Wild at Heart

Andrew Francombe, owner of Kenya Choppers, picked us up at Segera, where we’d spent a deeply relaxing few days in luxurious surroundings. What’s wonderful about Kenya Choppers is that they can land at any of the beautiful lodges in this part of the country, including of course their own characterful property, Ol Malo.

We took off at dawn, swooping over the vast expanse of the Laikipia Plateau and along the lush banks of the Ewaso River, spotting game on the open grasslands and hidden in cedar forests as we skimmed the trees. The helicopter doesn’t have any doors so the views are of course incredible, but you can also catch the scent of the animals and the flowering trees below.

After breakfast on the banks of a vast waterhole, pausing to catch our breath from the morning’s adventures, we took off again, rounding a craggy bluff before dropping from 9,000 ft to 1,000 ft – a dramatic entry point to the magnificent Great Rift Valley.

Every minute you’re in a different world, from lush forests and waterlogged swamps, to the rippling sand dunes, sandstone mountains and barren lava flows of the Suguta Valley. This is as remote as you can get. There are no roads, no villages, just a vast expanse of extraordinary, ever-changing landscapes.

Top: Swooping low over the Laikipia Plateau; Above: A caldera on the edge of Lakope; dropping into the Great Rift Valley

The best was yet to come. Lakope is a vast, shallow saline lake, home to over one million flamingoes, and it was here that we flew with these extraordinary birds, zipping above the water as they dipped elegantly above the shallows.

Above: Lakope, home to over one million flamingoes

A little north of here, we dropped in to visit a Manyata – a small, tribal settlement – for a warm welcome from the fascinating Turkana tribe, who allowed us a glimpse into their pastoral way of life in this remote corner of the world.

Above: Members of the Turkana tribe

Following a series of craters and calderas, we finally arrived at the Jade Sea, better known as Lake Turkana, with views stretching hundreds of kilometres, all the way to Ethiopia. Now it was time to relax – to paddle on the lake or throw out a fishing line, keeping an eye out for crocs. With simple, open-air beds, this is a camp for the truly adventurous, keen to reconnect to the raw wilderness with nothing but the dazzling canopy of the Milky Way above.

Above: A caldera on Jade Lake

Next morning, we left camp in the chopper, stopping on a mountainside for a bush breakfast as the sun tinged the landscapes a burnt copper, before swooping back towards Segera. This really was the most extraordinary 24 hours: a life-changing, truly transformative expedition for anyone who wants to experience Africa’s most remote reaches.

Above: Sunrise breakfast overlooking the landscapes