Jade Sea Explorer

Itinerary

Day 1 – Nairobi
Arrive in Nairobi and transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax after your flight. Overnight Hotel Boulevard or similar.

Day 2 – Shaba Game Reserve
Head north to Isiola village and encounter the colourful nomadic tribes which reside there. We then continue on to our bush camp for the night, enjoying a game drive en route and spotting exotic wildlife unique only to this region, such as the reticulated giraffe, oryx, and gerenuk. Overnight camping. (BLD)

Day 3 – Samburu National Reserve
The early morning finds us out and about on a game drive, a great opportunity for photographs and tracking rare wildlife. We enjoy an afternoon game drive on the dry ochre plains hopefully encountering herds of dusty elephants drinking at waterholes, crocodiles lurking in the shadows and track paw prints of lion, leopard and cheetahs amidst dramatic bushveld. Overnight camping. (BLD)

Day 4 – Marsabit National Park
Stop by a local Samburu village for a walking tour guided by local residents, who share very similar traits to the Masai herders. Drive approximately 250 km on a rough road towards the extinct volcano of Marsabit. The peak is surrounded by lush forested hills, forming a welcoming oasis rising high above the dry heat of the surrounding desert lands. This afternoon we have a guided walk around the nearby lake. Overnight camping. (BLD)

Day 5 – Chalbi Desert
Visit Marsabit town in the morning, where we can see the nomadic Rendille warriors, roaming the land with their iconic cattle, camels and goats wearing traditional dress of purple and red robes, combined with feathers, beads and goat skins. We continue our journey through the land of crater lakes and volcanoes and enter the Chalbi desert, a flat plain formed by a age old crater lake which fills up to form a shallow body of water during heavy rainfall. Kalacha Dida is an oasis on the edge of the desert and a nourishing watering place for nomadic tribes, mostly Gabbras who are on the move. We set out on a guided walk meeting various tribes living in this harsh yet abundant environment. Overnight camping. (BLD)

Day 6 – Sibiloi National Park
A long day of driving through the shifting landscape of the north. Although rather demanding the journey to Sibiloi National Park and the beauty of the remote and wild plains is well worth the effort. Overnight camping. (BLD)

Day 7 – Sibiloi National Park
The day is spent exploring the landscape. This area is home to a large variety of arid environment species including gerenuk, oryx, the rare lesser kudu and Grevy's and Burchell’s zebra. As well as this, carnivores such as hyenas, golden jackal, cheetah, lion and other small cats including caracal can be found here. (BLD)

Days 8-9– Lake Turkana
From the northernmost point of our trip we head south to the shimmering blue-green hues of Lake Turkana. We head to the oasis of Loyangalani, where we explore the crystal shores, search for exceptionally large Nile crocodiles and encounter the smallest tribe in Kenya, the El Moro, Kenya’s last remaining hunters. Overnight camping. (BLD)

Day 10 – Tum
We depart on a stony road heading further south to the jagged peaks of Mount Nyiru as we traverse across lava flows and sand fields. Despite being surrounded by dry desert the peaks of Mount Nyiru are forested. Overnight camping. (BLD)

Day 11 – Maralal
After an early morning bush walk along the dunes and rock formations of the valley, we travel to the small hillside market town of Maralal, pioneered by Somali settlers in the 1920’s. In the afternoon visit the Maralal National Sanctuary, home to buffalo, zebra, leopard and hyena among other species. (BLD)

Day 12 – Lake Baringo
We continue our journey south bound to the shores of Lake Baringo in its hot and dusty setting. The scenic lake is fed by several converging rivers and contains several small islands . We set out on a boat trip along the lake in search of hippos, crocodiles and a variety of bird life. Overnight camping. (BLD)

Day 13 – Lake Nakuru
The morning finds us exploring the natural hot springs of Lake Bogoria and admiring the thousands of pink flamingos which congregate on the lake during season, before driving to Lake Nakuru. Lake Nakuru is renowned for large concentrations of flamingos and is also a sanctuary for the endangered black and white rhinos. This reserve has one of the highest densities of wildlife to be found on the continent and our chance of spotting lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant and buffalo are excellent during a afternoon game drive. Overnight camping. (BLD)

Day 14 – Lake Naivasha
We head for Lake Naivasha, an area of spectacular scenery with good opportunities for game and bird watching. We take a boat cruise, searching for hippos, fish eagles and thirsty antelope. In the afternoon we visit Joy Adamson´ s famous Elsamere farm house. Overnight camping. (BLD)

Days 15-16 – Masai Mara
Drive to the Masai Mara Game Reserve, which has one of the highest densities of wildlife found on the planet. We spend our time here on game drives in search of the ‘Big Five’ and numerous other species. Those who wish can take an early morning balloon flight over the plains on Day 16 (at your own expense and must be pre-booked – please contact us for details). Overnight camping. (BLD)

Day 17 – Nairobi
Return to Nairobi and transfer to the airport for your onward flight. (B)