EXPERIENCE THE ARCHEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL WONDERS OF LAKE TURKANA, KENYA, WITH ONE OF THE WORLD’S LEADING PALEONTOLOGISTS DR LOUISE LEAKEY

From January 2016, The Safari Collection – one of the leading experts in East African tailor- made safaris – is offering explorers the opportunity to visit Lake Turkana’s– a destination that is famous for prehistorians, but almost unknown to tourists. It will now be possible for intrepid travellers to visit the world’s largest permanent desert lake and the fourth largest saline lake in the world under the expert guidance of Safari Collection guides, and most notably one of Africa’s leading palaeontologists, Dr Louise Leakey.

Lake Turkana is one of the most intriguing destinations in the world – the total surface area of the Turkana Basin covers over 7 million hectares. The arid and seemingly extra-terrestrial landscape surrounds a large windswept desert lake, often referred as Jade Sea due to its colour. Lake Turkana is home to an assortment of desert plants and animals, including Nile crocodile, hippopotamus and a variety of snakes. The National Park also serves as an important bird area and is an important stopover for several species of migratory birds. The fossil deposits of the Turkana Basin are rich in, mammalian and archaeological remains and discoveries made here have contributed more to the understanding of our past than any other site on the continent.

The Safari Collection arranged with Dr. Louise Leakey, in its privately guided programme to accompany trips to this unique destination. Louise grew up accompanying her parents on paleontological expeditions to the deserts of Northern Kenya thus developing her passion for paleontology. Louise Leakey has a PhD from University College London and is currently a Research Professor of Anthropology at the University of Stony Brook and is a National Geographic Explorer in Residence. She is also the director of Public Education and Outreach of the Turkana Basin Institute. She co-leads the Koobi Fora Research Project with her mother, Meave Leakey, focusing their ongoing paleontological field research on the eastern and western shores of Lake Turkana.

Acclaimed for her adventurous spirit, ambitious research and unwavering focus to the advancement of our knowledge into human evolution, she will give guests an exclusive tour of the fossil sites and a fascinating introduction to our past.

This unique itinerary will begin with a helicopter flight via the Matthews Range, with its spectacular panoramic views over the Northern Frontier and cycad forests. The flight will then take guests to the singing wells of Ngurenet, where there’s the rare opportunity to see the Rendille tribe gather and sing their ancient family songs to their livestock. After landing at the Turkana Basin Institute Research centre near Lodwar, Dr Leakey will give a briefing on the prehistory of the Turkana Basin. Guests will have the chance to see a variety of artifacts and fossils. The oldest tools ever recorded from 3.3 million years ago were recently discovered in the region, reaffirming Kenya’s position as the birthplace of mankind.

After camping overnight in the camp’s research facility, the helicopter will fly guests over Central Island and north to see the traditional fishing villages before arriving at the Turkana Basin Institute at Ileret, just south of the Ethiopian border. After lunch, there will be a visit to a fossil site on the Eastern side of the lake and discover how collections are managed and prepared by trained people from the local communities.

The tour will continue with a visit to the El Molo tribe on the upper reaches of the shores of Lake Turkana, whose houses are built on stilts in the Omo Delta. The smallest tribe in Kenya, their name translates as “the people who eat fish”. Enjoy a sundowner while overlooking Lake Turkana before staying overnight in the Institute’s comfortable research lodgings. The return flight will take in some of the region’s most stunning sights including Von Hohnels Cone, one million flamingos on Lake Logipe and the sand dunes in Kerrio Valley. The tour will finish with a picnic lunch on the Maralal escarpment, with spectacular views over the rugged and dramatic landscape of Northern Kenya.

For those who would like to extend their tour with a more traditional safari experience before they return to Nairobi, there is the option to visit one of the The Safari Collection’s luxury lodges in the Samburu or Laikipia. Sasaab is one of East Africa’s most dramatic and romantic lodges in the heart of the culturally rich Samburu. Majestically situated on the high banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River, Sasaab commands breath-taking views of the Northern Frontier District and offers a truly exceptional safari experience in an area renowned for its variant species. Moroccan inspired in design, each spacious room is over 100m2 with its own private plunge pool and en-suite open air bathrooms. Solio Lodge is located on the Solio Conservancy, part of a private ranch, and is home to a diverse and numerous population of wildlife, including almost 250 black and white rhino. The lodge has just six luxurious cottages, with large glass pane windows to take in the panoramic views of the landscape, framed by Mount Kenya. What Solio offers is something extraordinary – the chance to see both black and white rhino up close and without a crowd of tourists.

Rates start from USD 10,138 per person based on minimum of 4pax travelling. Itinerary includes two nights at Solio Lodge and two nights at Lake Turkana on a full board basis. Also includes all internal flights and access to the Lake Turkana Research facilities.