bit of our walk is a 600 meter descent down the ridge to the village of Kalema. Here we are met by our vehicles and driven back to Nairobi, where our tour ends upon arrival. Accommodation for tonight is not included in your tour package, but it is possible to book post-tour accommodation if you plan to stay on in the Kenyan capital.Any flights out of Nairobi should not be booked prior to 7pm and a night spent in Nairobi is highly recommended.
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