Walking on Chyulu Hills
Day 1
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.
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.
Walking on Loita
Hills
The Loita Hills are one of Kenya's last remaining 'true wilderness'
areas. There are no roads, tracks or footpaths, and the likelihood
of our seeing anyone else on the trek is remote. Indeed our only
other companions will be the wild game that inhabits the grasslands
and montane forests of this remote region. Where appropriate,
we will be walking along game trails and in the late afternoons
may move from the ridge tops, down into the valley in search of
suitable campsites. Nights are generally spent camped next to
cool streams that rise in these hills and on leaving the next
morning, the only evidence of our passing should be a small circle
of ash and a few fire blackened rocks marking the place we had
the camp fire and cooked the evening meal.
Starting at an Altitude
of about 2,200m, we walk, carrying all our own food and camping
equipment, east, through Savannah grasslands, climbing as we do
so to about 2,400m. At some point we will enter the "mist
forests" of the central area. These forests are sustained
by the ability of the trees, bushes, lichens and mosses to extract
moisture from the clouds that cloak the whole region most mornings.
Underfoot the ground is moist and springy with slowly decaying
vegetation, whilst above us, the forest trees provide a haven
for monkeys, turaco and other forest birds seen but seldom elsewhere.
The weight carried by each
client on the first day is about 20 kg, with packs becoming lighter
each day as food is eaten, to end at around 10kg on the last day
of the walk. Total distance covered - about 45 kilometres.
Of the forest mammals, the
most conspicuous will be the beautiful black and white Colobus
monkeys, but troops of Sykes and Vervet monkey will add their
alarm cries to those of the Crowned Eagles, and other birds which
fly within the forest. With luck, we may encounter those silent
giants of Africa - the Elephant, but more probably the only evidence
of their presence will be their spoor and droppings together with
those of Buffalo, forest Antelope, and more rarely, Lion, Leopard
and Hyena.
During the walk, because
of the unspoilt virgin nature of the wilderness, we try to take
a different route on each expedition. This implies that the terrain
conditions are generally unknown and may vary considerably during
each day, with good game trails being followed for a couple of
hours, succeeded by areas of seemingly impenetrable jungle. Here
progress may be difficult with giant nettles, vines and lianas
and thorns adding to the challenges of the walk. Navigation is
by use of map, compass and altimeter, and a portable VHF airway
band radio is carried for use in any possible emergency.
Day 1
From Nairobi, a three hour drive westwards, brings us to the township
of Narok. Here we will have a snack lunch and a drink before continuing
for another two hours to the upper grassland plateau of the Loita
Hills. Our walk starts from near the Masaai village of Morijo,
and from here we will walk east and then south for about 3 hours
till we reach a suitable campsite by a permanent stream. Dinner,
as on each subsequent night, will be cooked over an open camp
fire.
Day 2
After an early breakfast we cut up the east side of the valley
and so into the start of the forests proper. Game trails are followed
when ever possible. Note: because we use a different route through
the forest each time, the difficulty of the terrain we will be
crossing will not be known from one kilometre to the next. This
night's camp is made after a long drop into one of the valleys.
Alternatively your guide and one volunteer will drop down into
the valley to collect the night's water requirements whilst the
camp is set up on the ridge top.
Day 3
Still in the forests for a couple of hours, often quite hard going
with fewer game trails to follow. By mid morning though, the area
should be getting somewhat dryer as we approach the first escarpment
dropping down into the Great Rift Valley. Suddenly it's open grasslands
and rapidly we descend to the floor of this middle plateau and
our camp on the Entosopia River. Good swimming and spectacular
views. (usually the same camp for each crossing)
Day 4
Mid morning departure, walking along the edge of the escarpment
towards where we will follow an old Land Rover track down to the
Rift Valley floor. Vehicles will meet us at a convenient point.
The drive back to Nairobi will then take us across soda flats
of Lake Magadi, the largest soda lake in the world and so back
across the Great Rift to arrive in Nairobi by early evening.
Equipment required by the client is minimal.- Stout walking shoes,
socks. T shirt and shorts, long pants and long sleeved shirt,
warm jumper and waterproof jacket, bush hat and tooth brush being
about all. Please do not bring any scented cosmetics. We provide
sleeping mat, bag and tent. All food, and cooking equipment and
of course our professional guide/s.
