Adrenaline is what many first think of when they decide to add a quad biking activity to their safari. We recently visited Kipsing in Kenya’s remote Northern Frontier District (NFD) and spent several days enjoying the vast scenery, wildlife and cultures, that this largely untouched wilderness has to offer. A safari like this definitely includes plenty of thrills, but less talked about is the opportunity to get much closer to the rugged and tranquil beauty of this area.
Our charter flight took us over stunning rocky kopjes surrounded by dusty acacia bush and the adventure started as soon as we touched down! The Kispsing lugga is a special location for quad biking , a tributary that flows into the mighty Ewaso River during heavy rains but, during the dry season, the wide river bed is dry, flat and sandy – the perfect combination for racing along on quad bikes. When we needed a break, we stopped, turned off the engines and paused to take in the scenery, have lunch, a drink and watch the passing elephants.
Some of our rides took us to the Ewaso Ng’iro River, which flows throughout the year, fed by the glaciers on Mount Kenya, and is truly the life-blood of the north providing much needed water for the wildlife and cattle of the Samburu area. It is also a great place to cool down, catch your breath, take your boots off and have a splash about in the cool flowing water while enjoying a chilled drink.
Although we thought our safari was going to be all high octane adventure, the quad bikes were only one part of our NFD experience – nomadic Samburu tribesfolk passed by to share our shady campsite and swap stories over a cup of tea, we enjoyed long walks through the bush searching out unusual bird species and colourful desert adapted plants, and we even had time for a few different sports – boules in the sandy river bed and archery competitions kept us all entertained before we found yet another awesome sundowner spot to round off the day.
This is a true wilderness experience and the only real way to explore this area is through our lightweight, minimalist camp. Surprisingly comfortable and totally immersive, by day you have shade, iced drinks and mouth-watering, gourmet food from a traditional explorer charcoal oven, yet at night the stars come out to play and the galaxies above open up to you. We make the most of this with unique star tents which are open to the immense skies, adding an extra night time adventure to your stay.
For those who want to get out of the game-drive vehicle and shake things up a little during their safari, our NFD quad biking adventures are the perfect addition ……. Click here to read more about quad biking experiences.