Tropic Air & Arijiju
MT KENYA DAY TRIP
We fly at dawn, watching the sun rise up over jagged blue peaks, touching down at Lake Michaelson for breakfast, a hot cup of coffee and perhaps a go at fly fishing for rainbow trout. Being on Mt Kenya, one feels like one has been transported to a different continent. It’s a colossal contrast to everything else in the country. Batian, the highest peak, is the second highest in Africa, standing at 5,199 metres - just over 17,000 feet.
Helicopter excursions
SUGUTA DAY TRIP
On this outing, which can be enjoyed as part of a larger northern Kenya expedition or simply a day trip, we also visit Silale Crater, a vast caldera carpeted by grass and shrubs, float through the Painted Valley, examine the miraculous rock formations of the Hoodoo Valley and check out Lake Logipi, a seasonal lake on the floor of the Valley.
This unexpected seasonal dam, created from multiple volcanic eruptions, is framed by incredible black, cracked lava flows. The beginnings of the earth; the land that time forgot. At just 1,000 feet above sea level (500 feet lower than neighbouring Lake Turkana) it really is parching. But, luckily, the area is dotted with small, crystal clear pools of water that have been naturally filtered through layers of lava, where you, and lots of little fish, can enjoy a swim.
TRIBAL VISITS
The communities of the north scratch a living from the barren landscape with dignity and pride. A few survive off fish caught from the lake, the majority from camels or cattle in the desert. These are some of the toughest people on Earth, who still celebrate life’s milestones with ceremonies that have lasted hundreds of years. Visiting them in their homes, learning about their beliefs and priorities, is fascinating. Their identities are bold and unique, and their relationships with each other are just as interesting as how they see themselves.
TURKANA
Here, in the Cradle of Mankind, guests are confronted with life on the extreme. Prehistoric sized crocodiles glide lazily through the greeny blue waters of Lake Turkana as furious winds whip up desert sands and the smell of hot earth. Blazing skies and vast horizons are a tonic for tarmac and cement, rinsing and refreshing one’s senses. One wonders what a miracle the sight of this sensational lake must have been in 1888 to Austrian Baron Von Taleki, the first European to document it. He named it Lake Rudolph, after his king at the time, though it was changed to Turkana in 1975.
A trip to Turkana with Tropic Air usually involves a night at Koros Camp, giving one two days in which to truly take in the astounding features of Kenya’s north country. Most often, our route starts at the southern end of the Suguta Valley, crossing up onto the sand dunes, over Lake Logipi and to the south end of Lake Turkana. We return the following day via the Ndoto Mountains and Lekuruki Hill.
KOROS
Large, airy, simply but comfortably furnished tents make up this wonderful camp in the far reaches of Marsabit County in northern Kenya, close to Lake Turkana. It’s well positioned to take on an adventure of any kind in this region, by air or by land. An ornithological paradise, it’s as much about resting from the constant drum of travel and revelling in the total tranquillity of your surroundings. This is real Africa, un-sugar coated, to be enjoyed as the early pioneers enjoyed it. We recommend staying at least three nights here, two in camp and one out fly camping. Your memories here will be less predictable, more timeless for having teased you to the edge of your comfort zone. The experience is raw, but your drinks will always be cold, your showers hot, your bed restful and your dinner table groaning with mouth-watering fare.
CENTRAL ISLAND
The black lava beaches on the three crater lakes of Central Island are an ideal breeding ground for Nile crocodile, giving it the informal title of Crocodile Island. Menacing but quite magnificent, it is a designated World Heritage Site and protected by the Kenya Wildlife Service. We stop for a coffee or a picnic here, finding shade beneath a long suffering acacia.
QUAD BIKING
WITH L'ATTITUDE
ADVENTURES
Navigating dry river beds astride the bulky, reassuring weight of a quad bike is a pleasure like no other. This is an opportunity to get up close with the dusty, sunbaked territory of northern Kenya, to learn its cultures, its extraordinary night skies, its miraculous life forms who continue to thrive despite the harsh conditions. As you potter down a forgotten sand lugga you will come across traditional people going about their daily lives: pastoralists at hand-dug wells with their herds, women and children collecting water. This is as authentic as it gets. Whether we nip in on a daytrip, or spend a bit more time out here, sleeping in a fly camp on the edge of the Chalbi Desert, this is a worthy addition to any trip into the north.
MT NYIRO AND
THE NDOTOS
Surrounded by desert, this forest-topped mountain is a lovely spot for a picnic, and we often step out for a proper leg stretch and hike through the forest. The Ndoto Mountain Range, which stretches 40km along the northern end of Samburu county, rises up out of flat plains and dry country. Elephant highways unfold along their entire length, mountain streams trickle down with life-giving water, and here and there desert roses make a splash of brilliant pink.
As you get higher, cycads and other high altitude plants begin to make an appearance too, and everything gets a little greener. Some of the cycads you see are 10 metres tall - making them 1,000 years old. The oldest plant species on the planet, they’ve been around for 280 million years, meaning they existed in the Jurassic period. Walking amongst plants that knew dinosaurs gives one a more real sense of natural history than any museum, and Kenya’s cycads are the biggest on Earth.
E-BIKING
To feel the wind whistling in your hair and the sandy soil crunch beneath your wheels takes your exploration of these places to a whole new level. Bringing the e-bikes with us in the chopper, we land where we like and set off into the unblemished distances of Kenya’s north. We will reconnoiter empty expanses, crowded villages and secret pools, revealing the hidden side of Africa that can otherwise be ignored when traveling only by road or by air. We go well supplied with snacks and drinks, returning only when we’ve had our fill of exploration.
LAKE BOGORIA DAY TRIP
A morning helicopter trip to Lake Bogoria, a soda rich lake, home to thousands of flamingo and dozens of hot springs.
To its north lies the fresh waters of Lake Baringo - full of life from crocodiles to hippo, and an astounding 450 recorded bird species.
OL LOLOKWE
Thrilling helicopter flight over the plains of Laikipia and Samburu, spotting game and taking in the diverse unspoiled landscapes.
Ol Lolokwe is captivating in size and statue - a giant isolated mountain rising 1,000 meters from the arid plains, and sacred to the Samburu people.
Its summit has a high altitude mist forest with cycads and unusual bird-life including Kenya’s largest nesting colony of Ruppell’s Vultures.