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Lake Turkana Safaris
Lake
Turkana
Also known as the Jade Sea,
Lake Turkana is an extraordinary sight for someone on a Kenya
safari. The shimmering colours of its surface contrast sharply with
the surrounding lunar landscape, comprising of extinct volcanoes and
lava beds.
The soda lake owes its lovely
nickname to algae particles which shift with changes of wind and
light, causing Turkana's skin to shift from blue to grey to jade.
Turkana is the largest desert
lake in the world and the northern-most of Kenya's Rift Valley
lakes. Fed by the Omo River in Ethiopia, Turkana has no outlet. As a
result of this, its level fluctuates with the river and rainfall in
Ethiopia.
The area is steeped in
prehistoric history and is potentially the locale for man's' first
upright steps. In 1888 an Austrian explorer came across human skulls
and bones in Turkana. Eighty-years later Richard Leakey excavated
fossil remains that dated back three million years at Koobi Fora.
Today the lake is home to
some 22 000 crocodiles, hippos and more than 40 different species of
fish. There are also large numbers of water birds. To protect the
breeding grounds of birds and crocodiles, both Southern and Central
Island have been declared national parks. The area also supports
snakes, Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffes, and camels.
Day 1 – Samburu
Depart Nairobi in the morning heading north via the shoulder of
Africa's second largest mountain, Mt Kenya to the Samburu Game
Reserve. Accommodation in our semi-permanent campsite is beautifully
set under a canopy of trees or we may pitch tents o要 the edge of
Uaso Nyiro (meaning Brown in Samburu) River. Cold showers are
available which are amazingly refreshing in the hot, dusty climates.
Day 2 – Samburu
The day is spent game viewing in the park.
Samburu is part of a lava plain that includes a diverse landscape of
thorn scrub, red dirt, dried river beds, broken volcanic rock, steep
hills, and rocky outcroppings, some large enough to be called mesas.
This reserve is becoming one of Kenya's most admired stops after the
Mara.
The region is home to the uncommon Grevy’s zebra with huge fury
ears, gerenuk antelope standing on hind legs to feed, Somali
ostriches with distinct blue legs and the shy Oryx. Elephant and
crocodile are guaranteed sightings, excellent bird watching with
numerous varieties of weaverbirds and the martial eagle. Leopard
sighting is also a special feature here.
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Day 3 – Marsabit
We head north again along the Trans-African highway to Marsabit
(meaning place of cold), an astonishingly cool, green and hilly
oasis rising high above the dry heat of the surrounding desert
lands. The local Rendille and Samburu people in their bright red
outfits, beads and earrings make it a vibrant place.
After setting up camp, we visit the lodge inside the National park
and as long as the roads are dry we drive to Lake Paradise and
Little Lake. Here, an indigenous forest and a desert come together
to create the most compelling landscape o要 earth. Elephants and
greater kudu abound. The dense forest in the park is also home to a
variety of birds.
Day 4 – Kalacha
We depart after an early breakfast through the scenic landscape of
the arid north with views of picturesque hills. We arrive and camp
at Kalacha, a small Gabbra settlement on the edge of the Chalbi
Desert.
The Gabbra are an Eastern Cushite people related to the Somali-Rendille
in their historical origins in the southern Ethiopian highlands
about AD 1000. The men wear traditional shorts and a blanket-cloak
and the women wear a wrap-around and head cloth. They are
pastoralists, particularly attached to their camels.
Day 5 - Lake Turkana
We depart early crossing the Chalbi Desert to Lake Turkana which is
the largest desert lake in the world and extends for 288 kilometres
up to the Ethiopian / Kenyan border. It is surrounded by volcanic
rock and desert. We arrive at our semi - permanent beach village
where we have our traditional Turkana Huts; making it a perfect
place to relax, protected from the scorching sun and heat
characteristic of the climate of this remote area.
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Day 6 - Lake Turkana
The day is spent relaxing and you may visit the local lodge to swim
or hire a boat to visit the surrounding area (at an extra cost).
In addition, we may visit Loiyangalani and the community settled
there while in the evening visiting o要e of the Turkana Manyattas
[optional] for traditional dances at an extra cost if clients wish.
An unforgettable experience under a star studded sky so close you
can almost touch it.
Turkana, formerly L. Rudolf is now named after one of the tribes who
live on its shores and it is in this area that Richard Leakey
uncovered the three million year old fossils of ‘Homo Erectus.’ This
pre historic site is now known as the “Cradle of Mankind”. The Lake
is also known as the “Jade Sea” because of its remarkable blue –
green colour. This is a result of algae particles, which shift with
changes of the wind and light, so that the water surface shifts from
blue to grey to fabulous jade. The lake is home to the largest
population of Nile crocodiles in the world. If the weather permits
we take a short sunset boat ride to the surrounding areas.
Day 7 – Maralal
We journey via the Horr Valley situated between Mount Nyiro and Ol
Doinye Mara viewing the breath taking scenery as we continue to
climb o要 torturous, rocky hills to Maralal. Near Maralal is o要e of
the most breath taking scenes in all of Kenya – the Losiolo
escarpment, an endless stretch as land drops down to the Suguta
valley.
Maralal is the unofficial capital of the Samburu people and has a
distinctly frontier feel about it, like something out of a ‘wild
west’ movie. It boasts a colourful Samburu market and a game
sanctuary that lies just outside of town. Maralal is also home of
the Maralal International Camel Derby that happens o要ce a year
between July and October and attracts riders and spectators from the
four corners of the world
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Day 8 – Nairobi
Heading south again via Laikipia Plains and Nyahururu we may stop at
the Thomson falls named after Joseph Thomson who walked from Mombasa
to Lake Victoria in the early 1880s. Shaped by the waters of the
Ewaso Narok River, the falls plunge over 72m into a rift, spraying
the dark forest below. After lunch we drive back into Nairobi by
mid-afternoon.
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