Kenya Moto-Safari Expedition
(The Great Rift)

Upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport we will pick you up and check in to the hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure to rest and recover from the flight before the ride begins.

In the evening we meet at basecamp for the ride briefing and bike allocation. Please carry your motorcycle licence, passport, and printed Kenya eTA approval - the signed rental agreement, liability waiver and inspection form are completed at this briefing.

Accommodation on bed & breakfast basis. Lunch and dinner at own expense.

Arrival At Nairobi

We leave basecamp and head north on the A2, climbing steadily out of Nairobi and into the highlands. You cross the equator at Nanyuki with the peak of Mount Kenya on your right, then descend into Samburu country along the Ewaso Ng'iro River.

This is full tarmac the whole way and one of only two paved days on the entire ride, so use it to settle into the bike and find your rhythm with the group. Time permitting we stop at the Buffalo Springs natural pool before pushing on to camp.

Distance covered: 350kms, Riding time: 6-7 hours, Surface: Tarmac

Breakfast, lunch & dinner included.

Nairobi to Archer's Post (350 Km)

The tarmac ends today. We head north through Samburu country on hard-packed dirt and loose rock, with long corrugated sections across the open plains - a steady off-road pace rather than technical riding, and the day that teaches you how the bike handles loaded on dirt.

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The Ndoto granite domes rise on the horizon as we approach camp. This is gerenuk and reticulated giraffe country. The camp offers optional activities at extra cost: camel rides, guided hikes including the climb up Poi, and swimming and rock sliding in the river pools. A Samburu or Rendille manyatta visit can be arranged with advance notice - a traditional jumping dance, beadwork demonstration and a walk through a working homestead. Campfire storytelling with the crew after dinner.

Distance covered: 170kms, Riding time: 6 hours, Surface: Off-road

Breakfast, lunch & dinner included.

Archer's Post to Ngurunit (170 Km)

South through the South Horr valley at the foot of Mount Kulal, then past the turbines of Lake Turkana Wind Power - the largest wind farm in Africa - and across open volcanic rock fields before the long descent to the lake.

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Rocky volcanic track gives way to loose gravel and washboard, and you can expect strong crosswinds near the wind farm. It is one of the hottest legs of the route, and then Lake Turkana opens up in front of you: algae-green, the largest desert lake in the world, and the reason it is called the Jade Sea. The Loiyangalani Desert Museum gives context before an El Molo village visit; quad bike hire and boat rides on the lake are available locally.

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Distance covered: 210kms, Riding time: 6 hours, Surface: Off-road

Breakfast, lunch & dinner included.

Ngurunit to Loiyangalani (210 Km)

The remote heart of the ride. We leave the Turkana shore early and strike out across the open northern plains through Gas, North Horr and El Gade to the oasis at Kalacha, on the edge of the Chalbi Desert.

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This is a long stage with very few services along the way, so it starts early and runs on strict water and fuel discipline, with the support vehicle close behind. Tonight's stay is a simple mission guesthouse in Kalacha.

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Riding time: Full day (long stage), Surface: Off-road

Breakfast, lunch & dinner included.

Loiyangalani to Kalacha via Gas, North Horr & El Gade

Out onto the alkaline flats of the Chalbi Desert - open sand and flat-track riding, the fastest surface of the week, punctuated by salt pans and mirages convincing enough that riders regularly slow for water that is not there.

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The hazard here is fesh fesh: pockets of fine, talc-like dust that hide under a crusted surface and can swallow a front wheel without warning. We ride in a staggered line rather than nose-to-tail, through pale undisturbed patches. Gabbra camel caravans still cross these flats carrying salt to Marsabit market. Beyond Maikona the road climbs sharply into Marsabit's forested crater rim, and the temperature drops noticeably, sometimes into mist.

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We enter Marsabit National Park, which sits inside an extinct volcano with Lake Paradise on its floor and forest elephants on the rim. Tonight is a hotel in Marsabit town.

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Surface: Off-road (desert flats, then a rocky climb)

Breakfast, lunch & dinner included.

Kalacha to Marsabit via the Chalbi Desert & Maikona

The longest single day of the ride and the easiest surface: full tarmac from Marsabit onward, back down through the Samburu plains and Isiolo, across the equator southbound, with Mount Kenya on your left one last time.

We finish at basecamp with the certification ceremony and hand the motorcycles back. You transfer to your Nairobi hotel, with a free day tomorrow before the safari begins.

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Distance covered: 560kms, Riding time: 8-9 hours, Surface: Tarmac

Breakfast & lunch included.

Accommodation in Nairobi on bed & breakfast basis; dinner at own expense.

Marsabit to Nairobi (560 Km)

A free day in Nairobi to rest after six days in the saddle, catch up on laundry and repack for the safari.

It also gives the schedule some slack if weather or track conditions slow the group in the north.

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Breakfast included. Accommodation on bed & breakfast basis.

Lunch and dinner at own expense.

Day At Leisure In Nairobi

At 6:30am, after breakfast and check-out, you meet your English-speaking guide-cum-driver and head into the Great Rift Valley by road in a private 4x4 pop-up roof Safari Landcruiser.

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A scenic game drive through Lake Nakuru on the way in, then check in at the lodge on full board basis for hot lunch and a chance to rest. At 3:30pm the evening game drive goes out in pursuit of white and black rhino, big cats and the endangered Rothschild's giraffe, with Lesser Flamingoes massed in the shallows and some of the finest birding in Kenya.

Back to the lodge by 6:30pm for dinner.

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Breakfast, lunch & dinner included.

Nairobi to Lake Nakuru National Park

At 6:30am, after breakfast and check-out, we continue to the Masai Mara - the northern extension of the Serengeti ecosystem and the most famous wildlife reserve in East Africa.

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A short scenic game drive on the way in before checking into the lodge on full board basis, with hot lunch and time to relax. At 3:30pm we head out into the reserve for the evening game drive, running until 6:30pm.

Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Breakfast, lunch & dinner included.

Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara National Reserve

At 6:30am, after breakfast, we head out with packed lunch for a full day exploring the reserve. This is where your driver-cum-guide's knowledge earns its keep - reading movement across the plains, knowing which sectors the cats are working, and where a kill is likely to draw a crowd.

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Remember that wildlife is a waiting game, and patience is the whole skill. Enjoy your picnic lunch in the bush, then continue straight into the afternoon game drive until 6:30pm before returning to the lodge.

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You may instead opt for an early morning and evening game drive with a hot lunch back at the lodge - please discuss this with your guide the previous evening.

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Breakfast, lunch & dinner included.

Full Day Game Drive In Masai Mara

A second full day in the Mara, working different sectors in different light, and statistically your best chance of the trip for a big sighting.

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At 6:30am, after breakfast, head out with packed lunch for the morning game drive until midday. Enjoy your picnic lunch in the bush, then continue into the evening game drive. The Mara leg concludes with a signature sundowner in the wild, weather permitting, complimentary with a glass of juice. Any extra beverages consumed during this time are charged separately.

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You may instead opt for an early morning and evening game drive with a hot lunch back at the lodge - please discuss this with your guide the previous evening.

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Breakfast, lunch & dinner included.

Full Day Game Drive In Masai Mara

A later start today. At 8am, after breakfast and check-out, we make the drive back to Nairobi and check in at the hotel on bed & breakfast basis.

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A last evening together, and the first real chance to compare the desert half of this trip with the savannah half over a drink. Lunch and dinner at own expense.

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Breakfast included. Accommodation on bed & breakfast basis.

Masai Mara to Nairobi

After fourteen days of lava fields, salt flats, jade water and open savannah, it is time to bid farewell. At 8am, after breakfast and check-out, you will be dropped at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your departure flight.

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Hotel check-out is before 10:00am; day rooms can be arranged at additional cost if your flight departs late in the day.

For those with extra time, optional extensions can also be arranged before departure. We thank you for riding with us and being part of this incredible adventure - until next time, ride safe and keep exploring.

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Breakfast included.

Departure from Nairobi