If you yearn for a proper adventure, this Kenya expedition is the trip for you. You spend your days exploring the stunning Kenyan countryside, by trekking, cycling and even rafting. If you’re curious about how the trip works, we have a Kenya Tri-Adventure trip report from our very own Brian Bateson, who led the trip back in 2019…
Kenya Tri-Adventure trip report
“It was my first time to guide on Mt Kenya, my first time in the country even. I was curious as to how the experience would be, but every guide I’d spoken to before has said that the Kenya trip is amazing and that I’d love it, and I trusted their opinion. They weren’t wrong, and that was obvious from the minute we arrived.
“Our local guide Julius met us at the airport and put our tired bodies at ease immediately with his big smile and funny personality.
“We arrived into “camp” on the first night to find it had cottages for us to stay in, hot showers, warm food, wifi and a bar. Not exactly roughing it, so after dinner we indulged in one more beer for good measure and went to sleep.
Kenyan culture
“The adventure started the next morning and we drove a few hours to the entrance gate at Chogoria. We walked though a forest path for a few hours and before we knew it we were at the first campsite on a flat stretch of grass that once acted as a landing strip. Tired from our travels, we all fancied an early night. But when our local guides Julius and Paul sat down to explain to us Kenyan culture and stories we were glued to our seats and 2 amazing hours of history, politics and banter were exchanged.
“Over the next two days we climbed to base camp, through an ever and quickly changing landscape and we seen all makes and shapes of flora and fauna. Rarely did it rain, the group were fit and healthy and this teams penchant for luck was strong.
An incredible summit
“Summit night proved to us that our luck was to continue and we started to joke that we needed to do the lotto when we got home. The weather was perfectly calm, dry and when the sun rose behind us circa 5.30am we were treated to a view across Africa that should be on every person’s bucket list. It was fast becoming my favourite summit night for a number of reasons. We continued to the summit at a gentle pace, but all felt strong and invigorated by the sun rise. Topping out as a full team was the icing on the cake, the close bond we’d created meant everyone was as happy to have topped out as they were to see the whole team beside them. A truly special shared moment.
“We descended to our final camp, which made for a long but satisfying day. The excitement and joy in camp that evening was fantastic. But with tired bodies and minds we didn’t make it long past dinner before hitting the tents.
Amazing wildlife
“The next morning we rose early to get to the exit gate and were treated to views of elephants, zebras and eagles casually chilling out along our path. We crossed the equator line and stopped for photos shortly before getting to the gate.
Biking in Kenya
“After a change of gear and a refuel at the gate, we started the biking section of our trip. Normally, at this point in an expedition the adventure ends and enthusiasm can dip as you make the journey back home. For us though it seemed like this only marked the halfway point of our adventure.
“That afternoon we cycled 50km along a network of roads and tracks to bring us to Ol Pejeta animal conservancy. The cycling was brilliant. For those who liked to push themselves it was so much fun. But for others who liked to take things easier it was the perfect mix of adventure and sightseeing at their own pace. With a full support vehicle following us the whole time, you never felt committed to the long day in the saddle.
“At Ol Pejeta conservancy we made camp inside its fences and headed out for the first of our game drives. What happened next was truly special.
Animal conservation
“Elephants, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, warthogs, buffalo, impalas, gazelles. You name it we seen it. And close up, too! We stopped at a rhino sanctuary and met Barack, an old and very docile blind rhino, who undoubtedly would have died or fallen claim to poachers were he not rescued by the good people at Ol Pejeta. We petted him, fed him and touched his tough thick skin and his ivory horn. Is this actually happening? Are we actually petting a rhino?
“All hard to take in and with sensory overload from a day of intense experiences we headed for home. According to the park rangers, there were no recent sightings of lions, so we thought our luck to be waning and figured we’d head for home. How lucky can we be after all, to have had everything go so perfectly until now, we were beyond happy with our lot.
It gets better…
“However, about 5 minutes before we made it back to camp our luck was to strike once more. One of the clients, Aaron, noticed something move in the distance, but it was rapidly getting dark and it wasn’t immediately obvious. We stopped our bus and waited and sure enough, one by one a pride of lions and cubs started to reveal themselves.
“Our driver decided to move the bus forward and turn around, to see if he could get us closer to them. By the time he did they had come to exactly the spot we stopped in and were now blocking our path. The lions sat still while cubs played and fought with each other, no more than 5 metres away. We sat still, mesmerised by it all.
“When we returned to camp an absolute feast was laid on. BBQ and chips for most and veggie burgers and chips for the rest. When our bus driver produced a procurement of 16 beers, 2 for everybody in the audience, we toasted an amazing day and trip, in front of a roaring bonfire.
A repeat performance!
“The next morning we were convinced that nothing could top the day before. But we soon realised we were actually the luckiest adventure travellers known to man. No longer had we started our early morning game drive when we saw two lions returning from a big night out. We then took a riverside hippo spotting walk, where we saw a family of hippos. Then we visited a chimpanzee sanctuary where we saw some cheeky monkeys. All this before getting back on the bikes and hitting the trail once more.
The final stretch
“Day 9 on the expedition and despite the couple of beers shared the previous evening, heads were clear and minds were sharp. The last of our three activities taking place that morning was to keep us sharp for another few hours. It was time for the rafting.
“A 14km stretch of the Sagana River in 3 hours, some parts gentle, some parts rapid, there was an air of trepidation in the group. A lot of the group had done little or nothing like this before, including myself. It was my first experience of white water rafting and like anything adventurous, trying it for the first time can be a little daunting. I’m far more used to the perceived dangers of cliffs and mountains and not so comfortable on fast moving rivers.
“I needn’t have worried and it turned out to be lots of fun and I’m so glad I did it, even if we did take a couple of swims along the way.
Final reflections
“I’m finding it hard to describe exactly how amazing the trip was. The above might give you a taste for how it was. But really, all the numerous amazing moments of a trip like this have to be experienced first hand to be believed. If I were forced to sum it up concisely I’d simply say it’s adventure travel at its best.”
Thanks so much Brian! If you want to read more about this incredible expedition, click here to find out all about the Kenya Tri-Adventure.
