A unique opportunity to join our Kenya head guide, Roel of Schutte, on a walking expedition across the Mara conservancies from east to northwest, starting in the Naboisho Conservancy and journeying on foot through Mara North, Lemek and Ol Chorro Conservancy. This is a conservation journey across the Mara, spending time at wildlife conservation and community projects along the way including the Maa Trust, Mara Predator Programme and the Mara Elephant Project. Adventurers will experience far more than a walking safari, leaving with a deep understanding of the work that goes into protecting and supporting the communities as well as wildlife that call this region home. You’ll be walking between 15 and 20 kilometres per day, so this
itinerary is not for the faint-hearted and requires a good level of fitness. You’ll stay in a mix of fly-camps, permanent camps, and safari houses, with all of the logistics taken care of so you can focus on the varied landscape as you explore the greater Masai Mara on foot. As well as covering significant distances each day, you’ll take the time to explore, identify wildlife tracks, check out the birdlife and plant life you encounter along the way, and at times approach big game, all under the guidance of your expert walking guide, Roelof. You will need to carry your daypack each day which will include packed lunches, snacks, and 3 litres of drinking water, while your main bags will be transported from point to point by our logistics team.
High – you will be walking up to 20km per day, for a total distance of 86km
A day on safari at Naboisho Camp enjoying traditional safari activities such as game drives or village visits. In the evening, you’ll meet your private guide, Roelof, for a briefing about the expedition ahead.
Depart in the early morning on a walking safari through the Naboisho Conservancy, heading to the western border of the conservancy where you will camp tonight. Stop along the way for short breaks for a snack or a rest, reaching camp before the heat of the day. Enjoy lunch and a rest, before heading to the Maa Trust in the afternoon, either walking or being driven if you wish to rest your legs. Learn about the various community projects that the Trust supports, including beekeeping, healthcare and education, and meet some of the Maasai women at the beadwork project. You’ll also visit the Kenya Wildlife Trust’s Predator Hub next door to meet some of the researchers and learn about their Mara Predator program which studies and conserves predators including lion and cheetah across the Greater Mara region. Return to the camp for sundowners and dinner cooked on the campfire before turning in for the night.
Get up as the sun starts to creep above the horizon for an early breakfast and then set off in a vehicle for a short 40-minute drive to the start of today’s walk through the Mara North Conservancy. This is a big day of walking through varying terrain of savannah and acacia woodland, stopping at various points to rest in the shade. The wildlife you encounter along
the way, as well as the beautiful Mara landscapes, will make this a real adventure, all under the guidance of your guide Roelof. Reach tonight’s fly camp in the mid afternoon and enjoy a well earned rest and shower before sundowners and a camp fire cooked dinner, sharing stories and enjoying a spot of stargazing if the night is clear.
Today, you’ll walk through the Mara North Conservancy towards the Mara River where you will stop for a picnic lunch and time to rest your legs, taking in the magnitude of this mighty river system that is the life source for so much of the Masai Mara ecosystem. In the afternoon, walk northward to Lemek Conservancy to visit the Mara Elephant Project headquarters to learn about their anti-poaching units, mitigating human wildlife conflict in villages and their research and collaring of the Greater Mara’s elephants. This is a humbling and fascinating insight into the challenging and never-ending work to conserve one of Africa’s iconic species and offers the chance to meet some real-life conservation heroes. From here you’ll walk (or drive) onward to your fly camp which has moved during the day while you’ve been walking. Reach camp inspired, and perhaps a little tired by now, ready for a shower and hearty dinner and a final night of sleeping out in the wilds of the Mara before your final day’s walk tomorrow.
Your final morning of walking, heading northward to the foot of Kilileoni hill on Ol Chorro conservancy. A vehicle and guide will meet you and drive you along the base of the hill to the small rhino sanctuary where you can walk on foot with the three resident white rhinos – a rare treat and the chance to meet one of the rhino rangers and understand more about these modern-day dinosaurs. From here, enjoy one last hike up the Kilileoni Hill where you can stop at the top to enjoy views stretching out across the vast expanse of the Masai Mara before making your way to Mara or Acacia House for a late lunch. The views from here are never-ending and you can feel justifiably proud of your legs for carrying you on this incredible traverse through one of Africa’s most iconic regions. A vehicle will be on hand if your legs are too tired to get you up the hill, too. The afternoon can be spent enjoying some well-earned rest beside the swimming pool and enjoying a celebratory barbeque feast for dinner overlooking the waterhole.
A relaxed morning and breakfast at Mara or Acacia House before you are driven to the airstrip for the morning flight out of the Mara. Alternatively, extend your stay for a further couple of nights of game drive safaris.
