Walking Safaris Holidays at Sangare Ranch, Kenya

Walking Safari at Lake Elementaita, Kenya

Crater Lake Game Conservancy (Naivasha, Kenya)

Crater Lake Game Sanctuary gets its name from the "Crater Lake", which is a green alkaline Lake at the center of an extinct volcano. It is a lesser Lake in the Rift Valley but a place where nature is at its best, with the algae-rich green lake contrasting very well with the pink from flamingos which are residents in the lake. Besides the flamigos, the Park has over 170 species of birds.

You will be spoiled for choice when it comes to Walking Safaris at Crater Lake. You can walk as much or as little as you choose. Start off with the open plains dotted with Yellow-fever trees. Here the terrain is flat, full of giraffes, zebras, Thompson & Grant's gazelles, elands, hartebeests, warthogs...etc. If energetic you may walk on the rim of the crater, which though rocky, gives you a wide angle of the lake below. Wind up your walk by doing a hike around the lake, here is where you will find Colobus Monkeys doing acrobatic moves on the tall trees.

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Hell's Gate National Park (Lake Naivasha, Rift Valley)

Hell's Gate National Park is 68.25km², one of the smaller national parks in Kenya managed by Kenya Wildlife Service. The Park has interesting topography of open savanna plains surrounded by huge volcanic rock boundaries. There are camphor and acacia trees all over and this is where to look for giraffes as they mainly feed on them.

What's unique about Hell's Gate National Park is the fact that you can walk in the Park with good sightings of giraffes, zebras, warthogs and many types of gazelles. Walking in Hell's Gate can be divided into 2 sections - the first 9 kms which are on flat terrain and the Hell's Gate gorge, which is accessed by descending into a steep canyon with running water from geysers and wild vegetation. In the Side Gorge, which is only accessible during the dry periods, the rocks have split to leave only a walking path.

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Crescent Island Conservancy (Lake Naivasha, Rift Valley)

Crescent Island Game Conservancy is a peninsula on the eastern side of Lake Naivasha. The terrain is flat, making it easy for walkers of all abilities to enjoy themselves. There is a lot of easy to see game e.g. giraffes, waterbucks, elands, wildebeests, zebras and impalas. It is also a heaven for birds with over 200 species recorded. The lake has a lot of hippos, which you can easily spot from the island.

Caution on Crescent Island walk: if you have put on your walking boots, allow half a day for the Crescent Island walk so that you can circumnavigate the peninsula and see the lake from different angles. Do remember safari guides make or break a walking tour - so get a competent naturalist guide to walk with you at Crescent Island. He will help you not only to identify animals and birds but also to interpret their behavior, to show you plants with medicinal value etc and above all he (if he is a good naturalist) won't rush you through the walk.

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Swara Plains Conservancy

(1 Hours Drive from Nairobi)

Swara Plains Game Conservancy 20,000 acres private game conservancy that is old wild Africa at its very best: wide open savanna grasslands, tall yellow fever trees, endless views, over 3000 resident population of easy to see plains game and over 270 bird species. Swara Plains Conservancy is part of the Tsavo-Amboseli eco-system and with exception of elephants, rhinos and buffaloes all the other plains game found in Tsavo and Amboseli are found here. You will see big herds of oryx, elands, wildebeests, giraffes, monkeys, hartebeests, zebras, impalas, Grant's and Thomson's gazelles, warthogs and the occasional gerenuk (= Giraffe-neck gazelle) in total absence of mass tourism.

The number of visitors to the ranch is deliberately kept small by having a camp (Acacia camp) with only 13 rustic but still comfortable bandas (cottages) making this a place to see game without being surrounded by safari vechicles.

Swara Plains is a place where you can do scenic walks every way you look. The terrain is flat so the walks are accommodating even to children over 7 yearrs. To best appreciate Swara and the Acacia Camp allow 2 nights here - which can be at the beginning of your Kenya safari or en route to Amboseli either from the Rift Valley Lakes or Masai Mara.

For birders, walkers as well as anyone looking for a nature based tour in Kenya, go to Swara Plains for all the right reasons: one-of-a-kind wildlife viewing experience, guided nature walks, night game drives and easily found birds, yes, right outside the bandas as you relax.

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Lake Elementaita

(Alkaline Lake in Kenya's Rift Valley)

Lake Elementaita may not have the big name of Lake Nakuru but its scenic beauty is unmatched. It is was profiled as a Ramsar site and a wetland of national importance in 2005 as it is a hosting ground for vulnerable and endangered water birds. Lake Elementaita is important in the survival of Lesser Flamingos as it acts as a dispersal area when food and other environmental conditions are not favorable in the alkaline lakes mainly Nakuru and Bogoria.

Lake Elementaita walking Safari area is an occasion to appreciate nature, open space, water birds as you walk close to flamingos, pelicans, storks, plovers and others. Note while lake Nakuru may have more flamingos, you can't walk within the park - so Elementaita gives a walker or a nature traveler a unique experience away from mass tourism.

Allow 2 nights in Lake Elementaita for a walking safari and use one day for the walk along the lake and the surrounding plains. Then use your 2nd day for a full day visit to Lake Nakuru to see rhinos, cats, buffaloes and with the down side you will get a close up of what mass tourism is all about.

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Lake Baringo Game Reserve

(Walking Safari in the Rift Valley Lakes)

Lake Baringo; Lake Baringo is a fresh water lake which is about 170Km² at 1100 meters above sea level but sandwiched between mountains and volcanic cliffs. Lake Baringo is most famous as a bird watchers paradise, with over 450 species recorded, as it is a meeting point of northern and southern Kenyan species. Lake Baringo hosts a good population of crocodiles and hippos. Baringo walking Safari is like walking in rural Kenya without any tourist hype. Baringo country is hot and dry, therefore it is advisable to plan your walking in the early morning or late evening.

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Lake Bogoria

(Walking Safari in the Rift Valley Lakes)

Lake Bogoria is about 50 km drive from Lake Baringo to Lake Bogoria and a walking safari here is best taken as a day excursion from the Baringo base.

Lake Bogoria Reserve is 107 km² and the alkaline lake has a huge population of lesser flamingos. Lake Bogoria is a Ramsar site and has been a protected national reserve since 1973. It is one of the little visited game reserves in Kenya, so a walking safari here means that you won't be disturbed by minibuses.

Besides seeing flamingos, why should you go to Lake Bogoria for a walking safari? The scenery is worth every hour you spend here: there are hot springs jetting out sulphur waters, steep raising escarpments, rocky hills that seem blue against the light, grasslands, open plains filled with gazelles, zebras and this is the best place to see the rare Greater Kudu. Like Baringo, Bogoria is hot and dry so plan to walk early in the morning and rest in a scenic place as you enjoy your picnic lunch when it is too hot to walk.

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Masai Mara Game Reserve

(Walking Safari in Masai Mara Game Reserve)

Masai Mara Game Reserve is an outstanding wildlife viewing area. Masai Mara can never fail in game but if you are a walker or a traveler who is truly seeking nature, being cooped up in a safari Vehcile for 3 to 4 days will put you nerves on edge.

Masai Mara walking safaris are not done in the main Game Reserve, but there are several ranches which border the Park and these are the areas where the Masai live. This is where they graze their cattle and you can do excellent walks guided by Masai Morans. On a Masai Mara walking safari, you expect to find various gazelles, zebras and giraffes. Go by the rule that the locals know best, therefore the Masai Morans are perfect guides on these walks BUT it does help that your personal guide (who is with you throughout your safari) accompanies you on your Masai Mara walking safari as he knows your walking character and should liaise with Morans on how the walk should be done.

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Sangare Game Sanctuary

(Central Kenya, between the Aberdare & Mt. Kenya)
Sangare Game Reserve is a 6500 acres Private Wildlife Conservancy sandwiched between the Aberdares and Mt. Kenya. The Sangare Hill forms a magnificent backdrop for the camp. Sangare Game ranch, whose habitat is open savanna with scattered bushes, is home to zebras, giraffes, antelopes, warthogs, leopards, hyenas, elephants and buffaloes. Bird life in Sangare is rich with over 300 bird species recorded such as Red-winged Starling, Greater Blue-eared Starling, Olive Pigeon, Northern Crombec, Grey Flycatcher and Cardinal Woodpecker... At the lake there is the easy-to-see Red-knobbed Coot, Black Crake, Storks and others.

In the Sangare Ranch every way you look, there is a walking trail. You can choose to do from 1.5 hour to 4 hours walks. Sangare Game Reserve length of the walk is all subject on how long you want to watch a zebra doing a dust bath, 2 male Impalas fighting it out for dominance or a zebroid - that unique hybrid of a horse and a zebra. Walks in Sangare are guided by an armed ranger and you will mainly walk in the open plains and along the lake - this is where most of the plains game is found. You get close sightings of big herds of the resident waterbucks, elands, bushbucks, zebras, gazelles and giraffes.

Sangare Ranch has a Camp with 12 tents overlooking a lake full of exciting bird life and game coming to drink. The tents are spacious and luxurious with four-poster beds, unique African furnishing, private verandas and en suite facilities with flush toilet and shower. Plan to stay here for 2-3 nights and use it as your base for activities in the Aberdares/Mt.Kenya area.

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Aberdare Game Sanctuary

(Nyeri Location between the Aberdares and Mt. Kenya)
Aberdare Game Sanctuary is a 1200 acres private game conservancy with a wide habitat composed of scattered bushes and open savanna grass lands. The Kamatongu Hill is the highest point in the conservancy.

Aberdare Game Sanctuary walking safari gives you excellent opportunities to see warthogs, Thompson gazelles, impalas, dik diks, suni antelopes, bushbucks, zebras, reticulated giraffes and the biggest antelopes: elands. On their own these animals are a wonder to watch but to do so while you are walking is an experience that has always brought joy to guests.

This is a walk that suits walkers of all abilities and even children above 7 can easily handle the walk. While most game is found on the flat plains - you get a better rounded experience if you start by climbing up the Kamatongu Hill where you will have a 360º view of the Aberdare Range and the snow-capped Mt. Kenya peaks. Then walk down to the flat plains and see who is waiting - giraffes, zebras, elands and gazelles.

Put this on your first afternoon in the Nyeri area as you visit Tree Tops Hotel. More About Aberdare Game Sanctuary | Click Here