Bobong Camels

02/11/2024

The team are on the way to Narok to start the next big trek.

Bobong Camels we will see you soon!

20/10/2024

The next generation of camels on Ol Maisor. 🐪

16/07/2024

Beautiful scenes captured by the talented Jeffery James on his recent walk in North Kenya with the Bobong Team.

Kenya 2024

07/07/2024

The Bobong team have just returned from a thrilling journey through the untamed wilderness of Northern Kenya, where few travellers dare to tread on foot. They were immersed in breathtaking landscapes, and the vibrant Samburu culture and ended each walk with the enchanting magic of campfire folktales under starlit skies.



📸 Sam Rapoport

25/06/2024

The team successfully walked the camels up into the Ndoto’s and is now preparing for the second part of the adventure back to Laikipia, beginning on Thursday. It promises to be an exciting journey with bush adventures along the Milgis River.

01/01/2024

Adventure may hurt you, but monotony will kill you. Here’s to another year around the sun making adventures. 🥂🐪🍻🐪

Happy New Year!



.caron

31/12/2023

Amanda jots down a “behind the scenes” blog on what it takes to be prepared for a big safari like to Soysambu to Coast safari:

“I’m upside down again with my nose in a box for the last time, and it finally hits home that it’s all over. Almost. The camels are saddled and on the way to a suitable spot for loading. Once they’re all safely home with their handlers, we can really breathe freely and say it’s over.

The long-suffering car is also loaded up and waiting to take as much luggage as possible to go on the lorries with the camels back to the Soysambu starting base. The balance is being gathered together into piles to go home.

Memories of the preparations for the trip come flooding back; the bag of dried fruit that’s left over and the stress when the dehydrator gave up. Fresh produce was not going to be readily available for the three months of the safari, other than when re-supplies could get in. And that brought its own logistics - where, how and when.

These meant working out roughly from the chosen route how far and matching it to dates; co-ordinating dates with willing friends who know the various unknown to us areas, or to come on safari with us just for the jaunt; days spent pouring over maps spread across the table, with the essential magnifying glass, and deciphering names and route notes taken from these reccee drives, writing down distances as we bounced along rough bush tracks, and getting missing sections from Roisin, who knows, as the younger generation, how to work google; contacting names we’d been given by more friends to get further local information on suitable routes and places to stay, or things to see, and alternative routes to ensure we could still get through.
And this, as we discovered, was only very approximate as our distances on the ground turned into half as much again. Some sections also changed on the ground, although the general direction of south-east all the way remained steady. Fences, erosion and different places to see, or avoid, are not on the map.

Read the rest of the blog by clicking the link: https://www.bobongcamels.com/post/behind-the-scenes-preparations-for-a-big-trip).

17/12/2023

Memories are forever!

Lovely snapshots from from the last ten days on the Soysambu to Coast safari.

14/12/2023

After a restful few days on the beach, it was time to get the camels and team loaded up on the trucks to head home.

This afternoon, after a lot of muscle power, sun and sweats - the team were fully loaded and have begun their drive back to . All being well, they will arrive there tomorrow.

The camels do not particularly like travelling by truck and would typically prefer waking home. But due to the distance to return home in this particular case, this was the best option.

10/12/2023

Cameleer feature - TINGEAN

Tingean has floated in and out of our lives for many years, mostly doing camel safaris when we needed extra people, or people who know the area or language of where we’re going. He is a Ndorobo (the remnants of the hunter-gather tribes) who comes from the Ewaso area.
When he is not working with us Tingean has his own cattle and shoats to tend to. In his younger days he did cattle herding on the farm, but now fills in more with camel herding, when not on safari.

This is Bev and Kathy’s first safari with Tingean, and we couldn’t be happier to travel with such a happy and gentle-souled drover as him. He is very perceptive and seems to be instinctively aware of what needs to be done along the way.
Although he doesn’t speak many words of English, communication is never a problem.
But please, let us talk about his music. Tingean has a natural gift of music and a beautiful voice, and his ability to create music while we are walking and while in camp on the chamonge is very soothing and that we will never forget. Asante sana Tingean.

I love his gentle connection with the camels. It’s usually Tingean quietly going amongst the camels at bed time treating their sores with Barabara, and observing their health. When it’s time to offload he’s chatting away to them and thanks them as he removes their head rope for them to go off grazing. There’s never an upset camel in his hands. And as Bev says, he sings quietly as he walks, lulling everyone, and camels do love to be sung to!

10/12/2023

Where it all began…Soysambu Conservancy, 18th September 2023.

Where they have travelled…1116.54km (two walking days left).

Where they are due to finish - Msambweni, tomorrow 11th December 2023.

What an adventure!

Soysambu Conservancy
Loldia Eburru Hell’s-Gate-Nationalpark Kasigau Base Camp, Malewa Trust, Kenya Lumo Conservancy Bev Hooper Kathy Moore
Tania Allan Mike Rainy Charles Stubbs

09/12/2023

Day 82 on safari.
1116.54 KM walked.
Soysambu to Msambweni.
September -December 2023.

All downhill from here!! Two days to go!!

John and Amanda arrived late last night to join the brigade for the last few days. Of course, Matura and Tatty are with us again, too. We couldn’t imagine finishing without those two.

Yesterday, it was a wet afternoon and evening, so packing up was a bit soggy. With the rain comes more humidity afterwards; our clothes and bodies underneath feel moist at all times. Nothing ever really dries out.
Also, Tania and Emma have joined the rest of the Allan family now; they look fresh and clean…we humbly apologised for our appearance.

We followed the road, which was mostly uphill…isn’t the beach at sea level and “all downhill from here” John??? We crossed a small section of tarmac (which made us chuckle -see photo) which was at a junction in a village we passed, where we saw a speckled green snake (Philothamnus punctatus) and a stream for some of us to take a quick dip.

Camp is in a beautiful piece of land, with huge fan palms contributing to its feel of a real coastal jungle. Bev and Kathy’s laundry has been washed and hung, although right now, we are waiting for the third torrential downpour to end since we arrived in camp. This one’s a doozy! Maybe clean clothes wasn’t the smartest decision, but one never knows here on the coast.

There’s one thing that a storm brings - a feeling of closeness as we all join together to keep dry under a tarp.

“The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

08/12/2023

With just three more days until we cross the finish line, the energy in camp and while walking today was palpable. We continued our walk through small villages and farmland, admiring the lush vegetation and beautiful scenery along the way. Cloudy skies mostly prevailed, with sunny skies making an appearance later in the day. Humidity was high again, and with an early morning temperature of 31 degrees and a high of 36, the area appeared to be steaming!

We walked 15 km today, taking a busier route than first planned, leading us through villages that were very excited to see and greet our camel train. Many villagers rushed to greet us, at times making our progress a bit slow as they lined the road and rushed for pictures. Our drovers, of course, ensured we could continue by moving back the crowds when necessary. We were soon on our way to calmer areas.

Skye (aged 12) astutely advised her dad that we had just passed a bar where she was sure we could find a cold beer. Thank you, Skye! Andy quickly glanced at Bev and Kathy, who wasted no time in joining Andy, breaking from the group to “investigate”. Sure enough a bar with a fridge with cold beer inside! If you have been following the blog, you will have seen our musings of how amazing a cold drink of any kind is out here. With temperatures so hot these last few days, it is literally a taste of heaven! Andy quickly ordered three…as we sat there, we suddenly realized that the bar was right beside the police station for the area. Andy then looked up, reading the sign inside and realized that we were sitting in the police canteen - but hey, a cold beer is a cold beer! Funny, the only place in town with cold beer was the police canteen! We quickly finished our drinks and then hurried out to rejoin the group - the best 7-minute beer we’d ever had!!

We arrived and set up camp just in time as a huge thunderstorm rolled in and let loose a deluge of rain. We are awaiting the arrival of John, Amanda, Tania, and Emma tomorrow, who will be with us as we reach the coast.

THREE DAYS TO GO!

08/12/2023

Cameleer feature: MOHAMED

Mohamed is Barabara's youngest brother, known to the team as Moah. As he was a child when his father passed it was Barabara who has supported Mohamed through whatever schooling he did, and then got him a job in the workforce on the farm. This was generally as a goat herder until we took him on his first safari. Since then, he has continued to do safaris or herding camels when there are no safaris. Mohamed is the second youngest member of the team, with Simon, and his first big safari.

We have walked with Mohamad on two Tembea Na Mimi walks as well as this mega safari. Mohamad is such an amazing drover who takes his work seriously and, like his older brother Barabara, does everything with a smile and a laugh which keeps us laughing too. He is very passionate about the camels, and we quite often hear him chatting with them as he loads them each morning. His high energy and uplifting spirit goes a long way in camp, especially on the days when we are hot and tired and need a lift. He is also an excellent Kiswahili teacher who insists on speaking Kiswahili only to us, and when Bev (a lot more than Kathy lol) forgets the word, he is very patient but will ensure we have the perfect pronunciation before class is dismissed. We love his enthusiasm and his amazing singing voice around the fire and, most recently, around the card table!

07/12/2023

We got out of camp in good time this morning despite our large group. The night was very warm with no wind, and the morning started out the same way, being 37 degrees by 8:30 am.

Shortly after starting, we found the Dzomba community mango processing centre and had to make a stop. We sampled the juice and bought some afterwards, as well as some jam and some wine. We’ll sample that (again) tonight!

The trees and flowers are beautiful here. As we get closer to the coast, the vegetation continues to change, creating layers upon layers of different textures and shades of green. There were many farms that grow Annatto (commonly known as Bixa), a beautiful bush with purple flowers and burgundy seed pods. These pods are used to make food colouring.

The people here are friendly, with a coastal feel, greeting us and saying “Karibuni Kenya” (“Welcome to Kenya”). The colours of the women’s kikoy’s are bright and inviting us to say hello.

We walked 15 km today, and camp is in a farm on a hill with a very nice view of the neighbouring farms, some Baobob trees that now have their leaves appearing, and some vultures circling in the distance. Life is grand.

06/12/2023

It's in the Air!

Today we broke camp, heading towards Mzombo Hill in the distance. With temperatures rising quickly, any water source along the way soon became the best place to stop and cool down again. The camels enjoyed a drink as well. Unfortunately, Macho the camel broke a nail which caused us a bit of concern, but he didn’t seem to flinch. Barabara advising he will be giving him dawa (medicine) this evening to ensure he is fine. Kathy, too was struggling with foot issues today, but she too resolved them by the end of the day. Along the way, we noticed an abandoned home and approached it to take a closer look. At the front door, a dead black mamba snake was hung up, many of us not noticing it until we had passed beneath it. Was that to keep us out or other snakes, we wondered?

Our rest stop today was at a large baobob tree which was the perfect place for a photo opportunity!

We passed through a larger village where we were greeted with enthusiasm, and shortly after, a change occurred…Kathy and Bev noticed it first (West Coast Canadian gals) then the drovers started to comment too. The air was changing. Suddenly a slightly cooler, lighter coastal breeze told us we must be getting close to the finish line. As well the vegetation suddenly changed to eucalyptus, mango, cashew, coconut palms, plumeria, and magnolia trees instead of the acacia we had become so accustomed to. Yes, indeed, we are getting close!

After a 19 km day today, we have now been joined by Naomi and Patrick from Athi River and Nanyuki and George, who finally reached us after being delayed by weather while travelling from Germany.

04/12/2023

We set out this morning under partly cloudy skies that would soon end up being our hottest day walking yet. The temperature reached 39 degrees with very high humidity resulting in a very hot and tired group of walkers once we reached camp 20 km later. Many interesting wadudu (insects) kept us entertained, as well as frogs and land crabs along the way. But of course, people continued to come out to see the Muzungu.

We had stayed the night before in an area that was very unaccustomed to seeing muzungus. We have talked about muzungus before and the local response that we receive. The word Muzungu, while it refers to white people now, is really a word derived from a verb meaning “running around in circles”, which is how the busy and somewhat chaotic lives of white people seem to appear to some locals. Hence when we walk, we often hear the ongoing murmur “muzungu muzungu!”.

Read the rest of Bev and Kathys travel diary entry by clicking on the link/Bio.

03/12/2023

Last night, we were rejoined by the Allan family (Andy, Skye and Sten, who joined us earlier in October - Tania and Emma will arrive on Saturday), and Rory has returned with our final restock of supplies for the next nine days and also his wife, Jenny.

This morning, we said goodbye to Amanda and John and to Robin (our 13-year-old “Bush Man”, so named by Barabara). Amanda and John will return at the coast!!

The drovers were in fine spirits this morning as they were dressed in their new kit! Their yellow shirts were bright again, as were their blue kikoys, and they will now arrive at the beach in style!

With the camels fully loaded again, we headed off in good time, meandering through the bushes, through fragrant fields, and frequently stopping at local Maasai’s shambas (farms) to confirm directions.
A few palm trees were seen along the route, maybe a sign that we are getting closer to our finish line.

We are camped now in a shamba on a hill overlooking a green valley. A breeze is blowing which is cooling the 38-degree day to 35…think we are acclimating???

01/12/2023

After a beautiful star filled sky last night we awoke to clear skies and made short work of packing up. This was day 50 for Bev and Kathy with just 10 more days remaining until they reach the coast. We set off again into the forest but this time the vegetation thickened quickly making travel for the walkers and the camels a bit more difficult. We also walked into the dreaded black cotton soil, but this time because it hadn’t rained in a while we were able to stay on top of it rather than sinking - bonus!!

We headed out of the forest towards small trails that soon took us to an area of small bomas, and to Karasha’s delight a new clan of Masai from Tanzania. We had walked out of Masai land into other tribal areas for the last few days so seeing Masai again was a welcome sight for him. He automatically greeted them and began discussing our route and the best direction to walk and all were more than willing to assist and even share a cup of milk with him and other drovers.

At one point Barabara pointed out some camel footprints ahead of us…funny, our camels were behind us?? Sure enough we came upon a herd of camels grazing in the bush. One was the biggest camel we had ever seen and poor Rasta, who was the current title owner, was dwarfed in comparison!
Read the rest of the travel entry - including run ins with the golden orb spider - by clicking the bio/link!

30/11/2023

Wow! Can’t believe that it is the last day of the month! Time flies when you are on a camel safari!

This morning, another scorpion was found for the count, this time under Amanda and John’s tent. Also, as we were pouring our morning wake-me-ups, it was quietly announced that there were elephants at the waterhole. Of course, Bev, Kathy, and Robin headed out quietly and slowly with Barabara to witness a very large bull, a mama and a baby. The male was on the water’s edge and didn’t seem to notice us right away. He continued to drink, and splash trunkfuls of water on himself, to prepare himself for what was sure to be another hot and muggy day. Before much longer, they all slowly sauntered into the thick bushes, and then they were gone. How can these majestic giants just disappear?

We weaved our way through these thick bushes for 16.6 Km today, slowly at first, in case we ran into some more ellies. But alas, we didn’t. We did, however, see a troop of baboons, a few kudu, two dick dicks, and two snails mating.

Weaving our way through these forests is challenging, for us and the camels. Barabara is in the lead. He follows the tracks of different animals, both old and new, and we follow him. It seems to work, as we have now ended up at camp in good time. It’s not as stifling hot as yesterday, there’s a nice breeze this afternoon. A cheese and tomato sandwich awaits and some soup, which really does hit the spot after a day walking!

29/11/2023

After a spectacular lightning show and no rain last night, we were up at our usual 5:00 AM packing up and getting ready to walk at 7:00 AM. Just before we set out, elephants started rumbling and trumpeting. Amanda assumed it was because of us and the fact that they weren’t too happy we were in their area.

We were soon walking in a very thick forest and low-lying grass and bush which made travel a bit slower. We walked in single file with eyes wide open looking for anything that could be lurking in the undergrowth. There were a lot of elephant and giraffe tracks around, but with the bush, it was difficult to see them unless we were very close. A lone giraffe suddenly appeared before us and started immediately running, and within seconds he was out of sight behind the trees. We also saw zebra, kudu, and eland all sporting their Tsavo red soil coats. Even our camels now are red (as well as our tents and anything else that touches the rich red soil). Somehow, Matura and Tatty have managed to keep their original colour, though. We are all wondering what their secret is.

Read the rest of today’s travel diary (by clicking the link https://www.bobongcamels.com/post/into-the-bush-november-29/comment line below) and why the team had to keep moving and moving fast when they thought they had found a suitable camping spot!

29/11/2023

November 28
Last night in camp, after we’d eaten supper and been chased into our tents by the rain, hyenas came into camp for a visit. The drovers were still up and chased them out with their torches (flashlights). Evidence of their tracks were seen in the sandy soil as we left this morning, to continue on our way to Kilibasi.

We ambled along a windy road, following it as it wove in and out and up and down, through meadows full of dainty white flowers, alongside mountains that looked like the perfect place for lions to call home, and as the sun finally broke through the clouds, it became very very hot. The thermometer peeked at 38 degrees by noon.

We saw lots of animal tracks along the way, and we are now somewhat able to distinguish between them all, and understand the stories that are told by them. Two giraffe fighting, three lions walking by, a dick dick scratching in the sand to mark its territory.

Our camp tonight is set up to protect the camels again, with them in the middle and all our tents surrounding them, as Barabara has seen plenty of lion paw prints. He has also heard elephants so maybe we will have some visitors tonight as well.

We walked 17.5kms today.

27/11/2023

Today we awoke to sunny skies after rains persisted through the night. Temperatures today rose to 37 degrees.

John, Amanda, and Robin were joined by Simon, Barabara, and Tingean to climb Mount Kasigau the day before. A climb that sounded well worth the trip. Needless to say however their legs were a bit tired today as we set off for a shorter walking day. We travelled to the other side of the mountain through very dense bush, the drovers using their pangas (machetes) to cut back the bush for the camels to pass.

One of the camels was very agitated the last couple of days due to what the drovers think was a scorpion sting on his “privates” - I’d be agitated too! Barabara gave us a good report today however that all the camels are all well and happy with round tummies after several days of grazing.

We said goodbye to Marefu this morning who had joined us approximately 2 weeks ago to help guide us from Saleita Hill to Kasigau. We were all sad to see him go as was he, however he wasn’t familiar with the area we were setting out to and was also missing his family.

John, Amanda, and Robin were joined by Simon, Barabara, and Tingean to climb Mount Kasigau the day before. A climb that sounded well worth the trip. Needless to say however their legs were a bit tired today as we set off for a shorter walking day. We travelled to the other side of the mountain through very dense bush, the drovers using their pangas (machetes) to cut back the bush for the camels to pass.

One of the camels was very agitated the last couple of days due to what the drovers think was a scorpion sting on his “privates” - I’d be agitated too! Barabara gave us a good report today however that all the camels are all well and happy with round tummies after several days of grazing.

We said goodbye to Marefu this morning who had joined us approximately 2 weeks ago to help guide us from Saleita Hill to Kasigau. We were all sad to see him go as was he, however he wasn’t familiar with the area we were setting out to and was also missing his family.

Read the rest of today's blog by clicking the link…https://www.bobongcamels.com/post/a-shorter-walk-through-a-beautiful-area-november-27