Two blue Tropic Air helicopters flying in formation past red rock pinnacles high above the cloud

Kenya · 8 days

Fossil Hunting in Lake Turkana

Eight days with The Safari Collection into the Turkana Basin. Solio's rhinos, then a private helicopter north to the fossil beds and labs of the Turkana Basin Institute, and back south to Sasaab in Samburu.

Duration: 8 days, 7 nights · 4 flights
Where: Kenya
Experiences: Helicopter Safaris Road Safaris Camel Safaris Horseback Safaris Flying Safaris
Board: Full board
Price: FromUSD 26,700per person sharing

At a glance

Where the nights go

1222

7 nights across 4 places · 4 flights · Full board. Drawn from the draft day-by-day below.

Overview

The shape of the journey

The Turkana Basin is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the richest fossil records of human origins anywhere. It is also a long way from everything: driving from Nairobi would take days, so this itinerary flies you to Solio, then goes north by private helicopter over the Suguta Valley, the dune fields and the flamingo lakes.

NairobiSolioLake TurkanaSamburu

Two things to be honest about. The Turkana Basin Institute is a research facility, not a lodge, and the rooms are basic by design, and Sasaab at the end is the correction. And The Safari Collection rates this one high on physical demand and does not recommend it for children. Guide prices are set on a minimum of four travelling.

Where you'll stay

The camps and hotels

Giraffe Manor

A quirky, much-photographed manor house whose wild Nubian giraffe come to the lawn at tea and to the windows at breakfast.

Solio Lodge

The only lodge on Kenya's first private wildlife reserve, between the Aberdares and Mount Kenya, with large numbers of black and white rhino, a wood-fired sauna and a rhino orphanage nearby.

Turkana Basin Institute

A working research and teaching base at Turkwel, not a lodge and never pretending to be one. Labs during the heat of the day, fossil sites and Turkana villages either side of it.

Sasaab

A lodge above the Ewaso Nyiro with private plunge pools, a spa and a gym, the soft landing after Turkana. Westgate Conservancy by camel, on foot, on a quad bike or on a game drive.

The Retreat at Giraffe Manor

The wellness house beside the Manor, taken as a day room before the flight home.

Day by day

How the days run

A proposal, not a timetable. The routing, timings and inclusions are confirmed in writing before you pay anything.

Day 1
Nairobi, and the giraffes
Met at Jomo Kenyatta by your private guide, who stays with you for the whole trip, and taken to Giraffe Manor. Afternoon tea on the lawn is when the giraffes usually turn up.
Giraffe ManorAll meals
Day 2Flight
Fly to Solio
Breakfast at the Manor, then Wilson to Nanyuki on the scheduled flight and across to Solio. High ground between two mountain ranges, so the nights are cool and the days are warm.
Solio LodgeAll meals
Day 3
Rhino, lion and plains game
Game driving here is unhurried: Solio is a sanctuary and the only lodge on it. Between drives there is the sauna with a view, spa treatments, and the rhino orphanage on the ranch.
Solio LodgeAll meals
Day 4Flight
Helicopter north to Turkana
The helicopter lands on the lawn at about half past six. You lift off over the Suguta Valley, stop at Lothagam and its fossil beds, and reach the Turkana Basin Institute at Turkwel.
Turkana Basin InstituteAll meals
Day 5
Fossil beds and labs
Days here split between the cool of the labs when the heat is worst and the sites when it is not. Central Island for the old fishing practices, and walks to the nearby villages to meet Turkana families.
Turkana Basin InstituteAll meals
Day 6Flight
Helicopter south to Samburu
Breakfast, then roughly two hours in the air down to Kenya's old Northern Frontier District. Sasaab is a plunge pool, a spa and a bed after several days of hard travelling.
SasaabAll meals
Day 7
Samburu
Westgate Conservancy by camel, on foot, on a quad bike or from a vehicle, with the Special Five to look for. The 4C Centre and the Rhodia Mann Museum are worth an hour for the culture.
SasaabAll meals
Day 8Flight
Ease out
Breakfast at Sasaab, the flight from its airstrip to Wilson, then a day room at The Retreat with spa, gym, pool and lunch, and the transfer to Jomo Kenyatta.
Breakfast and lunch

What's covered

Inclusions and exclusions

In line with the itinerary above. Your written quote is the version that counts.

Included

Full-board accommodation with meals, house wines and spirits, soft drinks, beers, laundry and selected activities
A private guide throughout the journey
Helicopter transfers from Solio Lodge to TBI-Turkwel and from TBI-Turkwel to Sasaab
Helicopter excursions from TBI-Turkwel to the sites
Two scheduled flights to and from Wilson Airport
All transport between destinations and to and from activities, including 4x4 safari vehicles
Park and conservation fees
Game drives, sundowners and bush picnics
Horse riding and mountain biking at Solio Lodge
Camel riding and walking at Sasaab
The Turkana Basin Institute donation fee
Medical evacuation cover

Price & terms

What it costs

FromUSD 26,700per person sharing

What this price covers

Rates are per person sharing unless the line above says otherwise.
Prices move with the season and with availability, and are held only once your quote is confirmed in writing.
The day-by-day above is a draft. Final routing, timings, inclusions and any park or permit fees are confirmed with your quote.

Before you go

Worth reading before this trip

The best time to visit Kenya, month by monthJanuary and February, then July to October, are the months we send most people.
Safari packing list for KenyaA working checklist for a week on safari in Kenya: the bag, the layers for a cold six o'clock start, optics, health and documents, with quantities for seven nights and what changes by season.
Kenya safari cost: where the money goesWhat you pay for on a Kenya safari, why two similar weeks can differ threefold, who sets the park fees, and how to get more from the same budget.
Practical facts by countryPlugs, currency, time zone, driving side, SIM, tipping and tap water.