Karisia Walking Safari & Tumaren Camp, Laikipia
Embark on an extraordinary safari adventure in stunning northern Kenya
Join us on a sensual and active adventure in Laikipia and Samburu in northern Kenya. Here, you will encounter untamed bush and stunning mountain ranges while guided by knowledgeable Samburu guides and accompanied by camels carrying your belongings.
Karisia is well-suited for adventurous families and small groups seeking a unique experience. The content, length, and degree of difficulty can be customized 100% to your level and needs, ensuring that even families with young children can participate.
Engage your senses and experience nature at eye level
Travel along life-giving rivers, dry riverbeds, through dense bush and open savannahs, over hills and mountains. Even rock climbing is an option.
The landscapes you will traverse can only be reached on foot or by camel. Far far away from roads and cars.
This transformative experience offers much more than encounters with wildlife and stupendous scenery. It is a meeting with nature at eye level, where scents, sounds, footprints in the sand, total silence, and storytelling are all part of the magic.
It's about learning and listening to the Samburu guides, who have grown up in this way of life, and hearing them tell stories about our shared ancestors, whose history began right here.
Flexibility is key
Karisia offers three different levels of mobile camps, ranging from small dome tents with air mattresses and a shared bathroom to larger tents with real mattresses, a private bathroom, and a bucket shower.
Walking safaris of 2-3 days usually occur around their private reserve and Karisia Hills, while longer trips can go through neighboring reserves and up to Samburu and Mathews Range.
It may not sound child-friendly, but it is indeed. The owners, Kerry and James Christian, are parents to young children who grew up here, and some of the experiences have been developed in collaboration with their youngsters. It requires a bit of adventurous spirit, but having that, we dare to promise you one of the wildest experiences you have had as a family.
Tumaren Camp
Tumaren Camp is also an option for accommodation, serving as Karisia's base camp, and day trips can be taken from there. The camp is located in eastern Laikipia, one of northern Kenya's most wildlife-rich areas.
Alternatively, a stationary private satellite camp can be set up as a base for walking and jeep safaris.
Responsibility
Re-wilding - nature restoration - is at the core of Kerry and James Christian's work with Tumaren and several neighboring reserves as well. Before they took over responsibility for the area, the land was exhausted, and wild animals had to compete with cattle for food.
Today, the situation is entirely different. The natural environment is thriving, and the surrounding area is one of the most wildlife-rich in northern Kenya, with plenty of elephants, lions, leopards, and cheetahs. Even the endangered wild dogs are regularly spotted.
The key has been the close collaboration with the local community to promote a more sustainable form of agriculture - primarily in cattle farming and grazing management. An operation that only succeeds when everyone sees the advantages and benefits.
In addition to better cattle farming, the local community now also receives a steady income through the fees we pay to visit the area. Moreover, Karisia helps to provide nutritious food to over 500 children in the local school, and at the same time, they work together to show the children nature and wildlife and teach them about topics such as nature conservation, restoration, and biodiversity.