relax,rejuvenate and enjoy your Trip to Kenya
Cairo to Nairobi overland tour
- COUNTRY:
- Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan
- DEPARTURES:
-
2011: 9 Nov, 28 Dec
2012: 11 Jan, 1 Feb - PRICE:
- From £2940 (72 days) excluding local payment US $1410. Local payment depends on departure
Photo Gallery: Cairo to Nairobi overland tour
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Cairo to Nairobi overland tour
After exploring Cairo we'll take a swing through the Western Desert, stopping at small oases en route, heading for Luxor and the magnificent temples along the Nile. Most Egypt trips end here, but we press on into the wilderness, crossing into Sudan. Travel in this part of the world is rough and frequently challenging, but as a reward we get unparalleled access to places such as the pyramids of Meroe and the temples of the Kushite kingdom. Traversing Sudan we enter Ethiopia, an extraordinary land with a unique cultural heritage of opulent monasteries, stunning churches carved out of the mountains and incredible scenery. We'll meet the tribes of the remote Omo Valley before we cross into northern Kenya and a safari in the seldom-visited Samburu National Park. Our journey ends in the bustling capital Nairobi.
Day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1-7: | Cairo & the Western Desert Route. Two or three night stay and guided tour of Islamic Cairo. Guided tour of the Egyptian Museum. Guided visit to the Giza & Saqqara Pyramids. Four or five day exploration overland journey along the Western Desert oasis route. Visits to Bahariya oasis, Crystal Mountain, the Black Desert and wildcamp in the White Desert |
| Day 8-14: | Luxor, Aswan & the Valley of the Kings. Three night stay in Luxor with guided tour of Karnak Temple. Guided visit into the Valley of the Kings and to other West Bank ruins. Three nights in Aswan to explore the town, the Nile, local ruins and the surrounding area |
| Day 15-21: | Lake Nasser & Sudanese Nubian Desert. Boat crossing of Lake Nasser to Sudan. Six day Nubian Desert crossing and exploration of the Nile Valley. Nile Valley camping and small village stays. Visit to remote temples like Temple of Sulb. Overland via Dongola to the Kushite temples & pyramids at Jebel Bakul |
| Day 22-28: | Khartoum & the Nile Valley. Khartoum & the confluence of the Blue and White Niles. Three day expedition to the southern Kush Pyramids at Meroe and the temples at Naqa and Musawwarat. Witness the spectacular Whirling Dervishes of Omdurman. Explore Omdurman market in Khartoum. Overnight in the remote city of Gedaref |
| Day 29-35: | Gondar & Simien Mountains NP. Overland through the hot plains of eastern Sudan and the foothills of the Ethiopian Highlands. Two night stay and guided tour of Gondar, ancient capital of historic Ethiopia. Two days for organised guided trek through the Simien Mountains National Park |
| Day 36-42: | Axum, Mekele & Lalibela. Two nights in Axum to experience this historic town with guided tour of its palaces and temples. Explore the Tigray rock-hewn churches. Overland through the wild Ethiopian highlands. Three nights to comprehensively explore the remarkable Lalibela churches. Guided tours of the rock churches, monastery and visit to local school at Lalibela |
| Day 43-49: | Bahir Dar, the Blue Nile & Addis Ababa. Three nights at Bahir Dar to explore Lake Tana and the island monasteries by boat. Relax in Bahir Dar and visit the source of the Blue Nile. Day trip out to the Blue Nile Falls, second in Africa only to Vic Falls. Overland journey into the immense Blue Nile Gorge. Time to explore the Ethiopia's capital city, Addis Ababa |
| Day 50-56: | Lake Abiyata, & Shashemene & Bale Mountains NP. Addis Ababa, the northern Rift Valley and Lake Langano. Visit to Lake Abiyata, and see the flamingos near Shashemene. Three nights in the wilds of Bale Mountains National Park for hiking or mule/horse trekking. Visit the Rastafarian community and educational project at Shashemene |
| Day 57-63: | Arba Minch, Omo River & Konzo. Overland through Ethiopia's Rift Valley along the shores of Lake Abaya. Two night stay at Arba Minch to explore the market or nearby Lake Chamo and its crocodiles. Visit to tribal region near Omo River, seeing Hamer, Banna and Dascench tribes. Overnight in Konzo, centre of the Konso people |
| Day 64-70: | Samburu NP & Tribal Community Project. Remote overland journey through the wilds and deserts of southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya. Wildlife safari in Samburu National Park: elephants, lions, Grevy's zebra and numerous other animals. Visit to Samburu tribal community and cultural project with local Samburu tribespeople |
| Day 71-72: | Lake Nakuru, Naivasha & Nairobi. Visit the spectacular Thomson Falls at Nyahururu. Safari in Lake Nakuru National Park, excellent for rhino. Visit to Elsamere Born Free foundation at Lake Naivasha. Relax and explore Nairobi, Kenya's capital city |
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with a group of between 5-20 like minded travellers and you'll have 2 group leaders with you at all times. In some areas you'll also be joined by a campmaster, as well as expert local guides along the way.
On an overland adventure you're more than just a passenger, you're part of the crew. Depending on the trip itinerary, your accommodation will be a mix of hotels or local guesthouses and camping - and everyone is expected to get involved and help with setting up camp, pitching tents, shopping for food and even cooking. There are also a number of other jobs that need doing, for example collecting water and firewood, luggage loading, organising food stores etc. These tasks may be assigned to particular people or on a rota system according to group size and make-up.
How this holiday makes a difference
Community
As part of this trip we visit an orphanage in Lalibela. The project supports street children, giving them a safe place to stay and educational and emotional support. As part of the visit you will get to understand the difficulties facing the children of orphanage. We are helping to fund the project as part of our ongoing support of communities in the region.
In addition we also visit the Omo Valley in the far south of Ethiopia. We head down through this remote area for our tribal tour of the Omo Valley region. From here we will visit a combination of markets and small tribal settlements in the surrounding region. The markets that we will try to visit are Turmi, Dimeka and Arbore. During our time down here we will meet the peoples of the Hamer, Arbore and the Dascensch tribes. There are also other tribal groupings throughout the area and our guide will point out the different tribes and their customs. Life is distinctly tribal throughout the region, with few modern amenities. We are committed to ensuring that we have a positive impact on the local communities we travel through and believe that local culture and communities must be an integral part of our trips. We recognise that we are guests of the local communities we travel through and strive to make these communities into our partners.
Environment
We are dedicated to minimising the effects our trips have on the environment, and are committed to trying to reduce, re-use and recycle as much as is possible, both out on the road. All our trips follow our strict environmental guidelines that encourage the respect of natural resources, waste minimisation and recycling wherever possible. For example, all our overland vehicles carry a 350 litre water tank, providing drinking water for the group and minimising the need to purchase bottled water. Rather than using plastic bags when shopping for food, we also provide reusable longer lasting bags.
On the road conservation: For cooking we generally use gas instead of wood, a cleaner fuel and leaves natural resources for local people. Local fuel sources are used but they must be from plentiful resources and not where it would encourage local people to squander resources or compete with local peoples need for precious supplies. All our overland trucks conform to UK emission controls when they leave the UK. All our overland trucks are regularly serviced and maintained ensuring that trucks run as efficiently as possible. Passengers and crew are encouraged to use rechargeable batteries for items such as cameras, personal music systems etc. These can be charged from mains supplies or on our trucks as we travel.
