11 Day Kenya Cultural Safari and Heritages

11 Day Kenya Cultural Safari and Heritages takes you to several villages to get introduced to local cultures and lifestyles. Spend time in the homes of ethnic communities, learning and getting involved in their daily lives. Villages in Kenya are a reflection of the purest traditional culture of the 42 tribes of Kenya. Travel up north to the lakeshores of Lake Turkana. At the El Molo villages, experience the mystery and strange lifestyles of the smallest tribes of Kenya, or to Western Kenya to the Alego Nyangoma Kogelo village.

11 Day Kenya Cultural Safari and Heritages

• Day 1: Nairobi – Maasai Mara
• Day 2: Maasai Mara National Reserve
• Day 3: Maasai Mara – Kilgoris – Awendo
• Day 4: Awendo – Gogo Falls – Thim Lich Ohinga
• Day 5: Thim Lich Ohinga – Macalder Mines – Thim Lich Ohinga
• Day 6: Thim Lich Ohinga – Sori – Nyamgondho site – Sindo – Mbita
• Day 7: Mbita Point – Rusinga Island Tour
• Day 8: Mbita – Takawiri – Mfangano – Mbita
• Day 9: Mbita – Kit Mikayi – Kisumu
• Day 10: Kisumu – Lwanda Magere site (Kano Sidho) – Kericho
• Day 11: Kericho – Nairobi

Day 1: Nairobi – Maasai Mara

This 11 Day Kenya Cultural Safari and Heritages departs from Nairobi for a journey along the floor of the Great Rift Valley. Have a stopover at the viewpoint to have a glance at the breathtaking escarpment with a panoramic view of Mt. Longonot. You will have an en-route lunch, followed by an evening game drive on arrival in the Mara. Dinner and an overnight stay will be at the campsite.

Accommodation: Miti Mingi Eco Camp

Day 2: Maasai Mara National Reserve

A full day will be spent in the vast Maasai Mara in search of its renowned plains game. This include the black-maned lion, leopard, cheetah, and the migration of wildebeest and zebra. The ride will take you to the famous Mara River where we will see hippos and crocodiles. This section also boasts of many species of birdlife. It is also the gateway for the seasonal wildebeest migration between Serengeti to Mara in June/July. Return to the camp for dinner and your overnight stay.

Accommodation: Miti Mingi Eco Camp

Day 3: Maasai Mara – Kilgoris – Awendo

After an early breakfast, depart from Mara with picnic lunches to Awendo. On the way, you will see the beautiful landscape. Awendo has a large sugarcane plantation and hosts one of the largest sugar factories, the Sony Sugar Factory. Proceed to the budget hotel for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Awendo Budget Hotel

Day 4: Awendo – Gogo Falls – Thim Lich Ohinga

After breakfast, depart to Thim Lich Ohinga, a unique architectural stone structure. It is situated in the Nyanza province, 181km south of Kisumu in the Migori district. The site lies on a gently sloping hill some 46km northwest of Migori town, near Macalder’s Mines. Its exact geographical location on the map is at grid reference 019474 on sheet number 129/4. Thim Lich Ohinga is believed to be one of the most important archaeological discoveries in East Africa. It can be compared to the 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 loose stones and blocks without any dressing or mortar. In Dholuo language, Thim Lich Ohinga literally means “frightening dense forest or scary jungle”. More stories can be heard from the curator on the ground. Proceed to a nearby town for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Migori Hotel

Day 5: Thim Lich Ohinga – Macalder Mines – Thim Lich Ohinga

After breakfast, we will drive to the Macalder Mines, and have a walk in the compound. We will learn how the gold processing was done by the local people before driving back to Thim Lich Ohinga for lunch. We will spend the afternoon at leisure. You can also go on an optional guided nature walk to the villages. Meet the people and get to learn much more about the rich culture and tradition of the Luo people, especially the Kadem clan (additional cost). Experience the panoramic view of this virgin land and its natural status. You will have dinner and overnight in mobile tents.

Accommodation: Migori Hotel

Day 6: Thim Lich Ohinga – Sori – Nyamgondho site – Sindo – Mbita

After breakfast in Thim Lich Ohinga, you drive up to Sori. Have a stopover to have a glance at the mythical stone which disappeared without a trace. Proceed to Karungu, then to Gwasi, turn left at Kiabuya shopping centre then drive and meander over to the vintage hill. Here, you will have a glance at the most scenic, panoramic view of Kiwa Island, which is the busiest island and very rich in fishing activities. The peninsula is almost 2km inside the lake. Pass through Nyandiwa shopping centre, then turn left to reach Nyandiwa beach where we will stop. Walk to the legendary site of Adikinyi Nyamgondho (meaning the time and the type of fishing in Dholuo), the wife of Julu son of Ombare. Listen to the legendary story from the locals. After the amazing story, we proceed further, still along the lakeshore. We drive through Gingo shopping centre, which is known for its Dagaa (the smallest type of fish in Lake Victoria). We reach Mbita in the early evening, and check in at a budget hotel.

Accommodation: Mbita Tourist Hotel

Day 7: Mbita Point – Rusinga Island Tour

After breakfast, depart with your picnic lunch and drive past the scenic course way bridge. Enter Rusinga Island, an austerely pretty island with high crags dominating the desolate goat-grazed landscape. A single dirt road is running around its circumference. The occasional heavy rain either washes away the soil or sinks into the porous rock, emerging lower down where it creates swamps. Most people on this island rely on some fishing to make ends meet. We proceed to Tom Mboya’s mausoleum, which lies on family land at Kamasengere on the north side of the island. It is about 7km by the dirt road from Mbita Town. The mausoleum (open most days to visitors) contains various mementos and gifts Mboya received during his lifetime. We will enjoy lunch at a convenient place in Rusinga Island. We will proceed around the island, returning to your hotel in the evening for overnight.

Accommodation: Mbita Tourist Hotel

Day 8: Mbita – Takawiri – Mfangano – Mbita

Depart with a picnic lunch for a ride on a power-engine traditional boat. Pass the two smallest islands, called Mbasa Namiyolo, to the beautiful Takawiri Island with its white sands. Learn about their survival with their traditional fishing style. These isles of Lake Victoria are settled by the Abasuba tribes who are Bantu speakers, believed to come from Uganda about 200 years ago. Suba means “people who are wanderers”. Proceed to the rock engraved sites at Mfangano Island, including the “cupule” sites, where cup-shaped depressions have been ground into the rock surface. Cupules are all over the world and are thought to be among the oldest form of rock art. It probably predates paintings such as those Mawanga and Kwitone by thousands of years. 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. Have a picnic lunch en-route, then head to the boat for a return ride to Mbita Hotel.

Accommodation: Mbita Tourist Hotel

Day 9: Mbita – Kit Mikayi – Kisumu

After an early breakfast, depart from the hotel to catch the 8 am ferry to Lwanda K’Otieno. Enjoy the scenic, beautiful views of fishermen at work in their boats close to the ferry. After disembarking, drive to Seme to reach Kenya’s most dramatic archaeological site, a vast granite rock tower called Kit Mikayi. The rock is situated in the Kisumu district, Maseno division (East Seme location, Kit Mikayi sub-location, Kangeso village, Kadol clan). The rock, which is about 70 to 80 ft tall, is located 30km east of Kisumu city and 1km from Kisumu, Bondo road. The mythical story behind Kit Mikayi will be told by the local guides as it was passed down from generations. Drive further to Kisumu to check in at a hotel or a guest house for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation: Kisumu Budget Hotel

Day 10: Kisumu – Lwanda Magere site (Kano Sidho) – Kericho

After breakfast, drive to Awasi Junction, heading to the Luanda Magere site. Magere was staying in Kano in a clan called Sidho. However, he was not a true Kano man, he was from the Kombe clan which was not Luo but “Mwa”. The mythical story about Magere will be told by the locals living around the site. After this fascinating and moving story, proceed through the beautiful, panoramic views of Nandi Hills and Muhoroni Sugar Factory to arrive at Kericho to check in at the hotel.

Kericho is a tea country, placing Kenya at the world’s third-largest tea producer, after India and Sri Lanka. There are beautiful rolling hills carpeted in neat, bright green tea bushes as far as you can see. The climate here is perfect for tea, with rain falling almost every afternoon. Kericho was named after Ole Kericho, a Maasai Chief who was killed in the battle by the Gusii in the 19th century. An optional tea plantation tour can be organized at an extra cost.

Accommodation: Kericho Budget Hotel

Day 11: Kericho – Nairobi

After breakfast, take your picnic lunch boxes with you, and proceed to Nairobi. Drive through the tea plantations and the tropical Molo forest to the Great Rift Valley, with a view of Mt Longonot dotted in the Mau escarpment. You will arrive in Nairobi in the evening to end your cultural safari.

11 Day Kenya Cultural Safari and Heritages price includes;

• Park fees
• All activities
• All accommodation
• A professional driver/guide
• All transportation
• All Taxes/VAT
• Roundtrip airport transfer
• Meals
• Drinking water

11 Day Kenya Cultural Safari and Heritages price excludes;

• International flights
• Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
• Tips
• Personal items
• The government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
• Extra meals