Savanna - A breathtaking exploration in Northern Kenya

We wake to our first full day in the savanna and begin by establishing a simple wild camp in the bush. From here we'll head out with our Samburu guides to forage for traditionally gathered foods and meet a local honey harvester, discovering some of the knowledge carried through generations of living from this dry country.

Later, we follow one of the savanna's most precious resources: water. At the extraordinary Singing Wells, Samburu warriors dig deep into the earth by hand, following the same clues as elephants to find water hidden beneath the ground. These ancient wells are still used today, shared between people, livestock and wildlife. As darkness comes, we'll return to the fire to hear more about the skills and traditions that have sustained life here for centuries.

Today we delve deeper into Samburu bushcraft and traditional wilderness skills, learning fire-making, animal tracking and the ecology of the Kenyan savanna alongside our local guides. We'll discover useful plants, including the toothbrush tree, and explore how generations of knowledge have shaped the way the Samburu live within this landscape.

The afternoon turns to making. Working with local artisans, we'll learn traditional crafts such as basketry, beading or bow and arrow making, putting our hands to skills that remain part of Samburu culture today. As evening draws in, we'll return to camp for dinner and gather around the fire for traditional stories beneath the African night sky.

We rise early and head for the Ewaso River, eating breakfast on its banks as elephants make their daily crossing towards Samburu Reserve. This is wild northern Kenya at its most stirring, with reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, Somali ostrich, crocodiles and predators all sharing the river country.

From here we'll head out with Samburu trackers, learning to read footprints, trails and other signs left across the savanna. We'll explore the remarkable relationship between the Samburu people and elephants, and meet those involved in indigenous-led wildlife conservation, hearing firsthand about the successes and challenges of protecting this ecosystem.

Our day ends at Elephant Rock, where ancient and modern rock art tells another story of this landscape, before sundowners overlooking the plains and the distant Matthews Mountain Range.

Today we spend time with a nearby Samburu community, stepping into the rhythms of everyday life in northern Kenya. We'll learn about livestock and pastoralism, try our hand at milking goats or camels, prepare chai with Samburu grandmothers over an open fire and discover traditional skills including weaving, beading and manyatta construction.

As evening arrives, we'll gather for Nyama Choma, a traditional open-fire feast, before a night of singing, dancing and jumping with Samburu warriors and the wider community. A day for sharing skills, stories, food and laughter, and one of the cultural highlights of our expedition.

Today the expedition climbs. We shoulder our packs and begin the ascent of sacred Mt O’lолokwe, following trails used by elephants as they journey into the high country in search of water and plants. As we gain altitude, the ecology changes around us and the immense savanna of northern Kenya unfolds below.

At the summit we'll establish our wild camp, then explore ancient ceremonial caves and one of the planet's last remaining virgin cycad forests. We'll search for elephant, hyena and leopard tracks before watching sunset from the mountain. Tonight we sleep high above the plains, gathering around the fire for Samburu stories and an introduction to the African night sky.

We wake on Mt O’lолokwe to sunrise spilling across the vast plains of northern Kenya. After breakfast at our mountain camp, we'll begin our descent and return to Sabache for an easy afternoon of rest, with optional guided walks for those still eager to explore.

After dark, we'll gather once again with Samburu warriors and elders beneath the stars. Far from the glare of towns and cities, we'll learn about constellations, traditional navigation and the stories carried in the night sky, ending the evening around the campfire with local lore and stories.

Our final full day slows the pace and gives us time to enjoy life in the Savanna. You can rest at camp or head into the bush on an optional guided walk, looking for birds and wildlife around the natural rock watering hole.

Later, a local medicine man will lead us into the savanna in search of traditional medicinal plants, teaching us how different species are identified, gathered and prepared. We'll put some of this indigenous plant knowledge into practice with a hands-on medicine-making session before returning for our farewell dinner and a final evening together in the Kenyan bush.

There is no hurry on our final morning. We'll have time for one last walk, a quiet coffee or simply to sit and take in the landscape that has been our home for the past nine days.

After a farewell lunch with the Samburu team, we begin our journey south towards Nairobi. We leave with new bushcraft and wilderness skills, but also with something harder to pack away: a deeper understanding of the African savanna, the Samburu people and the knowledge that grows from living closely with a wild landscape.