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Nairobi � Baringo � Jemps/Illchemus

Country: Kenya, Type : Adventure

Total Days : 9

Day 1: Nairobi – Baringo – Jemps/Illchemus

This day you will be picked from your hotel/residence in Nairobi and begin your cultural journey through Great Rift Valley with a stop over at the view point to have a spectacular view of Mt Longonot weather allowing and the rift floor. Proceed on past Nakuru on to L. Baringo. Jemps pastoralist communities inhabit the area its one of the unique tribes that we have in Kenya. Jemps traditionally keep large herds of livestock and speak the maa language like the Maasai and Samburu but one difference is that they also do fishing. The other plain Nilotes don’t eat fish hence makes the Jemps very unique. You will arrive at the L. Baringo Country Club/ Soi Lodge for lunch and check in. Here you will visit their villages and ride on the ambatch made boats to the Islands in the brownish waters of L. Baringo. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel.

Day 2 – L. Baringo – Kericho

After your breakfast you will proceed on to Kericho, home of the best of Kenyan Tea which is world famous for its brightness, attractive color, brisk flavor and textures of fragrant leaves. The town is also home to some of the world's best long distance runners among whom have repeatedly won gold medals in international events. You will arrive at Kericho Tea Hotel which was built in 1950’s. The Brooke Bond Tea Company built it and has an old World airstrip. The hotel offers excellent cuisine, both local and international and has two bars. The hotels has 45 spacious and well appointed rooms and luxury suits plus cottages for visitors. You will enjoy your lunch here and afterwards take an escorted walk in the Tea Plantations. Kericho is a Tea country which has put Kenya to be the world third largest Tea producer after India and Sri Lanka. Dinner and overnight in Kericho

Day 3- Kericho – Kisumu – Kit Mikayi – Lwanda Kotieno – Mbita

Start the journey towards Kisumu city after your breakfast. This leads you to one of Kenya’s most dramatic archaeological sites, an enormous granite rock tower called Kit Mikayi which is about 70 to 80 ft tall is located 30kms Far East of Kisumu city and 1km from of Kisumu Bondo road. The legendary story behind Kit Mikayi which in Luo means the stone of the first wife is that there was an old man named Ngeso who was in great love with the stone. He could spend whole day which could force his wife to bring him food everyday. The man was so in love with the stone intil when the wife was asked about the husband she could answer that he has gone to his first wife (Mikayi) hence the stone of the first wife (Kit Mikayi). This also represents the Luo cultural polygamous family which had the first wife’s house (Mikayi) built further in between on the right hand side was the second wife’s house (Nyachira) while the third wife’s house (Reru) was built on the left hand side of the homestead. The stone since time immemorial has been a worship place and is usually being used by the Legion Maria sect characterized by the candle remains inside the cave. Time allowing we can visit the famous Akala Market, a butter trade Market known for selling cattle in the whole of Nyanza. After this you will proceed to the lake side for a ferry transfer to Mbita to check in, dinner and overnight at Lake Victoria Safari village.

Day 3 - Mbita – Takawiri – Mfangano – Mbita

After breakfast, with your picnic lunch, enjoy a ride on traditional boat with horse power engine past the two smallest Islands called Mbasa Namiyolo to reach the beautiful Island of Takawiri with very white sands. This Islands of Lake Victoria are settled by Abasuba tribes who are Bantu speakers and believed to have come from Uganda more than 200yrs ago. The name “Suba” means “the people who are always wandering”. The arrival of the Abasuba displaced the Luo people who moved further North. Afterwards ride to Mfangano Island where we have the geometric rock paintings at Mawanga cave and Kwitone in the Island. It is believed that the rock art pre-dates the migration of both Nilotes and Bantus and is thought to be the work of ancestral Twa, a forager-hunter people who may have been originary related to the pygmies of Eastern Congo. On arrival a Mfangano we will walk to Mawanga. Although they were painted as part of a vanished mythology, the cave, the paintings and the surrounding area retain powers in the traditions of the Abasuba. The Wasamo clan, who live around the cave, are the rain makers of the Abasuba, and the elders agree that the paintings have been used for rain making ceremonies, with the red paintings representing the moon and the white ones representing the sun. On the upland part of Mfangano Island is the Kwitone rock shelter is similar to that of mawanga, although retaining more of its color and vibrancy. Up to now, people still visit the cave to ask the ancestors and success in their various endeavors. We ride back to Mbita with packed lunch enroute. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Day 4 - Mbita – Sindo – Nyamgondho site – Thim Lich Ohinga

Immediately after your breakfast you drive to the interior of Suba landto the very fertile agricultural land of Sindo to have a glance at the most magnificent Ran’gwa hills. The Gusii communities who have settled in the hills are purely subsistence farmers alongside with the locals, Kaksingiri community, then to Magunga, Nyandiwa, and onto the amazing site of Nyamgondho. A legendary story about this is told about poor fishermen called Julu son of Ombare as he was fishing and was pulling the rope of his bait, suddenly an ugly one eyed woman appeared and requested him to take her to his home. She became a sign of blessing and the poor man became wealthy until he said that he doesn’t want an ugly woman like Nyamgondho as he had already married another woman. The lady decided to go back to the lake. Then animals in the compound started following her to the waters. Even Julu son of Ombare could not stop them. The foot prints where they stepped on before jumping into the water are still there and can be seen when there is no much water on the shore. The cowshed which was built for the cattle using the dry stone walls which has no mortars just like the ones in Thim Lich Ohinga and the ones in Lianda Tuwi can also be visited.

The big tree which people believed was Julu son of Ombare watching in dismay when his wealth was going into the lake can still be seen to date. We proceed on to Thim Lich Ohinga the unique architectural stone structure situated in Nyanza province 181kms South of Kisumu in Migori district. Thim Lich Ohinga is believed to be one of the most important archaeological discoveries in East Africa and only compared to Great Zimbabwe ruins and the modified Great Wall of China in terms of architectural achievements. A dry stone enclosure of zigzagging walls some 150m in diameter and 1.0 to 4.2m in height built on lose stones and blocks without any dressing or mortar. Archaeological record of material found within the site goes beyond 500yrs ago. Since the present inhabitants of the area arrived probably some 3 centuries ago, it seems most likely that Bantus who initially occupied this region prior to the arrival of Luos first built the stone structures.

The writings in each and every entry gate have not yet been known and remains amystery to the people who first settled in Thim Lich Ohinga. Thim Lich Ohinga literally in dholuo language means “frightening dense forest or scary jungle” was occupied after the Bantus by Kabwoch Kochieng clan who drove away the Bantus then followed by Kanyamkago clan whom also subsequently were driven away by Kadem who are the present occupants of the area around Thim Lich. This is now under The National Museums of Kenya monuments.

Day 5 - Thim Lich Ohinga – Rapogi – Awendo

After breakfast, we leave Thim Lich to Awendo through Rapogi. Awendo is a Sugarcane town and every activity in life revolves around sugarcane growing and sugar making. We will have an opportunity to visit Sony Sugar Company to get to learn how sugar is processed and to amaze at the big sugar plantations and the process of cutting down sugar canes and transporting the same to the factory for crushing. We will then move to Awendo town to check in for our accommodation in a budget hotel, picnic lunch enroute, dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 6 - Awendo – Kilgoris – Maasai Mara

This day after breakfast you will drive to Kilgoris passing through Maize and Sugar plantation, amazing at the beautiful landscape of the riftvalley and get into the famed Maasai Mara Naional Reserve with picnic lunch enroute. You will have a game drive enroute to the lodge/ camp. Masai Mara is the most famous wildlife park in Kenya and habours quite a number of animal, bird and plant species. Dinner and overnight Masai Mara

Day 7 - Maasai Mara National Reserve

You will have an early mornig game drive in the reserve. This is the best time to witness the cats and other noctanal animals before the heat of the day sends tehm to the shades. The animals expected to be seen here include; Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Wildebeest, Zebras, Giraffes, Topis, hyenas, hippos and much more. You will enjoy your meals at the lodge/camp and the afternoon game drive in the park. You can have an optional Balloon ride very early in the morning at an extra cost or a visit to a Maasai village (Manyatta) to get enlightened more on the Masai community who have learnt how to live with the wildlife harmoniously.

Day 8 - Maasai Mara – Nairobi

You will drive leisurely to Nairobi with a brief stop at Narok and the Rift Valley view arriving in the late afternoon where you will be dropped at your hote

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