kenya by helicopter
3 days through extraordinary landscapes, rich in wildlife & culture
La k e Tu rk a n
helicopter safari
TURKANA
a
route
ETHIOPIA
through Kenya
day 1
Nairobi - Laikipia
Lake Logipi
UGANDA
desert rose
mount nyiro
LLEY
Suyian Soul
day 2
GREAT RIFT VA
Laikipia - scenic flight through
the Suguta - Lake Turkana
Desert Rose
day 3
Via Mathews range - Melako
Conservancy
Melako Conservancy, Fly Camp
fly camp
melako
End
Silale Crater
suyian soul
laikipia
Mt. Kenya
Lake Victoria
day 4
Melako - drop-off destination
(Sa mburu, Laikipia or Lewa)
Start
nairobi
TANZANIA
Ewaso Nyiro River
helicopter safari
itinerary
at a glance
day 1
This morning, your private helicopter
and pilot will meet you in Nairobi and we
will fly north to Suyian Ranch in Laikipia,
via the summit of the Aberdare Range.
Suyian is a 43,000 acre wildlife and
cattle ranch with spectacularly beautiful
scenery and un-spoilt wilderness.
Accommodation is at Suyian Soul, a
private simple retreat, that embraces all
aspects of nature.
Suyian Soul
day 2
We depart early, with a picnic breakfast,
headed for the deserts and lakes of
Northern Kenya.
Our first stop is Silale Crater - a dramatic
and vast caldera. We continue through
the changing landscape of the Suguta
Valley, over a flood pan dominated by
green algae, and through the Painted
Valley and Hoodoo Valley - which
are characterised by dramatic eroded
pinnacles and canyons.
We arrive at Desert Rose for lunch. This
is a hand crafted retreat perched within
the forested slopes of Mount Nyiro.
In the late afternoon we embark on a scenic
flight to the southern shores of Lake
Turkana, over Lake Logipi and on to the
sand dunes of the Suguta.
Desert Rose
day 3
After breakfast we fly south over the
remote northern part of Samburu
country, landing by the ‘Singing Wells’
where Samburu herdsmen draw water
for their livestock from deep wells in
the river bed whilst they sing traditional
songs.
We continue on to the newly formed
Melako Conservancy - part of a
group of Kenyan community-owned
conservancies. Here we meet our Quad
Bikes and explore this remote wilderness.
We overnight in a simple but comfortable
fly-camp set up on banks of a sandy river
bed, with pop-up mosie-net style tents
for a night under the starry sky.
Melako Conservancy, Fly Camp
day 4
This morning we will explore more of
Melako on Quad Bikes.
We leave Melako, enjoying another
spectacular flight, over the Ewaso Nyiro
river, and savannah plains of Samburu,
quietly spotting wildlife along the way.
Our adventure ends at Lewa / Laikipia or
Samburu.
aberdare
range
The Dragons Teeth’ as these
sharp volcanic cones are known,
are located on highest point of the
Aberdares – Mount Satima. The
160km range runs along the Eastern
wall of the Great Rift.
laikipia
Laikipia is one of the most exciting
wilderness and wildlife places in
Africa. Characterised by abundant
wildlife, spectacular scenery and
extraordinary cultural diversity, in
a setting dominated by the iconic
backdrop of Mount Kenya.
suyian ranch
laikipia
‘Suyian, ‘m eaning ‘African Wild
Dog’, is characterized by a series
of dra matic escarpments, exclusive
valleys and expansive grasslands.
Wildlife roa m here in abundance.
suyian
43,000 acres of spectacular
scenery and un-spoilt wilderness.
In northwest Laikipia lies Suyian
Ranch, privately owned by the
Powys family, whose ties to
Laikipia date back to the 1920’s.
Hosted by local and expert guides,
Suyian Soul is a peaceful camp,
with an infinite connection with
nature.
Designed and built by Anne Powys,
Suyian Soul is hidden in a small
valley, close to a natural spring
that seeps water all year long. The
rooms are simple thatched open
bandas with safari style bathrooms.
silale crater
A vast caldera, carpeted by
grasses and shrubs.
suguta valley
Geologists have long been
fascinated with this part of the
Great Rift Valley. They have
studied ancient sediments
and fossil remains, and pieced
together the history of a lake
that rose and fell multiple times
over the past 18,000 years.
painted
valley
We have named this area ‘t he
painted valley’, because of the
multiple colours in the eroded
landscape.
hoodoe
valley
Amazing weathered rock
formations
sand dunes
Suguta Valley
lake logipi
Lake Logipi, a saline seasonal
lake - often full of flamingoes lies at the southern end of Lake
Turkana. The lake is about 6km
wide by 3 kms long, and very
shallow.
andrews
volcano
lake turkana
The world’s largest permanent
desert lake, Turkana, is wild
in character with its parched
volcanic beaches, granite outcrops
and lava flows. The lake’s
shores have revealed some of
the world’s oldest fossil finds –
from dinosaurs to early Man
– discovered by the famous
palaeontologists – the Leakey
family.
mount nyiro
Mount Nyiro – surrounded by
desert, with its summit reaching
over 3,000 metres, is densely
forested and provides water and
dry-weather feeding grounds for
the Samburu pastoralists.
desert rose
A unique hand-crafted retreat,
perched on the remote forested
slopes of Mount Nyiro.
Designed around various natural
features with dramatic views and
lush indigenous gardens, with its
easy access to sand dunes of the
Suguta Valley and the shores of
Lake Turkana, the lodge is a perfect
night stop for our heli-safaris.
spiritual site
for Northern Kenya’s nomadic
people
seiya lugga
Typical of many rivers in Northern
Kenya, the Seiya lugga is a
sandy river bed, that floods for a
few days every year.
mathews
range
Known as a ‘s ky island’, the
Mathews Range rises from the
dry desolate country exposing
lush forested hills & craggy peaks.
ancient
cycad forest
Mathews Range
melako
conservancy
A 33,000 hectare community
conservancy, mentored under
the umbrella of the Northern
Rangelands Trust, in the
Laisamis region of Northern
Kenya.
fly camp
Melako Conservancy
The conservancy is remote and
tourism development is nonexistent. Yet the opportunities
are great, and from the base of a
simple desert-style tented camp,
perfectly positioned on the banks
of dry sandy river bed beneath
large shady acacia trees, we will
explore the region and enjoy its
unique wildlife.
quad biking
Melako Conservancy
Exploring the arid landscape by
quad bikes is a thrilling way to
traverse the sandy luggas and
rocky hillsides.
singing wells
Samburu
The singing wells are an assured
watering point for many northern
pastoralist communities. During
the drought, they dig deep into the
earth, and bail out water for their
livestock. It’s an amazing privilege
to visit these wells - and meet the
people whose lives depend on
these treasured sites.
heli safari
ends
Final flight over Samburu to your
next destination.
Private helicopter and pilot /
guides are provided by Tropic
Air - a leading air charter
company based in East Africa,
specialising in heli-safaris and
adventures, with more than 10
years of experience in this field.
The Eurocopter AS 350 B3’s
are perfectly adapted to fly
in East Africa’s hot and high
environments.
Aircraft are fitted with satelite
tracking software, pilots are
trained in ‘f irst person on scene’
first aid, and all precautions are
carried out to ensure maximu m
safety and comfort.
Tropic Air
Nanyuki, Kenya