TOP
Image Alt
Amazing Tour

Ethiopia – Kenya: expedition in the African Rift

Ethiopia – Kenya: expedition in the African Rift

/ per person
(0 Reviews)

Region: South Ethiopia & north Kenya

Duration: 20 days

Type: Adventure, trekking and cultural encounter

 

Activities:

  • Trek : 3 treks of 2 days in different regions
  • Cultural encounters : all along the tour : Konso, Hamer and Dassanech in Ethiopia, and in Kenya the Turkana, Samburu & Rendille
  • Boat & walks : 2 days in the Omo Valley in Ethiopia, 2 times 2 days on Lake Turkana
  • Safari : 2 days in Samburu National Reserve

 

Physical level: physically accessible to people in good health

Period: From June to September

Group: 3 to 5 participants

 

 

Sneak preview :

A major geological phenomenon happens in East African, the formation of a continental rift for more than 30 million years, the Great African Rift Valley; here the Earth bulges, shatters, collapses, forming high plateaus, great depressions at the bottom of which form salt lakes and countless volcanoes. And millions of years of erosion that shape all this… Here are the reliefs in which we will evolve: abrupt mountains covered with primary forests, volcanoes rising from the plains, high plateaus cut into vertiginous cliffs, large lakes embedded in flows of basaltic lava… A tormented relief of incredible beauty.

 

This is where some of Africa’s most fascinating peoples live, carrying on centuries-old lifestyles and traditions. Tireless pastors in search of pasture and water, they push their cattle through the vastnesses, leaving the environment in its original, raw, wild state. Nomads or transhumants, it is on the body that these peoples have developed their art, with ornaments, headdresses, scarifications and elaborate clothing, making magnificent peoples… It is at the rhythm of our steps that we will meet some of the peoples, emblematic of the region.

 

This trip has the ambition to take you to the most remote territories of East Africa, counting 6 days of exclusive treks, numerous walks, and 6 days of navigation to discover the beauties of this real “Jade Sea” and the Omo River that feeds it, giving us access to the wildest and most beautiful lands of the Rift Valley.

 

 

Strong points :

  • A qualitative journey in one of the wildest and most original regions of Africa, very far from tourist trails, and the result of consolidated experience in the region,
  • 9 days of hiking & treks:
    • 2 days in Hamer country in Ethiopiao   Walks in the most beautiful places of Lake Turkana: Central Island and the Nabuyatom and Teleki volcanoes
    • 2 days in Turkana country via the Suguta valley and the superb Logipi Lake
    • 2 days in Samburu and Rendille country in the Ndoto mountains
  • 6 days of exclusive navigation (3 x 2 days in different regions) with the program:
    • 2 days on the Omo River, its delta rich in avifauna and the heart of the Dassanetch country,
    • 4 days on Lake Turkana, the impressive Nabuyatom volcano and the magical Central Island,
  • A very personalized service, French guide settled in Kenya and knowing the region particularly well, an experienced local team,
  • A group limited to 5 participants.

 

 

 

Physical level:

  • Hikes between 5 and 8 hours over the 6 days of the trek, difficult in Turkana country due to the heat and the terrain, more accessible on the other two treks. Relatively limited height differences,
  • Physically easier day walks but you need to have a sure footing on some sites,
  • Significant psychological commitment due to the isolation in remote areas, spartan conditions and the heat factor which can have a real impact in some places.

Tour Plan

1

Day 1: Addis Ababa - Arba Minch:

Early arrival in Addis Ababa. Welcome by your team, coming from Nairobi and departure for a long day on the road, with the aim of reaching the heart of our trip as quickly as possible. It's a spectacle all along the route: villages with thatched roofs, granaries on stilts, estates surrounded by euphorbias, and everywhere an active and smiling population. Installation in a lodge superbly overlooking the Abaya and Chamo Rift Lakes for a well-deserved night's rest!
2

Day 2: Arba Minch - Konso:

The moment has come to take the time to discover and meet, but without flitting around: we prefer quality to quantity, and therefore we are going to concentrate our time among a few emblematic ethnic groups and the most beautiful sites from southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya. Arrival in Konso country, where we set up our camp on the land of a Konso king, who will welcome us in the simplicity of his home to tell us about his people, his ancestors and his role for his community. Geographically located in the south of the country, this people nonetheless lives on other traditions than those of the people we will meet later, due to an economy based on agriculture, but still with strong traditions.
3

Day 3: Konso - Hamer land:

After having explored one of the astonishing Konso fortified villages, we leave this hilly country to reach the territory of the Hamers, one of the first ethnic groups fully assimilated to the "Omo peoples". This day will take us deep into the original Africa. Most of life of the Hamer is based on agro-pastoralism, which sometimes forces a transhumant way of life in search of pasture. This permanent movement does not allow the development of furniture or architecture, and therefore most of the art has developed on the body: scarifications, bracelets and necklaces in beads or metal, leather loincloths adorned with cowries, hairstyles made from ocher, grease and clay…
4

Days 4 and 5: Immersion in Hamer country:

During two days, we will explore the Hamer lands and above all try to discover and understand, as much as possible, the culture and the way of life of our hosts. To maximize the chances of quality encounters, we set off for a 2-day trek in the heart of Hamer country, through forests and farm lands, very far from the tracks frequented by 4x4s. There will be many encounters and we will be invited to the huts to drink the "bunno", a decoction of the bark of coffee beans.
5

Day 6 & 7: Omo Valley & Dassanetch land:

We head to the Omo River valley which in this lower part flows in wide meanders, before ending in a vast interior delta when reaching Lake Turkana. With our local team we embark on a boat to descend the course of the river to its delta on Lake Turkana, very rich in birdlife. We are in the Dassanetch people territory, and under their protection we will set up our camp by the river, near one of their villages. Amazing encounters with this people who are a little cut off from the world. In the evening, the herds return for milking, after lighting smoldering dung fires to ward off mosquitoes; a fairly magical vision of this way of life intimately linked to Nature. After an afternoon and a morning exploring the Omo Delta and meeting our Dassanetch hosts, we return to the border town of Omorate.
6

Day 8: Ethiopia> Kenya - Lake Turkana:

Formalities done, we take the track that leads us to Kenya. Therefore the next 5 days will be marked by Lake Turkana. With its 260 km long, Lake Turkana is the largest natural desert lake in the world. The lack of an outlet gives the lake a particular alkalinity, often giving it this dark green color, hence the nickname it is given "Jade Sea". Unique approach: by navigating the lake, we can reach its most hidden and beautiful sites, Central Island on the one hand, and the Nabuyatom and Teleki volcanoes to the south of the lake. We share our time between navigation and discovery / walks. Today we are settling in Koobi Fora, an area of particularly rich fossil deposits, with its many discoveries of hominid fossils; the cradle of mankind!
7

Days 9 & 10: Central Island, the heart of Lake Turkana:

Our second stage takes us to the most exceptional site of the lake, Central Island! This volcanic island located in the center of the lake is exceptionally aesthetic with its many craters, 3 of which are filled with water forming lakes, one housing a colony of flamingos and the other serving as a nesting site for crocodiles! From this isolation, from this original environment, from these contrasts of harshness and gentleness emerges a huge force, a vibration that some of us will feel to the depths of our being. Night on Central Island and contemplative walks at the end of the day and in the morning of day 10, then, back on the east shore of the lake, our 4x4s take us to the large village of Loyangalani, a beautiful oasis in the middle of the desert next to the lake. After all these days of wild camps, we enjoy a good bed in bungalows and cold drinks.
8

Days 11 & 12: South of Lake Turkana:

The rest will have been beneficial and we are ready for new adventures. In the morning we will discover the villages of the region’s ethnic groups: the El Molo, the original people of the lake, fishermen and former hippopotamus and crocodile hunters, the Turkana, the majority in the region, and if time allows a few Samburu Manyattas. In the afternoon of day 11, we embark to reach the south of Lake Turkana and settle in the bay at the foot of the Nabuyatom volcano. Departure for its ascent the next morning, a superb volcano with perfect shapes, with a deep crater and offering beautiful views on Lake Turkana to the north and astonishing green lakes set in black basalt. Back on our boat, we arrive on the edge of the Teleki, winding down to the south and the source of impressive basalt flows. Delicate ascent and descent of the volcano, the scree can even cut the way, before meeting our Turkana team who came with the pack donkeys for our second trek.
9

Days 13 & 14: Trek Turkana:

Here begins the most difficult trek of our route, for its walking time, its sometimes difficult terrain and the heat conditions. Up before dawn we leave Lake Turkana, which will leave its mark on our memories for a long time. The slope is gentle but long (~ 5h) until reaching the pass which opens up the view to the south. What a spectacle: the Rift in all its power, volcanoes, escarpments and mountains, and down there the superb salt lake of Logipi in the center of which sits an old volcano, Cathedral Rock. Punctuated by the slender silhouettes of flamingos, the lake is tinged with orange reflections at sunset. Never have we ever seen such a landscape, and we will never forget the emotions of such a land. The next day we cross a large flow of black basalt. The relief is rugged, faults, dormant volcanoes, cliffs, beds of wadis ... a harsh and wild landscape. It is quite simply the Africa of origins, where a very exceptional atmosphere vibrates! At the end of the day we arrive in a small remote Turkana village, where our team is from. Our 4x4s have joined us nonetheless. A refreshing African shower puts us back on our feet.
10

Day 15: Turkana land - Ndoto Mountains:

Small visit of the village, our Turkana guide inviting us to meet his family. The crude simplicity of the small hamlet contrasts with the beauty of the people who inhabit it, especially the women adorned with long pearl necklaces and aesthetic hairstyles. We leave the Rift Valley but the landscapes that await us are still as promising, originating from the tectonic movements of the region: the Ndoto range, “dream” mountains in the Swahili language. A name that the region deserves: a complex network of domes, slabs and granite cliffs, wooded valleys and slopes, streams that feed a few natural pools, countless peaks standing out powerfully from the whole. There live the Samburu and some Rendille, nomadic people who breed camels in the desert adjoining the mountains.
11

Days 16 & 17: Rendille camel trek:

We organize this last trek with our Rendille friends, who use their camels when they move. Moreover, it is the women who usually load the animals with all the attributes of the house during transhumance; so naturally it is them who will take care of our caravan. Wandering into the mountains, we find our bivouac site near a river in a circus with a few peaks dominating the environment. We arrive at our bivouac site near the river. In front of our eyes, in its granite setting, a small waterfall feeds a large basin of bubbling water. We enjoy the bath before spending the night by the fire which will crackle until the early hours, to signal our presence to the wild animals. Awake at dawn, we head to a pass hidden in the mountain and find a new natural pool with a beautiful "stone slab-slide" where we can also try sliding to the large basin.
12

Days 18 & 19: The fauna of Samburu National Reserve:

After saying goodbye to our Rendille and Samburu friends, we take the road that leads us to the Samburu National Reserve. It is the kingdom of fauna that marks the end of our long journey: elephants, giraffes, zebras, antelopes and felines, all the great African fauna. First safari in the afternoon before settling in a comfortable lodge, to end our expedition in style. Full day safari the next day, with a break in the hottest hours of the day.
13

Day 20: Samburu - Nairobi:

After a last morning safari, we take the road that will lead us to Nairobi, for the return flight at night. This is the end of this extraordinary expedition.
You don't have permission to register