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Kenya Expedition (July 2006)
Day 1 - (Welbeck to Nairobi Youth Hostel)
The expedition started well with several members of the trip been woken by an angry Mr Dufton after missing their alarms, but after this fraught start we had a good journey to Heathrow and arrived in Kenya to a surprisingly cool evening. After collecting our baggage we had a rather memorable taxi journey where our driver did not believe in indicating or slowing down, but was a firm believer of undertaking, however somehow we made it to the hostel unscathed.
![Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College (DSFC)](javascript:PopupPic("/trips/images/kenya1.jpg");)
Day 2 - (Nairobi Youth Hostel to Meru Bandes on Mt Kenya)
After having our first Kenyan meal, we headed to Nairobi to visit the Bureau de Change where, standing outside the bank, we were obvious targets of robbery, but we managed to escape with our money belts intact. We then embarked on a long and potentially lethal drive, dodging potholes and narrowly missing other vehicles and pedestrians, to Chogoria village. Here we were treated to a lavish lunch in a surprisingly well kept restaurant before piling into two Land rovers, top heavy with luggage, to complete our journey. We picked up a few hitchhikers along the way, adding more weight to the already overloaded Land rovers. As the deeply rutted and muddy track steepened, one of the Landrovers had to rely on the steep-sided bank to keep it upright as it drove along on two wheels! Later chains had to be applied to the bald tires to gain any traction at all. However British Engineering pulled us through and we made it to the beautiful mountain huts at 3000m in one piece.
Day 3 to 5 - (Base Camp 1 to Halls Tarn)
Day 3 started gently, with a climb of only 350m, allowing us to take in all of the beautiful views of the flanks of Mt Kenya, spotting a Thompson Gazelle within half an hour of walking. We arrived at the road-head campsite to find a lunch beautifully prepared by our Kenyan cook crew, and set off bag-less to find a waterfall. Water spilled over the edge of an ancient lava plateau at a stomach turning height although this did not stop Fisher-Jones wasting any time in getting behind the curtain of the water for a photo-opportunity - he proceeded to fall in the water on the way back. Day 4 began with a refreshing ‘wash’ in a nearby river that looked a lot warmer than it felt! The day consisted of a climb of 250m to acclimatise on top of a volcanic cone called Mugi Hill (3500m), returning to base camp for a fairly relaxing afternoon playing frisbee, cards and washing clothes and later drying them by a fire kindly constructed by the porters. The day ended with an interesting way of putting out the fire and handy hints from Mr Dufton on keeping warm. Day 5 promised to be a hard day with an aim of gaining 1000m! After a morning of walking the expedition team started to feel the effects of the altitude, but after lunch and a quick nap everyone ploughed on until we reached Halls Tarn (4000m). We all got our heads down early, knowing of our extremely early start for Point Lenana, the trekking peak of Mt Kenya.
![Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College (DSFC)](javascript:PopupPic("/trips/images/kenya2.jpg");)
Day 6 - (Halls Tarn to Pt Lenana to Kami Tarn)
Today started 10˚C below at 0200 hours. Tired and hungry we started our ascent to Point Lenana, the highest point of our expedition (4987m). This was the day that many of us had come to Kenya for. Our journey started with a climb up a moderate slope under headtorch light. With morale high we approached a steeper incline which we hoped to reach by sunrise. As the sky turned from a starry black to an orange horizon we had the summit insight. With a lack of sleep and food, some members of the group started to feel the effect of the altitude, but the group pulled together as we climbed the last 8ft of vertical rock face, with the morning sun beaming over us. When we had taken in the stunning views and the cold started to take a hold we left the summit with smiles on our face. Travelling down the mountain we passed several groups who did not see the sunrise at the summit, looking at the smiles on our faces they knew they had missed out!
![Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College (DSFC)](javascript:PopupPic("/trips/images/kenya3.jpg");)
Day 7 and 8 - (Kami Tarn to Naro Moro River Lodge)
We camped near to Kami Tarn. This small lake provided a stunning reflection of a small island which was adorned with exotic Lobelia and Groundsel plants which are abundant on Mount Kenya. After the previous afternoon was spent catching up on sleep we were eager to start our descent on Day 7. The position of Kami Tarn meant our descent route included climbing three cols before we could start losing height properly. Towards the end of the day we entered a ‘vertical bog’ where, through the trees, we caught glimpses of a cream building (the Naro Moro Met Station) we were all glad to see, as this is where we were to pitch our tents on our last night up the mountain. We continued our decent on Day 8 through a bamboo forest to the gate of the park; here the porters were waiting with two vehicles where we embarked on a very cramped drive to the Naro Moro River Lodge whose luxuries exceeded all of our expectations. We were all hoping for a hot shower but instead we got a swimming pool, sauna, bar, restaurant and in many cases a massage. We finished off the day by watching the World Cup Final and an open fire in the huts- a good finish to an excellent day!
![Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College (DSFC)](javascript:PopupPic("/trips/images/kenya4.jpg");)
Day 9 to 11 -(Naro Moro River Lodge to Watamu via Tsavo West)
Today we added to the legacy of the resort bar in which we all signed a Welbeck T-shirt with our names and the only inspiring words of our guide Festus: “we go”!. We set off on a 7 hour journey to Tsavo West Game Reserve. We all anticipated that it would be boring, until we met Jungle George, with his laugh and general demeanour having very similar characteristics to Rafiki from the Lion King! We arrived at Tsavo West safari park and spent the night sharing stories around a fire before heading to our tents. We boarded the mini buses bright and early on Day 10, hoping to spot many animals. The first animal we saw came out of nowhere, a long neck poking out of the tree tops. After seeing a Giraffe we saw lots of Zebra, Spotted Hyenas, African Buffalo and Jackal to name a few. We went to Mzima Springs later in the day seeing Crocodile, Hippo and Barbet Fish. The safari ended on a high with first seeing an Elephant 2m away and then watching the sunset behind the hills with Mt. Kilimanjaro in the far distance! Day 12 started with a long journey which would lead us to an eagerly anticipated hotel. On arrival we took no time to take our first dip in the choppy Indian Ocean for a bit of body surfing. The evening was spent relaxing and admiring the beautiful coral lined headland.
![Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College (DSFC)](javascript:PopupPic("/trips/images/kenya5.jpg");)
Day 12 and 13 - (Ocean Sports Hotel, Watamu)
We wasted no time in trying out our haggling skills visiting the local beach shacks, named Harrods, Selfridges and Del Boys, and trading anything we could while Mr Dufton and Mr Crookes headed to the coral shoreline for a tour of the marine life by a local fisherman. The next day we spent the morning snorkelling with shoals of amazingly coloured fish swarming around us, and the rest of the day relaxing and getting to know some of the locals.
Day 14 - (Watamu to Welbeck)
After a sleepless night we all met in reception at 0300 to go in search of turtles, but we weren’t successful. The only things on the beach were thousands of crabs, although it was a fabulous morning with a fresh Trade Wind and a full moon. We departed for the airport at 0430hrs for a hassle free journey back to College. The trip was a succession of surprises and unique experiences, although the end is in sight the memories will be permanently etched of the excursion to Kenya. The members of the trip included Tom Batty, Sarah Bennett, Tom Bougourd, Zoe Farrell, Emily Field, Jon Fisher-Jones, Genevieve Lavin, David McNeish, James Starling, Tom Tongs, Mr Crookes and Mr Dufton.
Zoe Farrell, Stirling 05E
