Camel-supported walking safaris through northern Laikipia, moving camp each day on foot, with Tumaren Camp as a comfortable base.
Karisia is how we get guests out of the vehicle altogether. A string of camels carries the whole camp, and each morning you set off on foot with a Laikipia Maasai tracker while the team packs up behind you and overtakes you on the way to the next campsite. You arrive to a cold drink and lunch, spend the afternoon by a river or on a short walk, and eat a three-course dinner by the fire.
The walking is not a march. Most days cover 8 to 15 kilometres over four or five hours, with plenty of stops for tracks, birds and plants, and riding camels carry water, snacks and tired legs. Because camels go where vehicles cannot, routes reach roadless country along the Ewaso Nyiro, the Mathews Range and the plateau around Tumaren. Trips run from three nights to two weeks, and most are private to your group.
This is for curious, reasonably fit people who value the feeling of wild country over ticking off the Big Five. Children from four have joined, and families love it. It is simpler than a lodge: tents are made up fresh each day, and on the move the showers and toilets sit behind the tents rather than en suite. If that sounds too spare, start or finish at Tumaren Camp, which has en-suite tents and a 20-metre pool.
Traditional canvas tents moved by camel each day, made up with mattresses, bedding, towels and dressing gowns, with a wash basin outside and toilets and showers behind.
The same private, camel-supported mobile safari with camp moving each day, staying in large dome tents.
The Karisia home camp: seven spacious tents with en-suite bathrooms and flush toilets, overlooking a salt lick that draws large game, with a 20-metre pool.
Breakfast before the walk is fruit, muesli, yoghurt, eggs and bacon. Lunch waits at the next camp, with salads, pizzas and cheeses, and dinner is a sit-down three-course meal under the stars. Beer, wine, gin and vodka are served in camp.
No spa, and no need for one. Afternoons are for siestas, time by a stream or river and fishing, with hot showers before drinks by the fire. At Tumaren Camp there is a 20-metre pool looking over the plains.
Children as young as four are welcome and walks are tailored to the family. With younger children there are more riding camels, and a vehicle can shadow the group between campsites if needed.
| Style | Mobile camp moved by camel train each day |
|---|---|
| Base camp | Tumaren Camp, seven tents |
| Daily walking | Usually 8 to 15km, four to five hours including stops |
| Trip length | Minimum three nights mobile, up to 14 nights |
| Getting there | Charter flight to an airstrip within 30 minutes of most camps, or scheduled flight to Nanyuki or Loisaba and a two-hour drive |
| Children | From four years old |
Laikipia East and the Ewaso Nyiro wilderness, Kenya
A few of the things we plan for guests in Kenya.
From about July to October, wildebeest and zebra mass on the banks of the Mara River and plunge across past waiting crocodiles. Crossings are unpredictable, so give yourself at least four nights and a guide who will wait patiently. Camps in the north of the reserve or in Mara North are well placed.
The conservancies are leased from Maasai landowners, so your stay supports local families directly. Vehicle numbers are capped, and guides can go off-road to follow lions, leopards and cheetahs. Walking with Maasai guides and night drives are included in many camps. They are good all year, not just in migration season.
Laikipia is a high plateau of private ranches and conservancies north of Mount Kenya. Lewa and Ol Pejeta protect black and white rhinos, and Ol Pejeta is home to the last two northern white rhinos on Earth. Horse riding, camel walks and fly camping are all possible, which makes it a good choice for families.
A safari for people who would rather walk than sit in a vehicle. Three nights on a camel-supported walking safari in Laikipia, three in Samburu country for the northern species, and two on the Laikipia Plateau to finish.
Five nights in a private conservancy on the edge of the Maasai Mara, then a short hop to the Indian Ocean for five nights on Zanzibar's quieter north-east coast. A night in Nairobi on arrival breaks the long flight.
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