Welcome to our site! At Turkana Safaris we are devoted to giving you an expereince of what it's like to be on foot in the African bush. We differ from all other safari companies in that ours are walking safaris, not in vehicles. We take you through areas of northern Kenya that we know and love, and have traveled through countless times. Expereinceing the land, people, culture and animals on foot as opopsed to being inside a vehicle are worlds apart. If you want that ultimate conneciton with the African bush, then this is the place to be.
Our safaris (see the links below) range from the extreme heat and desolation of the Turkana region, concnetrated on the harsh physical environment of the Suguta Valley, to the more laid back Samburu region which are geared more towards trekkers wanting to be in the bush, but not deal with the extemes of Turkana. The Samburu region is lush and green, with a mild climate, and the areas we go through are filled with small hills and valleys. Safaris in both areas are designed to give a more perosnal feeling and conneciton with the enormity and beatuy of the African bush and all it has to offer. As we are walking, we frequently stop in vallages where we buy fresh eggs and milk, and get a glimpse of village life, a way of life that may not be around much longer as western ways move in to even these remote areas of the planet.
Pack animals carry all of our gear so all we have to do is walk, and keep up with them! We walk with Samburu or Turkana warriors who are our guides, porters and helpers, which make for an incredibly authentic experience. These guys are doing what they do every day - walking through and living the land - just doing it for us. Our safaris are unique in that they are all on foot, and we do that because we are outside of the game parks the entire time, walking through the country where people live day to day.
As stated above, all the safaris are on foot. You can carry your own gear on the shorter Samburu safaris, but on the longer safaris donkeys or camels are used to carry all the gear. The safaris range in difficulty from leisurely but brisk walks to extreme physical conditions, where you will find you need to push yourself constantly to keep going. It's simply a matter of what you want.
Our safaris are designed to give you a real feel for the bush. Almost all other companies throughout Africa offer safaris that are based on traveling in vehicles. A few offer some kind of day or partial day walk, but usually through well worn areas that don't give a real feel for the bush. We are walking through tribal lands, the land where a number of tribes live day to day. We run into them in the bush by chance, stop by the villages when we pass them, take shelter in their homes from a passing rain storm. Each time we set up camp, the local chief and a number of people will come to check us out, welcome us to the area and make sure we are set up with one or two of the warriors from their village. The Turkana safari is done along something of trade route, and our guide through that area is Lochuch, whose donkeys we use. He is from there and has done the journey countless times, mostly carrying goods to trade. He leads us through the land, introduces you to the people, silently pays off warriors to guard us at night, make sure that we aren't unknowingly wandering into a raid or skirmish between tribes, and gets fresh cow, goat or camel milk for tea. He makes sure we find water, arranges trades with people for goods and food, and makes sure the places that we spend the night are safe and comfortable, (well, as comfortable as can be in a volcanic desert!). Simply put, he takes you places you would have a hard time staying alive in yourself. And he does it because he loves it.