About your stay
By Daniel Howden, Jetsetter CorrespondentRoam the red earth of the Laikipia Plateau, in the shadow of Mount Kenya, with your own party of Maasai warriors. On this six-day Bush Adventures outing, you’ll learn the ways of Africa’s noble nomads and master Kenya’s great outdoors in the company of its original experts. Wake up to the call of eagles, spend your days tracking big game, and go to sleep under a blanket of stars with the chatter of hyenas in the distance, knowing you’re one of the tribe.
What we love
- 2011 Jetsetter Hot Spots winner
- Rate includes five nights accommodation, all meals and snacks, some alcoholic beverages, activities outlined on the itinerary, the red Maasai shuka required during all activities, and conservancy fees
- This trip was created exclusively for Jetsetter
- Getting to know the Maasai in their world
- Rugged Maasai experience, but with a Mediterranean menu and a glass of wine come dinner time
- Unforgettable unscripted moments, like learning to play marbles Maasai-style with herder boys
- Interactions with the Maasai warriors — they’re a ton of fun, and they’re just as curious about your world as you are about theirs
- Maximum group size is eight, so you’ll get plenty of one-on-one warrior time
- All tours are conducted in English
What to know
- Rate does not include airfare, ground transportation to the camp or gratuities for guides
- Participants must be 18 and over
- You should be in reasonably good shape
- Accommodations are in a 13-by-10-foot tent (with a bathroom and hot shower, but no electricity) in Il Ngwesi Community Conservancy
- Vegetarian or special diets can be accommodated with advance notice, but note that this is a fully immersive trip and the warriors will hunt and kill a goat for one group dinner
- Trip insurance is required — you can purchase it upon checkout from Jetsetter
- Talk to your doctor prior to your trip about vaccinations and a prescription antimalaria drug
- Americans need to have a passport that has at least 1 blank page and is valid for six months after the completion of the trip. A tourist visa is required; you can obtain it at any U.S. consulate or at the border
Why to go
- Adventure
- Off the Beaten Path
- Rustic
Jetsetter review
On this six-day/five-night Bush Adventures experience, you’ll learn warrior skills from Africa’s most famed tribe of nomads, the Maasai, from tracking game and using traditional weapons to competitive hill hiking.
This adventure takes you into the Maasai world and closer to the true splendor of Africa — deep into the epic Kenyan landscape — than a safari ever could. In the evenings you’ll dine by a campfire wrapped in a flame-red blanket under stars shining impossibly bright.
After you're outfitted with the traditional red shuka, you'll learn to use their weapons.
Your training begins with the trusty esiere, or throwing club, which is fashioned from the polished root of the desert olive tree and is the constant companion of the Maasai moran (warrior). Your trainers will teach you to throw it with unerring accuracy.
Once you’ve got the basics down, the riverbanks and acacia groves become a playground of wrestling and spear throwing. Over the next few days, lessons in tracking and identifying animal calls bring the bush and its millions of stories to life. Honey birds call to you to follow them to the bees, and hyena trails lead you to the white skeleton of last night’s prey.
The exertion of the day is balanced by the comforts of evening in camp, where Italian wine or a chilled Kenyan beer is accompanied by food that’s as much Mediterranean as Maasai. The warriors like to talk just as much as they like to fight, and storytime over a meal can be as compelling as exploring the bush. You’ll spend most nights in a private tent outfitted with a four-poster bed, a bathroom and a hot shower in the Il Ngwesi Community Conservancy. Each morning you’ll don your traditional red Maasai shuka (provided when you arrive) and stand side by side with warriors who do this every day. There’s a real wisdom in this simple way of life. By the end of my time with the Maasai, their daily rhythm felt like something I had known once but had somehow forgotten.
Day 1: Arrival at Bush Adventures Camp
Take a fascinating drive from the frontier town of Isiolo into the wilderness of Kenya’s fertile Laikipia Plateau and arrive at the camp, your home for most of this trip. Enjoy a light lunch overlooking the riverbank and meet your new warrior friends. Get your first taste of the wild with a short trek into the hills as the sun sets.
Overnight at the Bush Adventures camp in the Il Ngwesi Community Conservancy; lunch and dinner included
Day 2: Traditional Weapons and Fighting Training
Get to grips with the esiere (the throwing club), the long bow and the spear (an age-old Maasai favorite). Then get ready to throw down Maasai-style in a traditional wrestling match.
Overnight at the Bush Adventures camp in the Il Ngwesi Community Conservancy; breakfast, lunch and dinner included
In the evenings, you'll return to the Bush Adventures camp in the Il Ngwesi.
Day 3: A Mountain Hike and Afternoon Swim
Today involves a hike (and scramble) up one of the steepest hills in the area — used by the warriors as a test of strength and fitness. Your reward is a picnic lunch with a view, and a swim in some beautiful natural pools. The evening is for relaxing and storytelling around the fire.
Overnight at the Bush Adventures camp in the Il Ngwesi Community Conservancy; breakfast, lunch and dinner included
Day 4: Animal Tracking and Night in the Bush
Unlock the art of tracking as you learn the telltale signs of animal movement. Then pit your new skills against the wild as you try to trail a goat that the warriors will kill and roast for your dinner. Like a true nomad, tonight you will hike to a nearby hill and camp under the stars (mosquito nets and sleeping mats are optional).
Overnight at a Maasai camp in the bush; breakfast, lunch and dinner included
Day 5: Survival Skills: Approaching Wild Animals Safely; Making Fire
After the hike back to camp, during which you'll explore the dramatic scenery of the plateau, the warriors will teach you how to safely approach wild animals (if conditions allow), and then mankind’s oldest magic: making fire from sticks and elephant dung. The final evening calls for a farewell party Maasai-style, with lots of jumping, dancing and singing.
Overnight at the Bush Adventures camp in the Il Ngwesi Community Conservancy; breakfast, lunch and dinner included
Day 6: Weapon Practice and Departure
If time allows, practice using your favorite weapons before you depart from the camp.
Breakfast included
This adventure takes you into the Maasai world and closer to the true splendor of Africa — deep into the epic Kenyan landscape — than a safari ever could. In the evenings you’ll dine by a campfire wrapped in a flame-red blanket under stars shining impossibly bright.
After you're outfitted with the traditional red shuka, you'll learn to use their weapons.
Your training begins with the trusty esiere, or throwing club, which is fashioned from the polished root of the desert olive tree and is the constant companion of the Maasai moran (warrior). Your trainers will teach you to throw it with unerring accuracy.
Once you’ve got the basics down, the riverbanks and acacia groves become a playground of wrestling and spear throwing. Over the next few days, lessons in tracking and identifying animal calls bring the bush and its millions of stories to life. Honey birds call to you to follow them to the bees, and hyena trails lead you to the white skeleton of last night’s prey.
The exertion of the day is balanced by the comforts of evening in camp, where Italian wine or a chilled Kenyan beer is accompanied by food that’s as much Mediterranean as Maasai. The warriors like to talk just as much as they like to fight, and storytime over a meal can be as compelling as exploring the bush. You’ll spend most nights in a private tent outfitted with a four-poster bed, a bathroom and a hot shower in the Il Ngwesi Community Conservancy. Each morning you’ll don your traditional red Maasai shuka (provided when you arrive) and stand side by side with warriors who do this every day. There’s a real wisdom in this simple way of life. By the end of my time with the Maasai, their daily rhythm felt like something I had known once but had somehow forgotten.
Maasai Warrior Survival Training
Duration: 6 days, 5 nightsDay 1: Arrival at Bush Adventures Camp
Take a fascinating drive from the frontier town of Isiolo into the wilderness of Kenya’s fertile Laikipia Plateau and arrive at the camp, your home for most of this trip. Enjoy a light lunch overlooking the riverbank and meet your new warrior friends. Get your first taste of the wild with a short trek into the hills as the sun sets.
Overnight at the Bush Adventures camp in the Il Ngwesi Community Conservancy; lunch and dinner included
Day 2: Traditional Weapons and Fighting Training
Get to grips with the esiere (the throwing club), the long bow and the spear (an age-old Maasai favorite). Then get ready to throw down Maasai-style in a traditional wrestling match.
Overnight at the Bush Adventures camp in the Il Ngwesi Community Conservancy; breakfast, lunch and dinner included
In the evenings, you'll return to the Bush Adventures camp in the Il Ngwesi.
Day 3: A Mountain Hike and Afternoon Swim
Today involves a hike (and scramble) up one of the steepest hills in the area — used by the warriors as a test of strength and fitness. Your reward is a picnic lunch with a view, and a swim in some beautiful natural pools. The evening is for relaxing and storytelling around the fire.
Overnight at the Bush Adventures camp in the Il Ngwesi Community Conservancy; breakfast, lunch and dinner included
Day 4: Animal Tracking and Night in the Bush
Unlock the art of tracking as you learn the telltale signs of animal movement. Then pit your new skills against the wild as you try to trail a goat that the warriors will kill and roast for your dinner. Like a true nomad, tonight you will hike to a nearby hill and camp under the stars (mosquito nets and sleeping mats are optional).
Overnight at a Maasai camp in the bush; breakfast, lunch and dinner included
Day 5: Survival Skills: Approaching Wild Animals Safely; Making Fire
After the hike back to camp, during which you'll explore the dramatic scenery of the plateau, the warriors will teach you how to safely approach wild animals (if conditions allow), and then mankind’s oldest magic: making fire from sticks and elephant dung. The final evening calls for a farewell party Maasai-style, with lots of jumping, dancing and singing.
Overnight at the Bush Adventures camp in the Il Ngwesi Community Conservancy; breakfast, lunch and dinner included
Day 6: Weapon Practice and Departure
If time allows, practice using your favorite weapons before you depart from the camp.
Breakfast included
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