12 Day Walking with the Masai (BS-YXP)

Jambo! Welcome to Kenya.

You can arrive at any time on day 1 as there are no activities planned until the important welcome meeting tonight at 6pm. Your leader will leave a note at reception telling you where this important meeting will take place. Please ask a member of reception for this information. After the group meeting there is the option of joining the group for dinner.

Your leader will collect your local payment today. Please bring USD notes/bills printed after 2003 in large denominations.

Begin the adventure in Nairobi, a bustling commercial centre known for its extraordinary ethnic diversity and for being East Africa's largest, highest (1,700 m) and youngest (founded in 1899) city. If you arrive early, head out to explore the National Museum of Kenya or the Karen Blixen Museum (author of Out of Africa), or Bomas which displays the traditional homesteads of several Kenyan tribes in an outdoor village.

Our hotel tonight has a swimming pool and restaurant. Rooms are clean and comfortable and all have ensuite bathrooms.

This morning we head to Lake Naivasha, one of the few freshwater lakes of the Great Rift Valley. The distance covered today is roughly 120km (approx. 2.5 hours).

Lake Naivasha has floating islands of papyrus reeds, a border of acacias and is home to a large population of hippos and a tremendous variety of birds. Our afternoon is spent on the first of our many hikes and what a place to start. Crescent Island, a partially submerged volcanic crater in the lake, offers the opportunity to see game up close, and we wander amongst zebras, giraffes and all kinds of other game on foot. As well as being an exhilarating experience, this walking safari offers amazing photo opportunities and is a throw back to the way tribesman have experienced these lands for milennium.

In Lake Navaisha we stay in a camp with hot/cold showers and flush toilets, where we'll spend the next three nights.

This morning our safari vehicle takes us to the Park's Gate. From there we traverse the park on foot, heading for the base of Mt Longonot. The terrain is flat and we are primarily walking on dirt roads or vehicle tracks. Close encounters with African creatures are sure to be the highlight of this walk amongst stunning gorge scenery. Keep your eyes peeled as many of the inhabitants of this park are also some of the most elusive on the continent. If our luck is good we may spot cheetahs, leopards or possibly even baboons. The diverse range of birdlife attracted to the nearby lake makes this the quintessential African experience.

We return to our camp at Lake Naivasha in time for lunch, and have the afternoon free.

Today's hike is definitely a little more challenging as we climb 2,886m to the summit of Mt Longonot. We'll take our safari vehcile to the base and then hike up to the summit.

With some steep sections, you'll be glad for your sturdy hiking boots, as the tracks are usually sandy or muddy. The vegetation is scrubby acacia bush but not as thick as would require you to wear long sleeves or to slow down our pace. The hour-long final climb is richly rewarded as we are welcomed to the rim with amazing views out across the park and into the rim itself. We circumnavigate the rim on the narrow path to get a full 360 degree experience before carefully descending to the base and driving back to camp.

The entire day's trek will take approximately 8 hours.

Tonight we return to our camp at Lake Naivasha.

Today we drive roughly 250km (approximately 6 hours) to reach the Masai Mara National Park.

No trip to Kenya would be complete without a visit to its best known park - the Masai Mara. The park's reputation is well-earned as it offers some of the best game viewing experiences on the planet. Days here are spent conducting a number of night and day game drives in the hope of seeing as many of the animals as is possible. Prides of lions and herds of wildebeest are just a couple of the encounters we hope to have during our stay.

An optional balloon ride over the Masai Mara at sunrise is an unforgettable experience. If you have pre-booked this activity (please see Important Notes) you will be picked up and drive to the launch site, receive a safety briefing from your pilot and help inflate the balloon. You then glide through the dawn, sometimes at tree height providing amazing wildlife photography opportunities, sometimes ascending to get an overview of the enormity of the Masai Mara plains and the teeming herds of early morning wild life movements. Upon landing and before being returned to your accommodation you'll be treated to a five star bush breakfast!

Our camp site for these nights has flush toilets and hot/cold showers.

Today we drive about 80km to get from the Masai Mara Reserve to Loita Hills (approx. 1.5 hours).

We head to the aptly named Place of Hot Water - Maji Moto. These natural hot springs exist at the base of the foothills which form the natural barrier between the Masai Mara and the Great Rift Valley. The area provides a great variety of landscapes for our walks over the next couple of days. From pastoral plains to forested foothills and rocky escarpments, we will wander through the villages of the Loita Masai and meet with these wonderful people as they go about their daily lives. The experience for the most part is a humbling one as we get to know a little bit about these people who live their lives steeped in ancestral tradition, so very different from our own.

Tonight we'll bush camp, toilets are bush style and there are no showers.

Be challenged by a longer hike today as we set out to cross the region, following the rolling foothills. Our objective is the village of Olorien, named for the large amount of firewood found there, located 19km from Maji Moto.

During these hikes you will need to carry a day pack with water and your personal needs for during the day. Our main luggage will be transported by vehicle.

The terrain for the next four days will be a mix of sandy and rocky terrain. While it is mostly flat there are a few small inclines. We walk at a comfortable pace allowing us plenty of time to catch a glimpse of antelopes, to interact with the local community and learn more about the natural surroundings.

Today's hike takes roughly 3-4 hours.

Tonight we bush camp.

Another moderate hike of about 18km brings us to the market town of Naro Osura. A focal point for Masai herdsman as a place to trade cattle, the town has a busy atmosphere compared to the peaceful open plains we traverse to reach it. En route, we pass a salt lake and move into territory where game viewing opportunities are more prominent. However it will surely be the human encounters that last the longest in your memories on this section of the journey.

Today's walk takes roughly 5-6 hours.

Tonight we bush camp.

Today is a longer but more scenically rewarding day of the journey. Following the Entasopia River we pass through many villages dotting the valley. This verdant valley is conducive to crop growing and we pass through many cultivated fields, which form a lovely contrast to the wild open plains.

For today's and tomorrow's hike we have no support vehicle, so you will be carrying all your personal luggage, including your main luggage, sleeping bag and day pack. The rest of our equipment is carried by donkeys or porters.

Today's trek covers roughly 22km (approx. 6-7 hours).

We bush camp tonight on the riverbanks of the Entasopia.

On our final day's walk we climb the escarpment which has shadowed us for most of the walk. Hiking along its forested slopes, we reach the top to be rewarded with incredible views over the Great Rift Valley.

Below is the rural village of Kalema where vehicles await to take us back to Nairobi. The final trek takes around 6.5 hours. Our journey finishes on arrival in Nairobi back at the start point hotel.

Please book post-trip accommodation if staying in Nairobi tonight as it is not included in the trip price. Airport transfers are available, please enquire at time of booking. If flying out today, please ensure that your flight departs after 7:00pm just in case there are any travel delays from Kalema to Nairobi.