Camel Safari from Sabuk Lodge, Northern Frontier District

Just a twenty minute hop west in Pete’s little yellow airplane takes us from Lewa Downs and the shoulder of Mt. Kenya to Sabuk and the rugged terrain on the edge of the Laikipia plateaux.  Sabuk is a beautiful little lodge perched on a steep hillside overlooking the Ewaso Niro river.  From here we started our camel safari with a three mile walk to the first camp.  A camel safari is a wonderful way to explore the bush at a completely different pace.  The camels carry our luggage, tents, kitchen, ice, food and booze.  In short, everything to make one comfortable in the heart of the bush.  There are a couple of riding camels in case anyone gets tired of walking and these carry our camera bags and refreshments for the walk while the main caravan takes a shortcut to camp to have it ready for our arrival.  Walking through the rocky hills and canyons in this part of Laikipia far away from roads and other signs of civilisation is quite magical.  

One can easily imagine that you are the first to pass this way, just as an explorer would have done a hundred years ago. Arriving in camp in the early evening to a cup of tea and then the first cold beer is very welcome after a few miles walking. Then a hot shower and dinner by candlelight with a fire and the sound of the river gurgling nearby. (or was it camels gurgling?).

Up early the next morning with hot tea and hot water for washing brought to the tent before a hearty breakfast and the start of the day’s walk.  We once again set off with our two riding camels, Rasto and Norogen ( which means ‘Hairy ears”) carrying our morning supplies of water and always ready to to carry passengers in case.  

As it turns out we do not need their services the whole safari but it is nice to have these noisy but stoic animals along on our trek, and useful to have them carry our daypacks to allow us more freedom of movement.  The country is dotted with rocky outcrops known as kopjes and we climbed up on one to scan the countryside around us for a pack of African Wilddog which have been seen in the area.  We don’t see the Wilddog but do see some elephants nearby and the views are fantastic. Around mid morning we approach the river and attempted to get the camels to cross.  They were most reluctant to get wet and we watched the handlers struggle with them for several minutes before they finally waded through.  Then it was our turn and the water was lovely and cool on our legs after the hot walk.  At about 11.00 as it was getting really hot we topped out on a ridge to see our second camp being set up below us in a bend of the river.  It was wonderful to have an ice cold drink in the shade of an acacia tree then a cold dip in the river before lunch and a relaxing afternoon fishing.

The tents we slept in on the camel safari have netting ceilings and if the sky is clear the flysheet is left off so you can lie in bed and look at the stars above before dropping off to sleep. The stars are so bright because there is no ambient light from cities or towns to pollute the darkness and it is a humbling but also exhilarating feeling to fall asleep beneath such a huge canopy of starlit sky.  The moon was scimitar thin and so set early on in the evening but it was fun to look at the shadows of the mountains and craters through the binoculars before it set.  As one falls asleep there is the constant sound of the river dropping through the rapids and pools and the constant sound of the camels as they peacefully browse and chew their cud.

We were awakened just after dawn by Tise, our guide, telling us that the Wilddog were on the opposite bank.  We hurried out of bed in our kikoys and pyjamas and sure enough there was the whole pack, 18 of them looking across at us. Tise explained that they often cross at this bend in the river and that we were blocking their way.  They stood for a few minutes then the alpha pair seemed to reach a silent consensus and they trotted downstream with the rest of the pack following. They padded down to the river swam across at a lower pool and then trotted up our side of the hill towards the top of the ridge and their breakfast. A pack this large will need to kill at least once a day to keep healthy and fit so the presence of these efficient carnivores can be quite devastating to an area.  For this reason they occupy a large territory and will hunt for a while in one area before moving onto a different part of the territory.  They are among the most endangered and rare of all the African mammals and so it was a real pleasure to get such a good sighting.  And before breakfast too!

This was our last camp on the camel safari and our morning hike took us full circle to Sabuk lodge.  

It was a wonderful two days out and we got to see some amazing stuff and then it is a treat to have a long soak in the swimming pool, a chilled glass of wine and another evening fishing below the lodge.  Tomorrow we head for the Mara and the masses of game but Sabuk has been a real gem and Matt and AC have been having some great laughs and fun on their honeymoon so far.