BecomingX School Adventure Trek in Kenya

Arrive into Nairobi and transfer to our campsite on the edge of Ngong Forest. Briefing and overnight in either bandas (4 person huts), dorms or tents.

After further team meetings we’ll tour Kibera – the world’s 2nd biggest slum community and some local schools, which we have a strong philanthropic history with. In the afternoon we’ll visit the famous Giraffe Sanctuary before returning to camp and preparing for our adventure to Suswa!

We transfer from our Nairobi base to Duka Moja market village by road (2 1/2 hours) in our overland truck and then trek through the Suswa Conservancy with our Masai Guides for 3 – 4hrs (6km) where we’ll spend four nights of wild camping under the stars in this rarely visited and stunningly beautiful area of the Great Rift Valley – we’ll live like the Masai and in the evening track wild dogs and hyena.

We’ll start our climb to the summit of Mt Suswa after an early breakfast. We leave camp to the first viewpoint, which takes around an hour and then climb upwards for 3 hours to the summit of Mt Suswa, which is also known by the Masai as Ol Doinyo Nyokie – the Red Mountain at 2,356m. We’ll carry snacks with us and can spend some time exploring the crater rim of this vast volcano which has a 6-mile-wide caldera, before our return to camp around 2pm for a late lunch.

Afterwards, we’ll trek up a neighbouring hill called Sampu Orkuoo meaning ‘a small healthy lamb’, where we have good views of the surrounding valley, our camp and it’s also where we collect our dinner for the BBQ (hence the name)! In the morning, if the team are feeling fit, it’s also possible to walk the entire crater rim which would instead take 10hrs at 24km!

We’ll leave camp after breakfast to see the hot springs beneath Mt Suswa which force steam jets up at dawn and start our trek to the Lost Island in the Suswa crater which is about an 8 hour trek around the inner crater, dipping into the forest and the Masai open grazing land along the way.

Throughout your time in the Mount Suswa Conservancy expect to see giraffe, zebra, klipspringer and Thompson’s gazelle, a variety of birdlife and at night genet cats and hyena. We’ll take lunch with us on this walk. We cover 19km today over mixed terrain – sandy, scree paths, rocky sections and a couple of steep areas on approach to the Lost Island.

We’ll wake up early for breakfast then leave camp and visit the local Masai village, schools and experience the Masai culture before continuing our trek to what is considered the world’s most complex braided system of lava tubes, where you’ll also see the ‘baboon parliament’ where baboon troops take refuge from predators in the evening and the sleeping bat colonies, hanging from the ceilings of the caves during the day.

The walk from camp to the caves is about 11km. We’ll leave camp at 7 am before the sun is very hot. This will take the whole day, so we’ll have lunch at the caves in the shade. The route is along a trail road which is sandy if dry. We’ll then return to camp by vehicles in the early afternoon.

Today we leave Suswa and walk back out to the overland truck (3hrs) and then transfer to Hells Gate National Park, just over an hours drive away. When in the park we’ll walk and cycle amongst the wildlife that lives in the park for around 7km and explore the deep gorge for which the park is famous. We’ll stay overnight in the park amongst the giraffe, buffalo and zebra and camp high on the escarpment which has beautiful views along the Rift Valley.

After breakfast we’ll drive to the foot of the throne of the Rift Valley and enjoy a full days trek and crater walk of Mount Longonot (2,776m – the name comes from the Masai word oloonong’ot, meaning “mountains of many spurs” or “steep ridges”), which is a breathtaking, dormant volcano and home to a wide variety of wildlife on its slopes and in its crater floor. After the climb we’ll travel the short distance to Fish Eagle resort where we’ll camp on the shores of Lake Naivasha. We can relax in the evening by the shore of the lake, watch the hippo wallow, or go for a swim in the pool before enjoying dinner.

After all our walking and hard work we’ll have a chill day! After a well-deserved lie in we’ll head out onto Lake Naivasha for a boat trip to watch the wallowing Hippo and swooping Fish Eagles. Late afternoon can be spent shopping or visiting some local sites. We’ll then enjoy a relaxed evening meal before organizing our kit for our next adventure!

Today we’ll pack up and drive to the most famous African game reserve of them all – the Masai Mara! The Masai Mara is one of Africa’s premier game reserves where you get close encounters with a diverse population of game all year round. With its iconic landscape of endless seas of golden grass dotted with picturesque acacia trees, the Masai Mara fulfils the dreams of any visitor searching for the perfect safari experience. This natural wonderland is home to cheetahs, leopards, large prides of lion, elephants, giraffes, hyenas, huge Nile crocodiles, hippos and many other species.

The Masai Mara spreads over 1,510 square kilometres of rolling plains, sudden rocky outcrops, and green winding rivers and is one of the few locations in Africa where you stand a good chance of seeing the ‘Big 5’ on one game drive. We’ll go for a late afternoon game drive and then camp for the night in a campsite we regularly use beside the reserve entrance.

We’ll spend a full day in the reserve spotting and tracking animals before returning to camp.

We’ll spend a few hours in the morning on game drives before driving back to Nairobi (6hrs) where we’ll return to our campsite on the edge of the Ngong Forest. (Option of evening flight home).

In the morning we can visit the famous Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage and then, depending on your flight times, organise another afternoon tour or visit. Then catch an evening flight back home.