Tuesday afternoon, May 20, 2025
We flew to Lake Turkana to meet Amory and Karina on their 24 foot fishing boat. We landed next to it on the SE shore of the lake. The lake was rough like Lake Tahoe can get and I had a hard time not getting sea sick. The color of Turkana gives it the name “Jade Sea”.
Meanwhile, Mark was busy fishing and soon caught a 4 kilo Nile Perch. Too small so he threw it back. Not long later he caught a 25 kilo perch and we all agreed it was a keeper. Amory maneuvered the boat into calmer water between the shore and nearby South Island and I felt much better. He landed on a calm beach on the South Island and Karina unpacked a delicious lunch of small chicken pies.
While we fished, Andy flew the chopper to the lunch destination, prearranged by him and Amory.
We ate on the shore under a couple of trees and went for a swim before flying away. They fished after we departed and got one more good size perch, before driving back to camp.
Meanwhile, Andy gave us an E-ticket ride on the way back to camp. We enjoyed the ride with the doors closed and the AC on, while he flew us up steep hills and thrilled us dropping down the other side. We relaxed the rest of the day—swam, had cocktails by the pool and dinner when Amory and Karina when they returned about 7pm.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
This is the day we flew to the Chalbi Desert at about 1000 feet elevation. We hoped to see some people from the Gabri and Rendille tribes as well as different scenery. The area is about 100 sq kilometers in size. We flew over miles and miles of scrub land, which happens to be green at the moment. Usually it is very dry and brown.
We flew over a few Rendille villlages and saw Kurkum wells, bore holes used by tribes during the dry times.
There are many across the landscape. Andy dropped down onto the Chalbi pan where we saw fresh spring water and a few birds, especially ostrich. We also saw gazelle, golden Jaeckel, gerenuk, sand grouse, open-billed stork and frogs.
I found an egg laying on the lava bed with nothing around it. I saved it and gave it to Amory. It looked like the size of a goose egg. We saw flamingoes on another lake and made them fly as we flew over them.
Soon we were over an unusual landmark called the Chalbi Dune. It is a 6.5 km long dune that is about 15 meters high and covered with crusty dirt. We landed next to it and climbed up it. None of us could imagine what it was made of and how it came to be there. I slid down on my butt, rather than risk falling. Everyone else walked down.
We flew back across the scrub to Mt. Kulal for a coffee break in a lovely meadow.
Back at camp we chilled until 5 when we were instructed to walk to a new sundowner site. It took about 15 minutes to walk to an open field with chairs waiting for us. Soon young Samburu people started walking into the field in two lines. They then circled around and made a very large circle until there were about 100 of them. Then they began to dance and carried on for about an hour. Their clothing and dances were similar but still distinct from the Pokot dancers we had seen a few days before. It was fascinating to watch.
Thursday, May 22, 2025
We lift off Koros at 9:10 for the last time, having said our good byes to Amory and Karina.
On the ground in Nanyuki, we are met by Rod, Clara’s husband, who brings us 6 kiku’s, the towel-like wraps that are popular in East Africa. Mark had ordered them for our boat. We all gathered in the airport dining room for pizza and one last visit. In a shop next to the restaurant, we found a perfectly purple duffle-like bag to bring them home.
We dropped in next to a Surian village in a large and lush “Sound of Music” meadow in the Ndotos mountain range.
After that visit we moved on and landed on a tiny flat spot on Mathew’s Range at 7000 ft. No one arrived to visit and we enjoyed our last coffee break together in peace.
Passing over miles of scrub enroute to Nanyuki, where we will be met by a pilot in a Cessna 208 that will take us to Nairobi, we pass one last point of interest. It is a round hill with a large rock on top called Sweet 16 and looks like a young woman’s breast.
At the airport in Nanuki, we meet Rod bringing the 6 kiku’s Mark wants for our boat. He joined the three of us for a final lunch of pizza. In a gift shop next to the restaurant, Mark found the perfect purple suede bag to hold the kiku’s and serve as a new travel bag at the same time.
Then we said our good byes to Claire, our wonderful guide, and to everyone else who helped us along the way. We already have wishful travel plans with Claire and Andy for early 2026. We hope they come to pass.
Adventures with Julia 