Tents (8)
All tents are very spacious, with a closet, luggage rack, a desk and beautiful seating area. Speke’s has eight comfortable & traditional glamping tents, either double, twin or family tents.

All tents have large spacious bathrooms with traditional safari bucket showers, hot water & flush toilets. Each tent comes with a personal room steward to look after you during your stay.

Safari Trails
Speke’s sets up the Safari trails so that clients can experience two very different styles of Safari in one holiday. Game viewing in a vehicle then step onto the trail for what we like to call slow travel. Slow travel allows one to have a deeper connection to their surroundings, a more hands-on experience of the landscape, climate, way of life & culture. One can discover hidden pockets of their surroundings, new & exciting places all off the beaten track – no queues, no entrance fee, no crowds – just you and the African wilderness. The guides are eager to share their customs and cultures with you. Learn how they read the landscape, listen to the stories of their fore­fathers.

The safari trails include three nights at Speke’s Camp in The Maasai mara, where expert guides will show you around arguably the best game viewing in the world by vehicle.   Then it’s onto the next step of your journey. 

It’s time to stretch your legs and leave the car behind. Here is where you begin your three night trail in some of the most remote parts of Kenya.

You struggle to describe the feeling you get when you walk through the Kenyan bush. Africa’s oldest human remains were found in Kenya, and go back 7 million years. It’s hard not to feel intimate with the landscape and its history.

Kitich Safari Trail - 3 nights / 4 days (Speke’s Camp)
Fly with the early morning flight on Safarilink into Kalama Airstrip where you will be collected by vehicle and transferred 1.5 hours to meet your safari guides and crew with camels. 

Set off into the dramatic and beautiful low country, following flat sand luggas ( dried river beds) you may choose to ride the camels or walk 2 to 3 hours. 

As the sun gets higher and the shadows grow smaller, the cicadas start whirring. It’s time to stop for a break – lunch and cold drinks under the shade of an ancient Neotonia or giant Fig, the air is heavy and the chilled slice of watermelon hits the spot! Out of the cooks’ trunks in the hazy heat appear freshly baked breads and a quiche for lunch, fresh and delicious salads, with plenty of chilled drinks. 

During the heat of the day, rest on a bedroll under shade trees drifting off into a slumber with the background noise of dreamy birdsong. 

You will see the local Samburu of the area as they move through the luggas with their livestock, this is a wonderful opportunity to observe the daily lives of these majestic people. And to witness unique culture in a natural setting ,you may also get a chance to see a “singing well“ which is truly an incredible spectacle. 

As the afternoon begins to cool down, a light tea and homemade biscuits is served before you set off on another walk in the cool, shorter this time, before you return to your over night adventure flycamp.

The fly camp is simple and comfortable, tents with mosquito net ceilings to allow for star-gazing from bed! There are comfy bedrolls or camp beds, kerosene lanterns for lighting & bucket showers. Camp chairs set around a campfire and a dining table laid out ready for supper. 

As the sun disappears over the inky horizon, the fires are lit, the lanterns set out, the camels corralled, the cooks get busy concocting deliciousness for the evening meal. 

Feeling rejuvenated after a hot shower have a long cold drink and pull up a camp chair around the fire for a pre-dinner chat and a mug of delicious homemade soup whilst planning the next day and onward safari. 

After dinner, pleasantly weary slope off to bed under the star spangled sky, with a bush lullaby of trumpeting of elephant, lion calling, leopard sawing, tree frogs and fireside chatter.

5.00am wake before the dawn in the cool of the morning, the stars are still twinkling and streaks of light start to appear across the dawn sky, warm up with a hot cup of tea or coffee, a granola bar and a banana, and set off walking towards the sunrise, you may see wildlife on the way and the dawn chorus and cool air is invigorating. At some point you will stop for a full breakfast before continuing to Kitich Forest Camp. The Camels will follow with the flycamp and luggage. This morning’s hike will take approximately 4 hours. 

As the mountains appear in front of you, and you begin to understand what Africa should really look like, you start to climb into the Mathews Range. The vegetation begins to thicken and get lusher, you begin to see the deep forests that lie like a mantel over the mountains. Walking is the only way to truly experience this magical place, with superb guidance by the local Samburu and Ndorobo, gentle happy people who know these mountains and forest intimately. You just can’t get closer to nature, feel peace and far away from the day to day humdrum of life. 

Kitich Forest Camp is nestled in a valley in The Mathews Range Kitich Forest on the upper slopes of the Mathews Mountains , this ancient mountain forest spans some 900 km² and boasts 8000 ft (2438m) high peaks rising from the surrounding lowlands and desert floor. 

Arriving at Kitich Forest Camp for lunch. This is a charming, nostalgic, old style traditional Safari Tented Camp, where you will revel in genuine Kenyan hospitality with comfortable tents set out under massive shade trees, along the banks of the Ngeng River. Enjoy the cool forest bar and beautiful alfresco dining areas. 

After a welcome and refreshing shower, enjoy a well earned delicious lunch followed by some down time in the heat of the day. In the afternoon an optional walk to the springs for a swim will be on offer. At this altitude and in the forest, the temperatures are comfortable and one can be out all day. In the evenings snuggle under a duvet with a hot water bottle.

As effervescent light and gentle birdsong fills the valley, your wake up call of steaming hot Kenyan tea or coffee arrives on your tent veranda. A gentle start to the day, take breakfast overlooking the Ngeng river, warming up in the dappled sunlight. After a leisurely breakfast, your luggage will be loaded onto donkeys, and you set off up the Kojos Valley, full of giant cycads. The forests of the Mathews Range, and around camp are home to over 350 bird species, more than 150 species of butterfly, a number of wild forest orchids, and a rare and endemic giant cycad – a plant that looks like it belongs in the age of the dinosaurs. They are also home to forest elephants, leopard, buffalo, wild dog, greater kudu, waterbuck, giant forest hog. The Mathews’ indigenous forest is one of the very few areas where you have the possibility of seeing the rare De Brazza Monkey outside the Ruwenzori Mountains. They are large monkeys, similar to a Sykes in size and build, but more striking with a red forehead. The walking in this area is not all flat, undulating hills and valleys lead into the ancient forest. 

Today this is a 4 hour hike, so a picnic lunch will be enjoyed en route before descending down on the edge of the spectacular escarpment of the Murit Pass. This is where you understand that the earth is so much greater than us. 

Your flycamp will be set up under a glade of shade tree and again you will enjoy this incredible hospitality and comfort in the most simple of ways, you need some time here to simply absorb the beauty of this area and wilderness. Share a delicious meal out of the chef’s tin trunk, and stories around the campfire before retiring for what will be a peaceful and deep slumber.

The Grand finale, another exciting pre dawn wake up call before the sun shows herself, a hot cup of tea slips down and the cool morning breeze makes you tingle all over, this morning we descend the Murit, beginning down a valley as the sun is beginning to creep up into the sky, surrounded by dawn chorus and bird chatter and the odd elephant rumble. As you walk through shaded valleys studded with cycads and boulders and the glorious morning dappled light, you realise what a gift we have been given from mother nature.  A hearty breakfast will be served at the bottom of the Murit under a massive newtonia tree. 

This is the end of your safari, the donkeys will arrive with your luggage which will be loaded into your transfer vehicles for your onward travel to the airstrip. 

The Rift Safari Trail - 3 nights / 4 days (Speke’s Camp)
All the guides are members of our local Maasai community. They offer you unique insights into the local fauna and flora. The Maasai will show you the local plants they use for ceremonial purposes and share their extensive knowledge of the trees and their medicinal uses. Gain valuable insight into their culture and community life.

Explore ancient elephant trails as they descend through the forest down into the Great Rift Valley. A minimum of 8 Maasai accompany you on the trail along with the Donkey caravan that will carry all camp equipment and luggage. The guides will carry a satellite phone

Day 1 (River Camp)
Departing the Mara in the morning, a spectacular drive takes you through a range of impressive valleys. You then Meet the team at Morijo, a 3 hour hike takes you to the first camp. Once at camp, you’ll be welcomed by cool drinks and warm smiles. Settle into the evening with hot showers then stories around the campfire under the stars. Experience your first night along the trails, the hidden hot water bottles are a nice surprise with a comfortable mattress and cotton sheets. (Trail duration 3 hours)

Day 2 (Oltyiani Camp)
Leaving River Camp around 10.00, you walk to Oltyiani, the highest point in the Loita overlooking the Rift Valley, with the chance to visit the Oltyiani waterfall. A leisurely walk takes you across beautiful views and scenery. Stop for lunch around 12.30, with stunning views overlooking the Rift Valley. Arrive into camp at approximately 4-5pm, welcomed with cool drinks, watch as the sun sets over the Rift Valley. The morning and afternoon walks are both around 3 hours long. (Trail duration 5-6 hours)

Day 3 (Ngurumans Camp)
Enjoy a hot drink and breakfast before setting off on your hike. Donkey loads are packed and weighed and the camp is broken down and packed into the donkey caravan for the hike to the next campsite. The hike takes you from the highest point in the forest, stepping into open glades and further down into the Ngurumans. The trail will then lead you down an old cattle/animal track into the Great Rift Valley. (Trail Duration 5-6 hours)

Day 4 (Departure Day)
After an early breakfast, it will be time to say goodbye to your camp crew. A 3 hour hike takes you on a final step down into the rift, to Enkomongo. A vehicle will meet you and drive you back to Nairobi or onto your next destination.