Off-road Motorbike Tour – Great Rift Valley to Turkana Jade Lake – 11 days

Beyond the wonderful and enjoyable riding and the beautiful scenery, you will get incredible sightings of the world famous Kenya wildlife from the seat of your motorbike. The itinerary takes riders from the Great Rift Valley, into the North Rift, up the West coast of Lake Turkana and back down into the North Rift. The terrain and scenery change a lot on this trip – from sandy, red soil, clay to rocky sections. The daily temperatures vary greatly too – the further north we travel, the hotter the temperatures. West Turkana is very different from the East side – more sand and less volcanic rocks. This showcases the rarely visited parts of Kenya – a true adventure on 2 wheels!

Beyond the wonderful and enjoyable riding and the beautiful scenery, you will get incredible sightings of the world famous Kenya wildlife from the seat of your motorbike. The itinerary takes riders from the Great Rift Valley, into the North Rift, up the West coast of Lake Turkana and back down into the North Rift. The terrain and scenery change a lot on this trip – from sandy, red soil, clay to rocky sections. The daily temperatures vary greatly too – the further north we travel, the hotter the temperatures. West Turkana is very different from the East side – more sand and less volcanic rocks. This showcases the rarely visited parts of Kenya – a true adventure on 2 wheels!

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Nairobi

Stop At: Nairobi, Nairobi
Arrival in Nairobi. Collect from the airport and take to the Tamarind Tree Hotel
Duration: 8 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at the Tamarind Tree Hotel

Day 2: Drive to Nakuru – Ride in Soysambu Conservancy

Stop At: Soysambu Conservancy, Lake Elementaita 20100 Kenya
Early morning collection from Nairobi. Approximately a three-hour drive to Punda Milias Camp. Meet your riding crew. After a briefing about the bikes and safety while out riding, time to ride! The Conservancy is home to plenty of plains game, zebra, giraffe, gazelle, as well as buffalo amongst other animals. Riding on and around the conservancy is unbelievably beautiful and seeing the animals from the seat of your motor bike is an experience of a lifetime
Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at the Punda Milias Nakuru Camp that is located at the edge of the Soysambu Conservancy

Day 3: Riding in Soysambu

Stop At: Soysambu Conservancy, Lake Elementaita 20100 Kenya
Full day out and about exploring Soysambu Conservancy. Option of a picnic lunch out, or lunch back at camp. There are plenty of routes we can ride, the whole area offers different terrains and different levels of riding – from intermediate to more technical riding.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at the Punda Milias Nakuru Camp

Day 4: Riding from Soysambu to Lake Baringo

Stop At: Lake Baringo, Kenya
After breakfast, ride from Punda Milias Camp to Lake Baringo. This ride takes us through sisal plantations, down to Maji Moto and on to Kampi Ya Samaki at Lake Baringo. About 200 km and 5 hours of riding. Leave the bikes on the mainland and take the boat across to Island Camp.
Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Island Camp. The camp is located on an island and offers a spectacular view of the lake.

Day 5: Ride into the desert

Stop At: Turkana District, Turkana District, Rift Valley Province
After breakfast, we start the ride North. Through small villages, lush farmland to the start of the sandy desert in South Turkana. The temperatures are rising. The scenery is spectacular.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Camping in the South Turkana National Reserve.

Day 6: Long ride to the shore of the Turkana Lake (the Jade Lake)

Stop At: Lake Turkana, Chalbi Desert Kenya
An early start today to avoid the heat. Ride from South Turkana to Lodwar and on to Eliye Springs. The ride today is long, and the temperatures get hot. The last section is through sand dunes to get to camp.
Duration: 7 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at the Eliye Spring Resort in Turkana style accommodation. The sightings of the lake are beautiful.

Day 7: Day of rest on the shore of the Jade Lake

Stop At: Eliye Springs, Kenya
Full day at Eliye Springs. Eliye is a small village with natural springs. The West Turkana shoreline is sandy and has doum palms – resembling a coastal beach. Option of visiting a Turkana homestead.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Eliye Springs resort

Day 8: Ride from the Jade Lake to the Cherangani Hills

Stop At: Cherangani Hills, Kenya
Another early morning start – ride from Eliye Springs to the foot of the Cherangani Hills and the Marich Pass. The ride is sandy in places, and we pass many small villages along the way. Landscape is harsh but beautiful.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at the Marich Pass Field Study Centre

Day 9: Ride from the Marich Pass to the Kerio Valley

Stop At: Kerio Valley National Reserve, Cherangani and Tugen Hills, Kabarnet Kenya
From Marich Pass, the landscape becomes lush again, with forest, mango plantations and hills. The terrain changes from sandy to more red and clay soil. We ride a section on a secondary tarmac road to get to our accommodation.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at the Kerio River Lodge that offers a superb view of the surroundings.

Day 10: Ride back to Lake Baringo

Stop At: Lake Baringo, Kenya
After breakfast, ride back to Lake Baringo. We do approximately 55KM on a secondary tarmac road to the city of Kabarnet. From here we ride off road down to the shores of Lake Baringo.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Island Camp

Day 11: Ride back to Nakuru – drive back to Nairobi

Stop At: Lake Elementaita, Lake Elementaita, Rift Valley Province
Early morning departure from Lake Baringo back to our base at Soysambu. The route we take today is shorter than on day 3. Showers and lunch. Head to Nairobi by road in vehicles. Drop off at JKIA for your international flight back home.
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.