The maasai wilderness conservancy is located 40 km from oloitokitok and borders Tsavo west national park. Spanning over 230,000 acres, it is home to a diverse flora and fauna both animal and human :-). Here man and nature try to live side by side and almost succeed in doing so.

Having never heard about it till that particular day, we didnt know what to expect, so we packed for a road trip.

Getting there is easy. The shuttles 11/14 seater are located next to the old Jack and Jill supermarket and the one way trip costs Ksh. 550.

On the first leg, the drive along mombasa road is smooth. You pass Athi River, Sultan Hamud, Salama then arrive at Emali. From Emali the drive is even smoother! The newly opened Emali - Oloitoktok Road is a joy to drive on.

The whole journey takes 3 to 3 and a half hours from Nairobi to Olitoktok. Once you arrive in Oloitoktok the majestic Kilimanjaro welcomes your eyes. At over 5,800m, it is Africa's tallest mountain. If lucky you may see its snow capped peak, Next to it lies the Kibo Peak.

From here one takes a turn back to the Amboseli gate and the adventure then begins. 40 km of tough driving is hard even for a seasoned adventurer like me. After about an hour and a half we arrive at our boarding place. "Town" as it is referred to, I think in jest because there is no electricity; just a cluster of shopping centres.

We freshen up and do a survey of the area and within a few hours have made friends. One in particular stands out as very friendly as do most of the people. Turns out he is not just friendly but like most maasais very well versed in matters of the bush. A few scars on his back and a limp from injuries to his right hip joint bears witness of his battles in the bush with "olowaru" lion as they call him.

So we spend the first day chatting and he talks about the old days when wildlife would roam all over including the now endangered rhinos. His testimony includes details of hunts and wanton butchering. And then all this changes to how he sees the situation now. "zamani sisi nauwa wanyama, lakini sasa, sisi najua wanyama ni faida'. si kama wageni nakuja kuona wanyama hao naleta pesa!"

Of course once in a while the conservator in him is lost especially when lions prey on livestock. Thanks to a unique compensation scheme by the conservancy such acts are rare nowadays. If wildlife kill or maim domestic animals, the owner is compensated by the conservancy.

So evening comes and we do a walk around our digz and our guide gives us the "bush 101 course" - he shows us tracks of lions, leopards, elephant and giraffe all this spoor within our camping area! Great we think.

A great supper and after gazing at the sun set, we get into our sleeping bags for the night.

Day 2 Itinerary

Go to the Tsavo, mzima springs and Sheitani Lava

Transport here in the bush is hard to come by, word of advice get your own ride at Kimana (a few minutes before oloitokitok oloopoloncabs@gmail.com), finding a reliable vehicle in oloitoktok is hard. My friend captured this image of the local matatu doing its rounds

After a few disappointments with our intended ride we switch plan and decide to do a hike up the surrounding hills. One in particular stands out and is a choice destination for many visitors.

We hook up with our guide from the previous day (he graciously provided a walking staff for each of us). I didn't know why but i sure did need it during the hike. He sets off on a crazy pace and my colleague has a hard time catching up. We have to literary run to keep up with him.

He points out lion and leopard foot prints on the dusty soil and we have to run to keep up with him for safety. Along the road plenty to see giraffes and zebras, antelopes, jackals and numerous birds.

The hills slope is at a crazy incline and the guide decides to take the steepest route as it was the shortest. The effect is notable, after a few seconds we are gasping for water much to his chagrin. Two more water stops and voila! We are at the top.

The view from the top is beautiful and offers a generous view of the wide expanse to either side. The chyulu hills, Tsavo and the famous Sheitani Lava flow are all inclusive of this panorama.

The hilltop is a collapsed volcano "a caldera" and is quite deep. During the rainy season he says its filled with water. Oh I forgot to say that the hill belongs to the expanse of the Chyulu Hills and these are volcanic in origin and last erupted in 1885. They also harbour the Leviathan lava flow, the world's second largest such feature. http://www.volcanolive.com/chyulu.html

Because of this, the hill is littered with numerous volcanic features and evidence by the famous sheitani lava flow. Smaller lava flows are also noted as are dykes etc.

A quick rest we explore and our guide shows us how they survive in the bush (plenty of wild berries and resins some that would make wrigley's patent them) and we head down. This time mercifully he chooses the longer route to avoid rolling down hill.

We pass by a thicket full of animal carcases and littered with lion prints and we all know its a favorite meal spot for some beast. Shivers run down my spine and I beg him to quickly "evacuate us". As if sensing my thoughts a huge maned lion appears 200m away.

We all quiver, but gratefully he walks away disinterested. Seems he wasnt particularly fond of skinny city dwellers meat. Another water break and we walk back to our camp/ Great Day.

A quick shower and another round of dinner and Bingo! Its a huge soccer night. We all shuffle to the "town" where the only TV is showing the Barcelona Man U game. As expected its all packed and like other soccer fans camaraderie oozes out. Jesting and teasing each other teams with the occasional soccer vulgarity.

The locals are quite friendly. After a few enquiries about where we are from and we are bonded friends and we share with them, have a drink each and head home after man Uz loss.

The following day we hope to conclude our journey and return to Nairobi. We were fortunate enough to catch the local school children on their way to the music festivals.

So next day we hit the road back to the big bad ugly city. Nairobi.

Other attractions within the conservancy.

Kampi ya Kanzi if you want to "indulge yourself"

Finch Hatton Camp

Kilaguni is quite nearby too.

The pix are below.

On our adventometer an 8 out of 10. Thumbs up!!!