Walk on by in Africa

Adventurous oldies interested in experiencing untamed Africa at close hand should check out tropical-ice.com. This Kenyan company organises a walking safari, the Great Walk of Africa, across Tsavo National Park in southern Kenya.

The company is run by an adventurous Kenyan oldie, Iain Allen, who now has forty years’ experience of running safaris in Africa and India. Having returned from a Great Walk recently, I can highly recommend it. The safaris are limited to eight guests who walk about 10km each morning for twelve days surrounded by experienced local bush rangers plus Iain. Afternoons are spent in camp resting, followed by safari drives in the evening. Walking is single file and in silence, with rests every hour or so.

The great advantage of the walking safari is the opportunity to see a wide range of animals, many at close range, in a totally natural setting, and free of tourists and 4x4s. This includes the man-eating lions of Tsavo, famous for eating 135 men in 1898, who were building a bridgehead over the River Tsavo; the lions were finally shot by a Colonel Patterson. Reassuringly, after 78 Great Walks, no one has been eaten or died.

Walking is not too strenuous as the terrain is flat. Being woken at 6am, breakfasting at sunrise, walking at 7am becomes quite natural. The camps are comfortable, the food, wine and local beer excellent. Pre-dinner drinks around the campfire with armed bush rangers quickly become the norm. Tropical-ice does not advertise but relies on recommendations from clients. The cost is about US$9,000, not cheap but no hidden extras and no shops. A very rare experience.