Expedition to Lake Turkana
Kenya is renowned for its wealth of wildlife, the sweeping plains of the Masai Mara, and its white sand beaches. But look beyond these stereotypes, glorious though they are, and one can find a diverse kaleidoscope of ethnicities and tribal groups, far removed from the tourist trail and virtually unchanged for generations. On this expedition we head north from the capital to Samburu Game Reserve – no visit to Kenya would be complete without at least a little wildlife, after all. We spend a day here on game drives looking for lion, elephant and some of the species which are seldom found elsewhere, such as gerenuk and beisa oryx.
We then drive into the tribal heartlands that stretch towards the borders with South Sudan and Ethiopia, taking challenging routes and driving through remote areas to meet some of Africa’s most traditional groups. We meet the Samburu and Rendille people, pastoralists who compensate for their austere surroundings with stunning body decorations and enormous beaded necklaces.
Continuing to the Chalbi Desert we head for the oasis of Kalacha, a centre for the Gabbra people, camel herding nomads who eke an existence from this unforgiving land. Pushing further north we drive to the ‘Jade Sea’, the vast waters of Lake Turkana – one of East Africa’s most remote regions. Here we meet the Turkana people, a proud warrior people who held out against colonial domination until the 1950s, and who still retain a fierce independence from central government.
This is a trip through some of East Africa’s most isolated regions – you can expect some full days of driving on rough and non-existent roads to reach these communities, and at times it may be challenging. The rewards however are great – to meet proud warriors and nomadic communities following in the steps of their ancestors, with little influence from the modern world, masters of their own lands yet welcoming to visitors. This is Kenya with a twist, and unlike you have seen it before.