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Itinerary

Day 1-11: Nairobi to Lake Turkana and Marsabit
Departing Nairobi, we head to nearby Lake Naivasha. We camp near the lake shore where Hippos sometimes feed at night! Here you can walk to Elsamere, the house of Joy Adamson – of Elsa the Lion and Born Free fame, and enjoy a film of her life – and cream teas! You can also hire mountain bikes and cycle or walk through Hells Gate National Park – the only game reserve in Kenya in which you are permitted to do so. Or for a less active but equally enjoyable game viewing experience – visit the Crater Lake Game Sanctuary. Both offer excellent scenery and opportunities to spot hyrax, abundant bird and plant life along with several types of gazelle, impala and eland.

Travelling further north, we travel around the foothills of Mount Kenya to Samburu National Park which offers some of the best sightings of leopards in Kenya and is home to 5 particularly special other animals, the reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich, Grevy’s zebra, gerenuk and Beisa oryx.

Further north we access the remoteness of northern Kenya. Nomadic tribes people like the Rendille in Marsabit & the Samburu (cousins of the Maasai) still wear very distinctive and often elaborate dress.

If road conditions allow, we will spend a few days around Lake Turkana, the world’s largest permanent desert and saline lake. The lake hosts the world’s largest colony of crocodiles and the biggest Nile crocodile breeding ground, and is also an important habitat for hippopotamus. In earlier, wetter times, it was an ideal place for humans to live and many human and pre-human fossils have been found here which have helped us to understand the evolution of the human species.

Day 12-20: Marsabit to Jinka and Addis Ababa
As we cross into Ethiopia – the roads we travel on are often in mountainous areas, so travel is slow. Ethiopia has a lot more visual & indigenous history than any other sub – Saharan country.

We continue our journey north heading to Jinka and the Omo Valley. This region is home to some of the most colourful ethnic groups in Ethiopia. The friendly Hamar people are noted for their ornate, interesting hairstyles and the Mursi people are famous for the clay lip plates and earlobe decorations. An optional day tour will take you into the Omo National Park.

Continuing on our way, we will stop at Arba Minch and the brown Langano Lake on our way to Addis Ababa where we have the chance to indulge in some authentic Ethiopian coffee or explore ‘El Mercato’ – one of East Africa’s largest open air markets. We also spend the next few days organising visas.

Note: Our routing for the next few weeks is flexible and will be finalised closer to departure or even during the trip, subject to the current security situation and permissions for travel in northern Ethiopia.

Day 21-25: Addis Ababa to Harar
Leaving Addis behind us, we visit Awash National Park. Here safaris are available where you should see various different antelope species and other wildlife including various types of monkeys and baboons which can be seen near the river. The park is also renowned for its birdlife, with over 400 species recorded here.

Onward next to Harar, which is a fascinating, colourful and vibrant city, awarded the ‘City of Peace’ price by UNESCO, and has its over 100 mosques and 102 shrines. It is often considered the fourth-holiest city in Islam and known as the ‘City of Saints’ in Arabic. It has been the centre of trade between the Arabian Peninsular and Africa for centuries and this is reflected in the busy markets, and the wide mix of different people religions and languages found there. The city is also famous for the wild hyenas that roam outside the city walls, which locals feed with sticks of meat.

Day 26-33: Harar to Somaliland
We will leave Ethiopia now and cross into Somaliland, visiting the capital Hargeisa, where we’ll mingle with the friendly locals and visit the livestock and central markets. On the way towards the coast, we will stop at Laas Geel to see the ancient cave formations which contain numerous important examples of some of the earliest known rock art paintings in the region, colourfully depicting cows, human figures and wild animals.

Next, we arrive at the coast, and the beautiful beaches around the port town of Berbera on the Gulf of Aden. Swimming and snorkelling in the sea here can be a fantastic feeling after our many weeks of travel inland. The fresh seafood restaurants are also a very welcome change.

We’ll then have a few remote and challenging driving days through the hills and desert towards the Djibouti border.

Day 34-37: Djibouti
After our desert drive we will cross into Djibouti, heading to the capital, Djibouti City. This is a busy port city and we have a few days to explore, including the option to take a day trip by boat to the Maskali and Moucha islands to enjoy snorkelling, swimming and exploring the mangrove forest. Other day trips are available to visit Lac Abbe, a salt lake with thousands of huge limestone chimneys dotting the area, many with vents steaming hot sulphuric gases.

After we leave Djibouti City, our next stop is, Lac Assal. More than 150m below sea level, this is the lowest point in Africa and a dramatic place with white salt beds, dormant volcanoes, black lava rocks and extremely salty emerald waters. We’ll camp here here before crossing back into Ethiopia.

Day 38-43: Djibouti to Addis Ababa
We leave Djibouti now and cross into Ethiopia again, driving to the town of Semera from where optional 2 night excursions are available to the Danakil Depression. Here, in one the world’s most inhospitable places, and of the lowest places on the African continent, locally arranged tours can take you to see the large Giulietti salt lake, and the salt flats with men cutting sat blocks and walking their camels between the mines and the nearest market. You’ll also see the Dallol, a huge geothermal field with yellow sulphur lakes, bubbling springs and geysers, and the active Erta Ale Volcano with its bubbling lava explosions. This is not a trip for the fainthearted so if you go, make sure to take lots of water, sun protection and protect yourself against the fumes from the volcano.

From Semera, we spend a couple of days driving back to Addis Ababa.

Day 44: Fly to Egypt
As we are not currently able to drive through Sudan, we must say goodbye to our truck here and take to the skies to fly to Egypt (flight not included). Your tour leader will let you know during the trip which flight to book and when to book it, so please wait for these details before doing so.

Note: Should the security situation in northern Ethiopia and Sudan change, we may revert back to our traditional itinerary of driving through Sudan to Egypt. Your tour leader will update you on this during the trip.

Day 45-52: Cairo to Luxor
After arriving in Cairo, we take a tour with a local Egyptologist guide to the amazing Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza. A visit to the Grand Egyptian Musuem will follow (entrance fees paid locally). We’ll then take an overnight train south to Aswan where you will notice one of the many cultural changes on this trip – the darker Nubian people lead a more relaxed and less hectic pace of life than their Egyptian countrymen. You have the opportunity to Philae Temple and Abu Simbel temple – the massive stone monuments carved into the rock by the greatest of all pharaohs, Ramses ll. These temples were meticulously dismantled and rebuilt higher up the hillside after Lake Nasser was flooded. Visits to the Nubian museum, an evening boat cruise to a Nubian village and walking through the colourful souk, are great ways to spend your days here.

We leave Aswan and take an overnight felucca boat cruise to Kom Ombo before continuing by bus to Luxor. Spending days and nights on a felucca sailboat with their friendly Nubian crews is a wonderfully relaxing way to spend time on the River Nile.

You will be kept busy exploring in Luxor, considered the largest outdoor museum in the world. Here we visit the Valley of Kings and Queens. Here, the remarkably well preserved tombs of the ancient rulers, including Ramses ll and Tutankhamun, have coloured paintings and hieroglyphics that still seem fresh even after 3000 years. Karnak and Luxor Temples are both easily accessible from our hotel – as is the local souq where you can pick up some more souvenirs.

Day 53-59: Luxor to the Red Sea and Cairo
After leaving Luxor we drive out towards the Red Sea Coast at Hurghada. You will have time relax on the beach or try your hand at various watersports such as snorkelling, windsurfing or scuba diving in the cool clear blue waters.

Our final destination, Cairo is then only one final day’s drive away. We’ll explore the old town and Khan-el-Khalili bazaar on foot, and then enjoy a final meal together as a fitting way to end this amazing expedition.