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5 DAYS CHYULU HILLS
WALKING SAFARI
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
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
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
Full day of walking
Day 5
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.
LOITA
HILLS WALKING SAFARI
Drive westward, crossing the expanses of the Great Rift Valley,
heading up into the 8,000-foot-high Loita Hills. Hiking and exploring in the
Loita Hills notable for the variety of its sceneries, which ranges from
rolling hills and dramatic escarpments to expansive plains of open savanna
country.
DAY 1: NAIROBI - NDARARA
Depart Nairobi passing through the Great Rift Valley, After descending 2,000
ft. to the valley floor which is studded with volcanic mountains, you begin
to see an animal kingdom unrivalled anywhere else in Africa. Masailand is
the home of huge herds of plains game. Our route then takes us up onto the
Mau Escarpment and through the small trading town of Narok where you
stopover for 30 minutes before heading South and winding up into the
forested Loita Hills close to the Tanzanian border. You will be dropped at
Maji Moto (Kiswahili means hot waters) where a hot spring bubbles out of the
earth at the foot of the hills. A relaxing bath is a must as you visit
Ndarara Mayatta for lunch. Late in the evening reach Ndarara Camp for Dinner
and overnight.
DAY 2: NDARARA - LETUKUNYI
After breakfast leave Ndarara for Letukunyi, taking you about 5-6 hours walk
through the scattered bushes and exploring the beautiful Loita Hills in the
Nguruman Escarpment through the forests where you see striking black and
white colombus Monkeys. Occasionally we may see leopard or bushbuck as you
visit various secret waterholes. There are also a variety of highland birds
to view, such as the turaco, parrot, hornbill, starling, sunbird and the
birds of prey. Dinner and overnight at Letukunyi Camp.
Day 3: LETUKUNYI - MORIJO
Leave Letukunyi Camp early in the morning for an enjoyable walk before the
sun is too hot . Pass through Narosura for lunch or to buy what might be out
of stock. After an hour or two in this remote town in Maasai land, proceed
to Morijo for dinner and overnight at Morijo Campsite.
DAY 4: MORINJO - ENKUTOTO
After breakfast, leave Morijo and walk through the forest, few of the
remaining true-forested wilderness area in East Africa. The walk will take
5-6 hours across the rolling highlands up to OSupuko, the summit of the
Loita Hills (8,660 ft.), with incredible views, before descending to the
Camp. This is a favourite roost for velvet monkeys. Walk through the forests
and glades in search of bohor reedbuck, East African Eland, Warthog, and the
striking black and white Colombus Monkeys. Occasionally we may see Bushbuck
as we walk to Enkutoto Campsite.
DAY 5: ENKUTOTO - NJOROI
After breakfast, leave Enkutoto, walking leisurely for 4-5 hours to Njoroi
Campsite for dinner and overnight. In the camp enjoy an excellent view of
the surrounding area such as lake Magadi, Ngong hills, Lake Natron and all
the way to Tanzania border on a clear day.
Dinner and overnight at the Njoroi Campsite.
DAY 6: NJOROI/NGURUMAN - NAIROBI
After breakfast, descend the Escarpment through small farms
to Nguruman town for transfer back to Nairobi via Lake Magadi. Ololgesalie
prehistoric site which is 40 Km from Nairobi where the Leakey Family
discovered axes and tools thought to have been
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