Africa & Madagascar
REMOTE KENYA: Tribes of Lake Turkana, the Chalbi Desert, the Ndoto Mountains and Samburu
Rendile warriors in the remote Ndoto Mountains of Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a painted Samburu Moran (image by Inger Vandyke)
Hammerkops securing the next generation (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile Morans getting dressed for a wedding (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra girl surrounded by fire wood (image by Inger Vandyke)
A young Gabra bride stands in the doorway of her newly built Mandasse. She is wearing an Agogo, or cream coloured cloth, that new Gabra brides wear for the first four months they are married (image by Inger Vandyke)
Cracked mud of the Chalbi (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Dassanech elder painted for the Micha ceremony (image by Inger Vandyke)
The stunning jewellery of a young Turkana woman (image by Inger Vandyke)
A beautiful Turkana woman wearing her full Agoroma necklace. These multi-stranded necklaces can weigh up to 7kg! (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile people herding livestock through the dramatic Ndoto Mountains (image by Inger Vandyke)
Gabra children playing in a wheelbarrow (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra woman building a traditional Mandasse home (image by Inger Vandyke)
Elderly Turkana lady with her copper labret. Younger Turkana women have now abandoned this tradition of lip piercing and it is only seeing in elders (image by Inger Vandyke)
Early morning with Rendile Morans (warriors) in the Ndoto Mountains of Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Turkana elder sits outside his hut and observes the world (image by Inger Vandyke)
The charisma of Rendile elders (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Samburu Moran wearing a traditional helmet called a Yema (image by Inger Vandyke)
The petrified forest of Sibiloi in northern Kenya is one of only two major forests of its kind on the African continent (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of an elderly Turkana woman (image by Inger Vandyke)
A beautiful young Dassanech woman painted to celebrate Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a Gabra elder. He wears the bracelets made from goatskin that are given to esteemed visitors of Gabra families (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of an elderly Borana woman outside her home near Marsabit in Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
The camel milking is done! (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana women returning to their homestead with firewood (image by Inger Vandyke)
Statuesque and hauntingly beautiful Rendile girl (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Dassanech girl watches over her livestock (image by Inger Vandyke)
A tall Dassanech man painted to attend the Micha ceremony (image by Inger Vandyke)
A stunning Gabra girl with her shawl flying in the breeze (image by Inger Vandyke)
Watching African Fish Eagles fish for catch right in front of you on Lake Baringo is a great photographic highlight of our time with the Njemps people! (image by Inger Vandyke)
An Njemps fisherman showing off his catch of dogfish (image by Inger Vandyke)
An El Molo fisherman mends his nets in the shade of a hut (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile woman at Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Labouring in some of the world's harshest conditions, a Gabra salt miner cracks the salt of a pan in the Chalbi before gathering it up in a bag (image by Inger Vandyke)
Silhouette of a Rendile warrior in the Ndoto Mountains of Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Dassanech elder with traditional blood-letting scarification (image by Inger Vandyke)
Borana children sitting outside their clay sculpted 'town' home near Marsabit (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Turkana woman with firewood (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana woman wearing her beautiful leaf earrings, or Arpara, that signify she is married (image by Inger Vandyke)
Njemps men make fishing canoes (Kaldich) from ambach (balsa) wood and tied together using wild sisal (Rapai) (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Pokot grandmother with her children (image by Inger Vandyke)
A statuesque, beautiful Samburu woman (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Turkana village at the edge of Lake Turkana's moon-like landscapes (image by Inger Vandyke)
Detail of Njemps jewellery on an island in Lake Baringo (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young Dassanech girls dressed for Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young Rendile girl holding Desert Rose flowers (image by Inger Vandyke)
An elderly Gabra 'Dabartu', or the man who is tasked to clean a singing well ahead of the herders arriving to water their livestock (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young Gabra women collecting firewood at the edge of the Chalbi Desert (image by Inger Vandyke)
Curious detail of Turkana jewellery featuring the key of a meat tin? (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Rendile woman breaks into a laugh near her village in the Ndoto Mountains of Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
Pokot woman dancing at sunset (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young Dassanech men dancing at a Micha ceremony (image by Inger Vandyke)
Side view of a decorated Rendile Moran (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana girls playing with the hair of their friend (image by Inger Vandyke)
Gabra smile (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra woman hides her face from a sudden dust storm in the remote Chalbi Desert of northern Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
Beautiful Gabra woman wearing her traditional silver crown called a Malmal (image by Inger Vandyke)
Beautiful Gabra smiles are the true warmth of the Chalbi (image by Inger Vandyke)
The pretty handmade, beaded anklets worn by young Samburu men (image by Inger Vandyke)
A statuesque young Dassanech man in monochrome (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra woman in the doorway of her old mandasse (image by Inger Vandyke)
An El Molo fisherman prepares his nets and boat to head out on Lake Turkana to fish for the evening (image by Inger Vandyke)
Pretty in yellow, Turkana women wear traditional silver 'leaf' earrings when they marry (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra woman carrying camel milk in a waxed bowl (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a beautiful young Turkana woman (image by Inger Vandyke)
Beautiful Rendile girls (image by Inger Vandyke)
The breathtaking decoration of Rendile girls in Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Aerial view of a Dassanech manyatta in remote northern Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana woman in black and white (image by Inger Vandyke)
A typical gathering of Gabra women at sunset in the Chalbi (image by Inger Vandyke)
The young bride attending her Micha ceremony of Dassanech people (image by Inger Vandyke)
Borana dresses are so colourful (image by Inger Vandyke)
Dassanech girls are known for their body scarification, tightly braided hear and their beaded Mures (necklaces) (image by Inger Vandyke)
Pretty Rendile anklets (image by Inger Vandyke)
An elderly Rendile woman sitting in the doorway of a prominent council house in the Ndoto Mountains (image by Inger Vandyke)
A smiling Dassanech elder, the father of the future groom, at a ceremony of Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
The bed of an ephemeral creek in the Chalbi Desert (image by Inger Vandyke)
A group of Njemps women outside their home on Kokwa Island in Lake Baringo (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra woman emerges from her home near North Horr (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Turkana elder holding his seat and a boat oar on the shore of Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana girls preparing for sunrise at blue hour (image by Inger Vandyke)
A drone view of a remote Dassanech village. Their huts adorn the landscape like jewels (image by Inger Vandyke)
Tracks in the Chalbi Desert (image by Inger Vandyke)
An elderly Rendile lady in her home in the Ndoto Mountains (image by Inger Vandyke)
The shawl of a beautiful Gabra woman reveals her baby when it floats in a desert breeze (image by Inger Vandyke)
Side view of a Rendile girl with her beautiful silver and beadedjewellery (image by Inger Vandyke)
Traditionally decorated El Molo woman (image by Inger Vandyke)
Samburu Morans are known to be some of the highest jumpers on earth. Their ability to jump is one of the things that is attractive to potential Samburu brides (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana women dancing in the rock desert (image by Inger Vandyke)
An elderly Borana woman (image by Inger Vandyke)
A young Samburu Moran in the doorway of his home (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile Moran preparing to go to a wedding (image by Inger Vandyke)
A group of Dassanech children at a remote community close to the border of Kenya and Ethiopia (image by Inger Vandyke)
A young Rendile girl holding Desert Rose flowers (image by Inger Vandyke)
A beautiful Dassanech woman dressed to celebrate Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
An elderly Rendile lady wearing her traditional Doko helmet in the Ndoto Mountains (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra girl in the Chalbi (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a Turkana woman and her baby in Loiyangalani (image by Inger Vandyke)
An Egyptian Vulture takes flight from its carcass in the Chalbi Desert (image by Inger Vandyke)
A beautiful smiling Gabra girl alongside a desert cecropia (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Diyes woman carring a crocodile skull in remote northern Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Aerial view of the Ndoto Mountains in Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
A statuesque Turkana woman standing in her village (image by Inger Vandyke)
A stately, elderly Pokot woman (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Turkana woman building a traditional El Molo house. Her husband is from El Molo culture (image by Inger Vandyke)
Natural perfection in the women of Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Unique to the deserts of northern Kenya, Heugelin's Bustards are an avian highlight of our tour (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Diyes woman holding the lower jaw of a Nile Crocodile. On average if you multiply the size of a crocodile jaw x 7 you will get the total length of the animal. We estimated this crocodile would have been around 18ft long, or around 4 times her size! (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Dassanech elder leading the dancers at Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
A young Gabra man takes traditional gourds out to milk camels (image by Inger Vandyke)
Painting the body of a Samburu Moran (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana girls at home (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra woman walking home (image by Inger Vandyke)
A young El Molo man returns from his community on an island in Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra father teaches his son how to handle camels (image by Inger Vandyke)
In El Molo culture women construct huts from the carefully woven fronds of local Doum Palms (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Pokot woman dressed in an elaborate Karen disc necklace to attend a ceremony (image by Inger Vandyke)
Sunset in the acacia trees on safari in Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
A smiling El Molo woman wearing her trademark grass skirts at sunset on Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile men jumping (image by Inger Vandyke)
El Molo women are instantly recognised by their wide beaded head bands and grass skirts (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana elders on their balsa boat at the shoreline of Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile Morans in the Ndoto Mountains (image by Inger Vandyke)
Kenya's Dassanech people are more intricately adorned than those over the border in Ethiopia (image by Inger Vandyke)
If only we could hear the stories of those wrinkles. Elderly Turkana women survive in what must be one of the harshest regions of Africa (image by Inger Vandyke)
Samburu Moran face painting (image by Inger Vandyke)
African Fish Eagle in flight with prey on Lake Baringo (image by Inger Vandyke)
A beautiful Rendile girl against a Maasai shuka (image by Inger Vandyke)
A beautiful Gabra woman in the door of her nomad tent (image by Inger Vandyke)
Gabra women are known for both their beauty and their ability to construct large dome shaped homes using sapling timber and brightly coloured fabrics (image by Inger Vandyke)
An El Molo lady in the door of her home (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra woman at sunrise in the Chalbi Desert (image by Inger Vandyke)
A typical road through the stunning Ndoto Mountains of Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
The father of the groom and mother of the bride celebrating Micha in Dassanech culture (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of an elderly El Molo woman at Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Samburu girls wear many stranded "Sael" necklaces and jewellery that covers their faces before they get married (image by Inger Vandyke)
Hammerkops are a quirky joy of the waterbird photography on Lake Baringo (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young El Molo child escaping the heat with a swim in the cool waters of Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a Pokot girl near Lake Baringo in Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
Samburu Morans at sunrise near Mount Ololokwe, part of the Matthews Range in Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young Dassanech men and women dance to celebrate Micha, or the first time the families of a bride and groom will meet (image by Inger Vandyke)
The landscapes of Samburu. Here the Ewaso Ng'iro river flows through the reserve (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a Rendile woman and her baby near Ngurunit (image by Inger Vandyke)
Lake Turkana fish are spread out to dry on the hot earth near a village of El Molo people (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Diyes woman transporting a fish and a giant Nile Perch back to her home (image by Inger Vandyke)
Gabra women building a traditional Mandasse, or Gabra home. It only takes them one day to complete from start to finish! (image by Inger Vandyke)
Stunningly decorated Rendile girls at Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Decorated Turkana women (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of an elderly Pokot woman in her family boma (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile men dancing (image by Inger Vandyke)
Laughing young Rendile Morans (image by Inger Vandyke)
Pokot men dancing (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile Morans celebrating at a wedding (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra woman breastfeeding with her daughter beside her (image by Inger Vandyke)
Beautiful Rendile smiles (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Dassanech woman carrying a decorative gourd to the ceremony of Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
Samburu sunrise (image by Inger Vandyke)
A painted Dassanech woman, dressed for Micha, in the doorway of her home (image by Inger Vandyke)
Pokot women wear stunning disc necklaces called "Karen" and large brass earrings called "Tawuyi" after they marry (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra elder with his herd of camels at North Horr oasis (image by Inger Vandyke)
Gabra people also keep other baby animals like goats and sheep in special enclosures overnight (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile girl wearing modern dress (image by Inger Vandyke)
The beautiful El Molo people of Lake Turkana at sunset (image by Inger Vandyke)
Gabra people keep their camel babies in special pens for safety overnight (image by Inger Vandyke)
A decorated Pokot elder on his way to a ceremony in remote Western Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
A pair of young Dassanech girls fetch water for their village in northern Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
A mesmerisingly beautiful Borana girl (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of Epusie, a prominent elder of the Turkana community in Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
A skull near the entry to the museum of Kobi Foora. The scientists working with Richard Leakey have a whacky sense of humour! (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Turkana woman collects water from the lake during a breathtaking African sunset (image by Inger Vandyke)
Beautiful Dassanech girl in remote Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
Mid-flight Samburu! (image by Inger Vandyke)
The future groom dancing at Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
An elderly Gabra man in the doorway of a Mandasse (image by Inger Vandyke)
Borana women style their hair in a traditional look using butter made from animal fats (image by Inger Vandyke)
Camel skull in the Chalbi (image by Inger Vandyke)
The southward jutting peninsula location of Kobi Foora on northern Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young Turkana girl (image by Inger Vandyke)
On expedition through the rock desert of northern Lake Turkana. How the Turkana people survive out there is a miracle! (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra girl with her goat in the Chalbi (image by Inger Vandyke)
A beautiful Rendile woman with her intricate and detailed jewellery (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile Morans decoration for a wedding (image by Inger Vandyke)
A young Turkana girl waits for her turn to dance (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra camel herder with his animals (image by Inger Vandyke)
A smiling young Rendile Moran (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young Dassanech girls on migration (image by Inger Vandyke)
Even the cloudiest of dawns can produce the most dramatic images in Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Ancient giraffe petroglyphs near Lake Turkana. The Turkana hold giraffes sacred, believing their lofty heads tickle the clouds to make them rain (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of an elderly Rendile woman in the Ndoto Mountains (image by Inger Vandyke)
Milking camels in a Gabra community (image by Inger Vandyke)
A group of Samburu Morans (warriors) chat in front of the mountains of Ndororumoto or 'Cat and Mouse' mountains, Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
Samburu men greet each other with a colourfully decorated handshake (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra father returns home with his son carrying fresh camel milk (image by Inger Vandyke)
Pokot grandmother in monochrome (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Dassanech elder with his clay hair bun, fixed to oversee the ceremony of Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a young Gabra boy with one of his camels (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile man singing and clapping for a wedding (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a smiling Samburu Moran (image by Inger Vandyke)
Phones are always so fascinating when you don't see them often (image by Inger Vandyke)
Gabra council elder wearing a traditional Itu which symbolises his status as a respected court holder of his community (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Diyes woman carrying a gigantic Nile Perch, estimated to weigh around 50KG! (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young Turkana girls prepare for a dance (image by Inger Vandyke)
A young Diyes child holding a fresh Tilapia (image by Inger Vandyke)
Aerial view of a remote Gabra homestead in the Chalbi Desert of Northern Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
Beautiful Rendile girls watch on as we photograph morans at sunrise in the Ndoto Mountains (image by Inger Vandyke)
Samburu young men at Ololokwe (image by Inger Vandyke)
A decorated Dassanech woman carrying a ceremonial gourd to the celebration of Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
An Njemps man wearing his beaded bangles (image by Inger Vandyke)
A pair of Gabra cameleers milk a mother camel at sunrise (image by Inger Vandyke)
A young Samburu woman wearing her multi-coloured Sael necklaces (image by Inger Vandyke)
There are few things in life more memorable than sunsets in Africa and those in the Chalbi Desert are no exception (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile Morans gather to celebrate the wedding of a friend (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a Dassanech girl (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Diyes woman carrying the gigantic skull of a Nile Crocodile on her head (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a Samburu moran (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young Rendile women who are not married are also called Morans. Instead of being adorned with heavy jewellery like their married sisters they wear a simpler necklace of red bead strands (image by Inger Vandyke)
An elderly Pokot woman holding her cowrie shell headdress (image by Inger Vandyke)
Elderly El Molo woman (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a striking young Gabra girl in the Chalbi Desert (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of an elderly Turkana woman near Loiyangalani (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of an Njemps (Ilchamus) woman on Kokwa Island in Lake Baringo (image by Inger Vandyke)
A married Rendile woman in red (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana Elder (image by Inger Vandyke)
Shy Rendile smile (image by Inger Vandyke)
Gabra women are in charge of smaller livestock animals like goats and sheep (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Turkana woman with her donkeys (image by Inger Vandyke)
The Diyes clan of Dassanech people are known for their hunting and fishing. Here, salted fish dry in the sun near the shores of remote Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Pokot woman at home (image by Inger Vandyke)
Elderly Pokot women observe us as guests quietly (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana elder in monochrome (image by Inger Vandyke)
Gabra men and young boy after taking their camels out to graze in the Chalbi (image by Inger Vandyke)
An Njemps fisherman holds up his catch from his overnight fishing trip on Lake Baringo (image by Inger Vandyke)
Samburu morans with their spears and Mount Ololokwe in the background (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana women move to the rhythm of drums, dancing vibrantly and athletically as part of their centuries old traditions (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile warriors in the remote Ndoto Mountains of Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a painted Samburu Moran (image by Inger Vandyke)
Hammerkops securing the next generation (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile Morans getting dressed for a wedding (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra girl surrounded by fire wood (image by Inger Vandyke)
A young Gabra bride stands in the doorway of her newly built Mandasse. She is wearing an Agogo, or cream coloured cloth, that new Gabra brides wear for the first four months they are married (image by Inger Vandyke)
Cracked mud of the Chalbi (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Dassanech elder painted for the Micha ceremony (image by Inger Vandyke)
The stunning jewellery of a young Turkana woman (image by Inger Vandyke)
A beautiful Turkana woman wearing her full Agoroma necklace. These multi-stranded necklaces can weigh up to 7kg! (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile people herding livestock through the dramatic Ndoto Mountains (image by Inger Vandyke)
Gabra children playing in a wheelbarrow (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra woman building a traditional Mandasse home (image by Inger Vandyke)
Elderly Turkana lady with her copper labret. Younger Turkana women have now abandoned this tradition of lip piercing and it is only seeing in elders (image by Inger Vandyke)
Early morning with Rendile Morans (warriors) in the Ndoto Mountains of Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Turkana elder sits outside his hut and observes the world (image by Inger Vandyke)
The charisma of Rendile elders (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Samburu Moran wearing a traditional helmet called a Yema (image by Inger Vandyke)
The petrified forest of Sibiloi in northern Kenya is one of only two major forests of its kind on the African continent (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of an elderly Turkana woman (image by Inger Vandyke)
A beautiful young Dassanech woman painted to celebrate Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a Gabra elder. He wears the bracelets made from goatskin that are given to esteemed visitors of Gabra families (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of an elderly Borana woman outside her home near Marsabit in Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
The camel milking is done! (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana women returning to their homestead with firewood (image by Inger Vandyke)
Statuesque and hauntingly beautiful Rendile girl (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Dassanech girl watches over her livestock (image by Inger Vandyke)
A tall Dassanech man painted to attend the Micha ceremony (image by Inger Vandyke)
A stunning Gabra girl with her shawl flying in the breeze (image by Inger Vandyke)
Watching African Fish Eagles fish for catch right in front of you on Lake Baringo is a great photographic highlight of our time with the Njemps people! (image by Inger Vandyke)
An Njemps fisherman showing off his catch of dogfish (image by Inger Vandyke)
An El Molo fisherman mends his nets in the shade of a hut (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile woman at Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Labouring in some of the world's harshest conditions, a Gabra salt miner cracks the salt of a pan in the Chalbi before gathering it up in a bag (image by Inger Vandyke)
Silhouette of a Rendile warrior in the Ndoto Mountains of Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Dassanech elder with traditional blood-letting scarification (image by Inger Vandyke)
Borana children sitting outside their clay sculpted 'town' home near Marsabit (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Turkana woman with firewood (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana woman wearing her beautiful leaf earrings, or Arpara, that signify she is married (image by Inger Vandyke)
Njemps men make fishing canoes (Kaldich) from ambach (balsa) wood and tied together using wild sisal (Rapai) (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Pokot grandmother with her children (image by Inger Vandyke)
A statuesque, beautiful Samburu woman (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Turkana village at the edge of Lake Turkana's moon-like landscapes (image by Inger Vandyke)
Detail of Njemps jewellery on an island in Lake Baringo (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young Dassanech girls dressed for Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young Rendile girl holding Desert Rose flowers (image by Inger Vandyke)
An elderly Gabra 'Dabartu', or the man who is tasked to clean a singing well ahead of the herders arriving to water their livestock (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young Gabra women collecting firewood at the edge of the Chalbi Desert (image by Inger Vandyke)
Curious detail of Turkana jewellery featuring the key of a meat tin? (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Rendile woman breaks into a laugh near her village in the Ndoto Mountains of Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
Pokot woman dancing at sunset (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young Dassanech men dancing at a Micha ceremony (image by Inger Vandyke)
Side view of a decorated Rendile Moran (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana girls playing with the hair of their friend (image by Inger Vandyke)
Gabra smile (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra woman hides her face from a sudden dust storm in the remote Chalbi Desert of northern Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
Beautiful Gabra woman wearing her traditional silver crown called a Malmal (image by Inger Vandyke)
Beautiful Gabra smiles are the true warmth of the Chalbi (image by Inger Vandyke)
The pretty handmade, beaded anklets worn by young Samburu men (image by Inger Vandyke)
A statuesque young Dassanech man in monochrome (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra woman in the doorway of her old mandasse (image by Inger Vandyke)
An El Molo fisherman prepares his nets and boat to head out on Lake Turkana to fish for the evening (image by Inger Vandyke)
Pretty in yellow, Turkana women wear traditional silver 'leaf' earrings when they marry (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra woman carrying camel milk in a waxed bowl (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a beautiful young Turkana woman (image by Inger Vandyke)
Beautiful Rendile girls (image by Inger Vandyke)
The breathtaking decoration of Rendile girls in Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Aerial view of a Dassanech manyatta in remote northern Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana woman in black and white (image by Inger Vandyke)
A typical gathering of Gabra women at sunset in the Chalbi (image by Inger Vandyke)
The young bride attending her Micha ceremony of Dassanech people (image by Inger Vandyke)
Borana dresses are so colourful (image by Inger Vandyke)
Dassanech girls are known for their body scarification, tightly braided hear and their beaded Mures (necklaces) (image by Inger Vandyke)
Pretty Rendile anklets (image by Inger Vandyke)
An elderly Rendile woman sitting in the doorway of a prominent council house in the Ndoto Mountains (image by Inger Vandyke)
A smiling Dassanech elder, the father of the future groom, at a ceremony of Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
The bed of an ephemeral creek in the Chalbi Desert (image by Inger Vandyke)
A group of Njemps women outside their home on Kokwa Island in Lake Baringo (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra woman emerges from her home near North Horr (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Turkana elder holding his seat and a boat oar on the shore of Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana girls preparing for sunrise at blue hour (image by Inger Vandyke)
A drone view of a remote Dassanech village. Their huts adorn the landscape like jewels (image by Inger Vandyke)
Tracks in the Chalbi Desert (image by Inger Vandyke)
An elderly Rendile lady in her home in the Ndoto Mountains (image by Inger Vandyke)
The shawl of a beautiful Gabra woman reveals her baby when it floats in a desert breeze (image by Inger Vandyke)
Side view of a Rendile girl with her beautiful silver and beadedjewellery (image by Inger Vandyke)
Traditionally decorated El Molo woman (image by Inger Vandyke)
Samburu Morans are known to be some of the highest jumpers on earth. Their ability to jump is one of the things that is attractive to potential Samburu brides (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana women dancing in the rock desert (image by Inger Vandyke)
An elderly Borana woman (image by Inger Vandyke)
A young Samburu Moran in the doorway of his home (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile Moran preparing to go to a wedding (image by Inger Vandyke)
A group of Dassanech children at a remote community close to the border of Kenya and Ethiopia (image by Inger Vandyke)
A young Rendile girl holding Desert Rose flowers (image by Inger Vandyke)
A beautiful Dassanech woman dressed to celebrate Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
An elderly Rendile lady wearing her traditional Doko helmet in the Ndoto Mountains (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra girl in the Chalbi (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a Turkana woman and her baby in Loiyangalani (image by Inger Vandyke)
An Egyptian Vulture takes flight from its carcass in the Chalbi Desert (image by Inger Vandyke)
A beautiful smiling Gabra girl alongside a desert cecropia (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Diyes woman carring a crocodile skull in remote northern Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Aerial view of the Ndoto Mountains in Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
A statuesque Turkana woman standing in her village (image by Inger Vandyke)
A stately, elderly Pokot woman (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Turkana woman building a traditional El Molo house. Her husband is from El Molo culture (image by Inger Vandyke)
Natural perfection in the women of Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Unique to the deserts of northern Kenya, Heugelin's Bustards are an avian highlight of our tour (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Diyes woman holding the lower jaw of a Nile Crocodile. On average if you multiply the size of a crocodile jaw x 7 you will get the total length of the animal. We estimated this crocodile would have been around 18ft long, or around 4 times her size! (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Dassanech elder leading the dancers at Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
A young Gabra man takes traditional gourds out to milk camels (image by Inger Vandyke)
Painting the body of a Samburu Moran (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana girls at home (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra woman walking home (image by Inger Vandyke)
A young El Molo man returns from his community on an island in Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra father teaches his son how to handle camels (image by Inger Vandyke)
In El Molo culture women construct huts from the carefully woven fronds of local Doum Palms (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Pokot woman dressed in an elaborate Karen disc necklace to attend a ceremony (image by Inger Vandyke)
Sunset in the acacia trees on safari in Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
A smiling El Molo woman wearing her trademark grass skirts at sunset on Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile men jumping (image by Inger Vandyke)
El Molo women are instantly recognised by their wide beaded head bands and grass skirts (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana elders on their balsa boat at the shoreline of Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile Morans in the Ndoto Mountains (image by Inger Vandyke)
Kenya's Dassanech people are more intricately adorned than those over the border in Ethiopia (image by Inger Vandyke)
If only we could hear the stories of those wrinkles. Elderly Turkana women survive in what must be one of the harshest regions of Africa (image by Inger Vandyke)
Samburu Moran face painting (image by Inger Vandyke)
African Fish Eagle in flight with prey on Lake Baringo (image by Inger Vandyke)
A beautiful Rendile girl against a Maasai shuka (image by Inger Vandyke)
A beautiful Gabra woman in the door of her nomad tent (image by Inger Vandyke)
Gabra women are known for both their beauty and their ability to construct large dome shaped homes using sapling timber and brightly coloured fabrics (image by Inger Vandyke)
An El Molo lady in the door of her home (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra woman at sunrise in the Chalbi Desert (image by Inger Vandyke)
A typical road through the stunning Ndoto Mountains of Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
The father of the groom and mother of the bride celebrating Micha in Dassanech culture (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of an elderly El Molo woman at Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Samburu girls wear many stranded "Sael" necklaces and jewellery that covers their faces before they get married (image by Inger Vandyke)
Hammerkops are a quirky joy of the waterbird photography on Lake Baringo (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young El Molo child escaping the heat with a swim in the cool waters of Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a Pokot girl near Lake Baringo in Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
Samburu Morans at sunrise near Mount Ololokwe, part of the Matthews Range in Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young Dassanech men and women dance to celebrate Micha, or the first time the families of a bride and groom will meet (image by Inger Vandyke)
The landscapes of Samburu. Here the Ewaso Ng'iro river flows through the reserve (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a Rendile woman and her baby near Ngurunit (image by Inger Vandyke)
Lake Turkana fish are spread out to dry on the hot earth near a village of El Molo people (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Diyes woman transporting a fish and a giant Nile Perch back to her home (image by Inger Vandyke)
Gabra women building a traditional Mandasse, or Gabra home. It only takes them one day to complete from start to finish! (image by Inger Vandyke)
Stunningly decorated Rendile girls at Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Decorated Turkana women (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of an elderly Pokot woman in her family boma (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile men dancing (image by Inger Vandyke)
Laughing young Rendile Morans (image by Inger Vandyke)
Pokot men dancing (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile Morans celebrating at a wedding (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra woman breastfeeding with her daughter beside her (image by Inger Vandyke)
Beautiful Rendile smiles (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Dassanech woman carrying a decorative gourd to the ceremony of Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
Samburu sunrise (image by Inger Vandyke)
A painted Dassanech woman, dressed for Micha, in the doorway of her home (image by Inger Vandyke)
Pokot women wear stunning disc necklaces called "Karen" and large brass earrings called "Tawuyi" after they marry (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra elder with his herd of camels at North Horr oasis (image by Inger Vandyke)
Gabra people also keep other baby animals like goats and sheep in special enclosures overnight (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile girl wearing modern dress (image by Inger Vandyke)
The beautiful El Molo people of Lake Turkana at sunset (image by Inger Vandyke)
Gabra people keep their camel babies in special pens for safety overnight (image by Inger Vandyke)
A decorated Pokot elder on his way to a ceremony in remote Western Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
A pair of young Dassanech girls fetch water for their village in northern Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
A mesmerisingly beautiful Borana girl (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of Epusie, a prominent elder of the Turkana community in Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
A skull near the entry to the museum of Kobi Foora. The scientists working with Richard Leakey have a whacky sense of humour! (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Turkana woman collects water from the lake during a breathtaking African sunset (image by Inger Vandyke)
Beautiful Dassanech girl in remote Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
Mid-flight Samburu! (image by Inger Vandyke)
The future groom dancing at Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
An elderly Gabra man in the doorway of a Mandasse (image by Inger Vandyke)
Borana women style their hair in a traditional look using butter made from animal fats (image by Inger Vandyke)
Camel skull in the Chalbi (image by Inger Vandyke)
The southward jutting peninsula location of Kobi Foora on northern Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young Turkana girl (image by Inger Vandyke)
On expedition through the rock desert of northern Lake Turkana. How the Turkana people survive out there is a miracle! (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra girl with her goat in the Chalbi (image by Inger Vandyke)
A beautiful Rendile woman with her intricate and detailed jewellery (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile Morans decoration for a wedding (image by Inger Vandyke)
A young Turkana girl waits for her turn to dance (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra camel herder with his animals (image by Inger Vandyke)
A smiling young Rendile Moran (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young Dassanech girls on migration (image by Inger Vandyke)
Even the cloudiest of dawns can produce the most dramatic images in Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
Ancient giraffe petroglyphs near Lake Turkana. The Turkana hold giraffes sacred, believing their lofty heads tickle the clouds to make them rain (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of an elderly Rendile woman in the Ndoto Mountains (image by Inger Vandyke)
Milking camels in a Gabra community (image by Inger Vandyke)
A group of Samburu Morans (warriors) chat in front of the mountains of Ndororumoto or 'Cat and Mouse' mountains, Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
Samburu men greet each other with a colourfully decorated handshake (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Gabra father returns home with his son carrying fresh camel milk (image by Inger Vandyke)
Pokot grandmother in monochrome (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Dassanech elder with his clay hair bun, fixed to oversee the ceremony of Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a young Gabra boy with one of his camels (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile man singing and clapping for a wedding (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a smiling Samburu Moran (image by Inger Vandyke)
Phones are always so fascinating when you don't see them often (image by Inger Vandyke)
Gabra council elder wearing a traditional Itu which symbolises his status as a respected court holder of his community (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Diyes woman carrying a gigantic Nile Perch, estimated to weigh around 50KG! (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young Turkana girls prepare for a dance (image by Inger Vandyke)
A young Diyes child holding a fresh Tilapia (image by Inger Vandyke)
Aerial view of a remote Gabra homestead in the Chalbi Desert of Northern Kenya (image by Inger Vandyke)
Beautiful Rendile girls watch on as we photograph morans at sunrise in the Ndoto Mountains (image by Inger Vandyke)
Samburu young men at Ololokwe (image by Inger Vandyke)
A decorated Dassanech woman carrying a ceremonial gourd to the celebration of Micha (image by Inger Vandyke)
An Njemps man wearing his beaded bangles (image by Inger Vandyke)
A pair of Gabra cameleers milk a mother camel at sunrise (image by Inger Vandyke)
A young Samburu woman wearing her multi-coloured Sael necklaces (image by Inger Vandyke)
There are few things in life more memorable than sunsets in Africa and those in the Chalbi Desert are no exception (image by Inger Vandyke)
Rendile Morans gather to celebrate the wedding of a friend (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a Dassanech girl (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Diyes woman carrying the gigantic skull of a Nile Crocodile on her head (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a Samburu moran (image by Inger Vandyke)
Young Rendile women who are not married are also called Morans. Instead of being adorned with heavy jewellery like their married sisters they wear a simpler necklace of red bead strands (image by Inger Vandyke)
An elderly Pokot woman holding her cowrie shell headdress (image by Inger Vandyke)
Elderly El Molo woman (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of a striking young Gabra girl in the Chalbi Desert (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of an elderly Turkana woman near Loiyangalani (image by Inger Vandyke)
Portrait of an Njemps (Ilchamus) woman on Kokwa Island in Lake Baringo (image by Inger Vandyke)
A married Rendile woman in red (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana Elder (image by Inger Vandyke)
Shy Rendile smile (image by Inger Vandyke)
Gabra women are in charge of smaller livestock animals like goats and sheep (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Turkana woman with her donkeys (image by Inger Vandyke)
The Diyes clan of Dassanech people are known for their hunting and fishing. Here, salted fish dry in the sun near the shores of remote Lake Turkana (image by Inger Vandyke)
A Pokot woman at home (image by Inger Vandyke)
Elderly Pokot women observe us as guests quietly (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana elder in monochrome (image by Inger Vandyke)
Gabra men and young boy after taking their camels out to graze in the Chalbi (image by Inger Vandyke)
An Njemps fisherman holds up his catch from his overnight fishing trip on Lake Baringo (image by Inger Vandyke)
Samburu morans with their spears and Mount Ololokwe in the background (image by Inger Vandyke)
Turkana women move to the rhythm of drums, dancing vibrantly and athletically as part of their centuries old traditions (image by Inger Vandyke)
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Sunday 20th August –
Saturday 2nd September 2028 Leaders: Ingrid Koedood and highly skilled local ethnographic guides |
14 Days | Group Size Limit 6 |
REMOTE KENYA: TRIBAL PHOTOGRAPHY TOURS WITH WILD IMAGES
Kenya’s wild northern frontier, with its stunning regions of Lake Baringo, the Ndoto Mountains, Lake Turkana and the Chalbi Desert, is home to some of the most spectacular tribal people in East Africa.
After a highly successful inaugural expedition to some of Kenya’s most remote regions, we have designed an extraordinary photography tour that is the most culturally comprehensive in the area, offering fantastic safaris for African wildlife in the spectacular nature reserve of Samburu and some truly off the beaten tourist track people experiences that few photographers experience.
KENYA’S BEAUTIFUL TRIBAL PEOPLE
Njemps
A lesser-known group of the Maasai, the Njemps are island- and lakeside-dwelling people who resemble the Maasai in appearance but not in habit. Known for their fishing prowess and beautiful wooden canoes called Kadich, the Njemps live around Lake Baringo.
While fishing is key to the survival of Njemps communities, they also keep goats, sheep, and chickens on their islands and harvest honey from tree trunks.
During drought, people take smaller animals to the islands by boat, but cows must swim to the island grazing areas, so when the time comes, all the cows follow a lead cow to the right island. Perhaps selected for their navigational prowess, these head cows are never slaughtered for their meat.
The islands and land of Lake Baringo feature volcanic rocks and thermal springs. They are unusually harsh for agriculture, yet the Njemps grow crops by hand-ploughing through the rocks to reach the soil. Their villages feature stumpy acacia trees, prickly pear, desert roses, aloes and moringa trees. Used in medicine, the Njemps harvest moringa seeds and place them in a calabash as a good-luck gift for travel. They eat the fruit and leaves of prickly pear and aloes. They make holes in the trunks of acacias and desert roses to create beehives, and they often take chicken eggs to thermal springs to boil and eat.
This close relationship the Njemps people have with the waters of the lake extends to the African Fish Eagle, one of the continent’s most charismatic birds. In the early morning, we will travel out by canoe to meet Njemps fishermen and watch them feed some of the lake’s resident eagles, who put on a spectacular display.
Pokot
Pokot people are one of the last in Kenya who are relatively untouched. They belong ethnically and linguistically to the Kalenjin people of East Africa, and they are found only in the Pokot area of Karamojong in Uganda and the region around Baringo in Kenya.
Pokot women wear extremely elaborate disk necklaces called Karen. As young girls, these take the form of woven branches, but after initiation, they receive large necklaces made from colourful glass beads. By the time they marry, they also wear large brass loop earrings called Tawuyi.
Men and boys go through a series of life stages starting with Karachona, or young boys, then Muren as young men and Poi as elder men.
As agropastoralists, the Pokot don’t build villages. Instead, family groups live in a shared boma with a series of simple huts built in a clearing of acacias. We will visit one of these pretty Bomas to learn about Pokot culture and watch a Pokot dance where the necklaces worn by the women bounce to the beautiful rhythm of drums and singing.
Rendile
Deep in the spectacular Kaisut Desert of northern Kenya, the beautiful Rendile people have built villages around this region’s most outstanding natural features: the high granitic peaks of the Ndoto Mountains. We will travel into the mountain town of Ngurunit, located in the heart of many Rendile villages, to meet and photograph these beautiful people.
The name “Rendille” is a colonial misinterpretation of the word “Rertit”, meaning ‘separated’ or ‘rejected’. After descending from Cushitic family lines shared by Somalis, the Rendile split off to live in the deserts of Kenya, instead of joining their Somali relatives in finding better grazing grounds in Somalia.
Today, they mainly occupy the regions of Lake Turkana, Ndoto, and Marsabit in Kenya.
Rendille women are intricately adorned with jewelled headdresses and large necklaces made from many strands of glass beads. These colourful necklaces replace a simpler red necklace that is worn by young Samburu girls called Morans until they come of age.
Skilled craftsmen make men’s body adornments, including a distinctive ‘visor-like’ headdress worn over hair adornment, often dyed with red ochre. This crowns a look that includes a variety of different ornaments, including necklaces, bracelets, anklets and belts.
It is quite something to explore these rugged mountains where we will encounter Rendile people shepherding their livestock to their grazing grounds. We will enjoy a sunrise photography shoot with a small group of Rendile Morans (warriors) during our stay, then spend the rest of our time visiting Rendile villages to learn about their way of life and photograph them in their beautiful decorations.
Further north, at Lake Turkana, the decorated Rendile women living near Loiyangalani are a highlight of our tour, not only for their spectacular, intricate decorations but also for their warmth and kindness. We will spend a sunrise and sunset with these stunning women during our tour.
El Molo
Perhaps one of Africa’s smallest and most critically endangered cultures, the El Molo people of Lake Turkana in Kenya now number only around one hundred people who can truly claim to be El Molo. Restricted to two villages on the shores of Lake Turkana and living a life of subsistence fishing, the El Molo may disappear in the next twenty to thirty years due to intermarriage and modernisation.
The El Molo language, closely related to the Dassanech, is already extinct, with no fluent speakers remaining and no education for young people. Instead, modern El Molo people speak the Nilo-Saharan languages of their tribal neighbours.
Their newest threat is a wind farm planned for construction on the land between the two main El Molo communities near Loiyangalani.
Living in beautifully crafted huts made from thatched palm fronds, the El Molo use beautiful rafts made from Doum Palm logs to ply the waters and catch fish with spears, nets and harpoons. Crocodiles were once a staple food source for the El Molo, but recent conservation measures now restrict crocodile hunting to special occasions. Traditional spears were fashioned from oryx horns and used in hunting expeditions for large fish and crocodiles.
Visiting El Molo communities today, you can still watch women weave baskets or dry fish. Men sit in the shade mending nets and getting ready for their next fishing trips.
During our trip, we will meet a community of El Molo people for photography. Meeting and learning about the El Molo first-hand offers a glimpse into a world that is quickly disappearing.
Turkana
Crossing into the rocky desert from the Ndoto mountains, we will get our first glimpse of Lake Turkana, or ‘The Jade Sea’ as it is sometimes known. This large stretch of turquoise water is the world’s largest desert lake and is home to four different ethnic groups living alongside each other – the Samburu, Rendile, El Molo, and Turkana.
Surviving in some of Kenya’s harshest landscapes, they rely solely on Lake Turkana and its fish for sustenance; the Turkana people, in particular, survive well. It is a hot, harsh and dry place where every available shade is utilised to take respite from the searing temperatures.
Turkana people live in tiny villages of huts made from thatched palm leaves. Turkana women are instantly recognisable by their thick necklaces, woven around a cylindrical framework, and their heavy silver jewellery. Married women wear large silver leaf earrings to indicate their status. Turkana men mostly dress in Western clothes every day; however, during ceremonies they wear a high headdress fashioned from ostrich feathers and adorned with beads.
We will enjoy a sunrise photography session with elderly Turkana men and also visit Turkana villages, where we will witness an athletic traditional dance performed by both Turkana men and women.
Dassanech (including the Diyes clan)
Leaving the shores of Lake Turkana to drive inland, we will leave behind a small number of Turkana communities to cross the rock desert of northern Turkana toward the isolated national park of Sibiloi. This adventurous day drive will give us a break from people photography as we stop to photograph the wild landscapes around Turkana. We will visit one of Africa’s last remaining petrified forests, with huge trees now lying in the desert as stones decorated with amber-coloured quartzite. From the petrified forests, we will make our way further north to the remote town of Ileret, which will be our base as we explore this isolated area and visit remote communities of the Dassanech people.
We have always enjoyed visiting the Dassanech people as part of our Omo Valley tours at Wild Images. Northern Kenya, and the Lake Turkana region in particular, is the true home of these warm and welcoming people. During our drive north to Ileret, we will likely encounter roaming Dassanech shepherds taking their livestock to the lake to drink.
Our biggest highlight in this region will be visiting remote Dassanech communities living more authentically than they do over the border in southern Ethiopia. The main differences are the size of Dassanech houses, which are considerably larger than those in Ethiopia, and the more intricately decorated women who, like their sisters over the border, still wear tightly woven braids in their hair, but in Kenya their jewellery is more elaborate and beautiful.
This region is home to the Dassanech sub-clan, the Diyes, who are largely involved in hunting and fishing in this extremely remote part of Kenya, so we will explore their fish salting, drying and smoking activities, and with luck we may see them land a gigantic Nile Perch or Crocodile during our visit.
Gabra
From Ileret we will travel south-eastwards towards the edge of the Chalbi in northern Kenya. En route, we will visit a singing well and meet our first Gabra people.
Sometimes herding animals up to their thousands, the Singing Wells of the Gabra people are known for the songs Gabra men sing as they fetch water from deep wells for their animals, including goats, sheep, cows, and camels.
These incredibly beautiful camel nomads of the Chalbi desert live by the main tenets of protecting land, animals, and fellow Gabra. Their most symbolic identity lies with “a poor man shames us all” and as such they practice the mutual survival that is characteristic of many desert nomads. No Gabra may be allowed to go hungry, go without animals or be refused hospitality or assistance; therefore, visiting these people is one of the true high points of our expedition. They live in beautiful ‘homesteads’ or “iolas” with huts constructed from fabric and sapling wood by Gabra women. These are separate from smaller huts built in groups by Gabra men at the foraging grounds. The reason for two separate village constructions is simple. The Gabra believe that camels are unpredictable, won’t forage near their own dung, and destroy the vegetation within nine miles of their home; hence, smaller animals are allowed to stay in family villages while Fora are established elsewhere to look after camels.
Visiting Gabra communities, we will experience life as they know it while learning about milking camels, husbandry, and how they survive in Kenya’s harshest desert region. We will enjoy meeting these remarkable people over drinks of camel milk tea or fresh camel milk, both of which are delicious!
Leaving them from our base in Kalacha, we will travel south to Marsabit.
Borana
Another group stemming from Ethiopia, the Borana are one of the largest sub-ethnic groups of Oromo-speaking people in northern Kenya. Ethnically, they are closely related to the Gabra people we will also meet on our trip.
Borana women are known for their beauty and for keeping their hair using a ‘butter’ made from animal fats. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of their culture, however, is their naming tradition for children. For the first two to three years of their lives, Borana children run around unnamed. Unlike other African children who are named either before or at birth, Borana children are named during a ceremony that can last for three days in specially constructed houses for the event.
We will visit a small Borana community at sunset to learn more about their traditions and take photos.
Samburu
Our final group we meet on our tour is probably one of the most beautiful. Kenya’s stunning Samburu people are related to the Maasai and Njemps, and they share incredibly decorative jewellery worn by both Samburu men and women. We will stay in a beautiful tented camp at the base of Mount Ololokwe, a mountain sacred to the area’s elephants, who will climb the steep slopes on their knees to drink from the freshwater spring at the summit!
The Samburu revere elephants in their folklore, believing that God made elephants and humans brothers. For them, elephants not only clear paths through the bush, but the broken wood and dung they leave behind also help the Samburu to build fires.
Sometimes known as the butterfly people of Kenya for their brightly coloured traditional dress, the Samburu are stunningly beautiful to photograph. We will visit a family boma at the base of the mountains to witness Samburu life and also enjoy a sunset shoot with a friendly group of Samburu Morans nearby.
KENYA’S REMOTE GEOGRAPHY
Lake Baringo and Lake Turkana
Dotting Kenya’s breathtaking landscapes are hundreds of lakes that pulse life into the country’s parched terrain. They are home to extraordinary communities whose way of life has defied modernisation, where, each day, people fish for crocodiles and paddle hand-carved canoes out to fish, wash, bathe, and fetch water.
It is hard to imagine scenes more beautiful than visiting Kenya’s lakes. Some of them are home to enormous flocks of flamingos; others are the only place you will find truly endangered people like the Njemps, or aquatic Maasai and El Molo people, whose cultures are so fragile they may cease to exist this century.
The crowning glory of Kenya’s lakes is undoubtedly the stunning Lake Turkana. Sometimes called the Jade Sea, it is the world’s largest desert and alkaline lake. Necklaced by extinct volcanoes, Turkana’s turquoise waters must be experienced to be believed. Its shoreline is bejewelled by the tiny thatched villages of the Turkana and El Molo peoples, among Africa’s most beautifully decorated peoples. In the far north of Lake Turkana live remote communities of the Dassanech people, who share their world with the Omo Valley of southern Ethiopia. Untouched by tourism and rarely visited by outsiders, these Dassanech communities adorn the landscape with their pretty, hand-crafted huts called Miede.
During our time in Lake Turkana, we will visit an ancient site of giraffe petroglyphs. The Turkana people hold the giraffe as sacred. They believe their tall heads tickle the clouds to make it rain, and as revered animals of Turkana society, they are often depicted in the rock art around the Lake.
We will also visit the Desert Museum of Lake Turkana, which offers an excellent understanding of the people, ecology, and archaeology of the lake during our stay in this fascinating corner of Kenya.
Ndoto Mountains
Piercing the skies above central Kenya are the soaring granitic peaks of the spectacular Ndoto Mountains, home to the fascinating Rendile and Samburu people. Culturally linked and incredibly beautiful, we will witness traditional dances, wander through stunning villages and explore the decoration of these fascinating people as they dress before and after their initiation ceremonies.
The Chalbi Desert
Small by African standards, yet no less beautiful, the stark expanses of the Chalbi Desert in northern Kenya are home to low-slung dunes, salt lakes and islands of stunted acacia trees. Straddling the border between Kenya and Ethiopia, the Chalbi is home to the Gabra people, whose nomadic way of life is underpinned by their herds of camels and colourful homesteads fashioned from bright fabrics and water reeds. Crossing the Chalbi is rarely done on many tours in northern Kenya. We work closely with one of the region’s finest local guides to visit Gabra communities that have rarely met outsiders in this remote corner of Kenya.
Marsabit
The bustling town of Marsabit is an outpost of urban civilisation in northern Kenya’s desert. Hidden within its rolling hills are farming communities of colourful Burji and Borana people who moved here to enjoy the more fertile landscapes after escaping the ravages of the Chalbi Desert further north. With abundant rich volcanic soil and slightly more frequent rains, the area around Marsabit supports a fantastic variety of agriculture, including coffee, vegetables, fruit, and medicinal plants.
Mount Ololokwe
A literal high point of our tour comes near the end, when we visit the incredible granite peak of Mount Ololokwe, piercing the skies above the Namunyak Conservancy in the Lenkiyio Hills near Samburu National Park. This stunning mountain is sacred to the beautiful Samburu people living in its foothills, and from our secluded tented camp we will enjoy sunset and sunrise photography of Samburu people in their manyattas, as well as Samburu morans (warriors).
Join Wild Images on this culturally immersive photography tour, the only one of its kind in the warmest heart of Kenya.
Why travel to the Ndoto Mountains, Lake Turkana and the Chalbi Desert of Northern Kenya with Wild Images?
Currently, few photographers and photography tour companies offer trips to northern Kenya. We have decided to offer a unique alternative to the more standard itineraries in this region by combining visits to ethnic groups like the Njemps and Pokot people in the Lake Baringo area with an adventurous traverse of the borderlands between Ethiopia and Kenya, exploring the Chalbi Desert and remote Sibiloi National Park.
By joining a Wild Images tour, you benefit from an unrivalled level of ground expertise and local guides who are well connected to the various tribal people of northern Kenya. Our leader has almost thirty years of travel experience in Africa and knows Kenya extremely well. As we travel through remote villages, we believe the best images come from photographing people in a two-way exchange. We encourage our guests to chat to local people through our interpreters, laugh with them, engage with them and simply enjoy the experience of being immersed in their world. As our tour shows, we don’t just pass through villages for less than an hour to take photos. We stroll around, enjoy the places, and sit in the shade with local people, drinking tea with them. Join us on a journey where you make friends alongside beautiful images in one of East Africa’s most spectacular tribal regions.
Accommodation & Road Transport
Most would-be travellers to the remote tribal areas of northern Kenya will surely understand this already, but we should like to point out that the accommodations on this itinerary are in no way comparable to the comfortable or even luxurious ‘game lodges’ and ‘tented safari camps’ that are a feature of the national parks and game reserves in the southern half of the country.
In Nairobi, we will stay in a hotel of a good standard. Accommodation elsewhere on the tour varies from lodges and tented camps of good or medium quality to simple or basic (or occasionally very basic) hotels and guesthouses. Some locations have shared bathroom facilities.
Road transport is by safari-type 4×4 vehicles with inverters for charging batteries and numerous sockets. The vehicles also include a fridge to keep drinks and other items cool. Roads in the north are mostly rough, often unsurfaced, and dusty.
Walking
The walking effort is easy throughout.
Climate
Most days in northern Kenya will be warm or hot, dry and sunny.
Photographic Highlights
- Learn about the unique fishing and honey collecting culture of the Kalenjin
- Photograph the spectacular Turkana people at sunrise and sunset on the shores of Lake Turkana
- Visit the stunning Kenyan regions of Lake Baringo, the Ndoto Mountains, Lake Turkana and the Chalbi Desert
- A chance to visit remote communities of Dassanech people, including meeting the Diyes sub-clan of hunter/fishers in northern Lake Turkana
- Sunrise and sunset photo sessions with Samburu and Rendile Morans (Warriors)
- Experience the Singing Wells of the Rendille and Gabra people
- Visit the Borana people and their colourful vernacular architecture, decorative calabashes and leatherwork
- A dramatic crossing of the Chalbi desert and its largest salt pan
- Spend a sunrise and sunset photographing the beautiful Rendile women of Lake Turkana with their intricate and spectacular jewellery
- The beautiful Gabra people with their charismatic houses, homesteads and camel oases
- Photography of the stunning Pokot people, a spectacular culture of people that live in Kenya and Uganda
- Enjoy a boat cruise out to an island of the Njemps people, or the 'fishing Maasai', and learn about their fascinating life on Lake Baringo
- Explore the giraffe petroglyphs and visit the Desert Museum of Lake Turkana
OUTLINE ITINERARY
- Day 1: Early evening tour start at Nairobi
- Day 2: Drive to Lake Baringo for lunch and afternoon photo shoot with Pokot people
- Day 3: Early morning canoe cruise to photograph Njemps fishermen and African fish eagle. During the morning we will visit a local Njemps community. Afternoon cruise on the lake to photograph the resident waterbirds.
- Day 4: A long day drive from Lake Baringo into the Ndoto Mountains
- Day 5: Full day of photography with Rendille people in the Ndoto Mountains
- Day 6: Drive from the Ndoto Mountains to beautiful Lake Turkana. Afternoon visit to El Molo communities.
- Day 7: Sunrise and sunset photography with Rendile women. Day visits to the Desert Museum and giraffe petroglyphs of Lake Turkana
- Day 8: A full day of photography with the Turkana people
- Day 8: Drive north of Lake Turkana through Sibiloi National Park to Ileret
- Day 9: Full day of photography with Dassanech people
- Day 10: Visit communities of Gabra camel nomads before driving to Kalacha for a sunset shoot with Gabra people
- Day 11: Sunrise shoot with Gabra people and drive across the Chalbi desert to Marsabit, afternoon shoot with Borana people
- Day 12: A morning of rest and reviewing photos before a drive south to enjoy a sunset shoot with Samburu people
- Day 14: Final sunrise photo shoot with Samburu before driving to Nairobi where our tour will end.
To see a larger map, click on the square-like ‘enlarge’ icon in the upper right of the map box.
To see (or hide) the ‘map legend’, click on the icon with an arrow in the upper left of the map box.
To change to a satellite view, which is great for seeing the physical terrain (and for seeing really fine details by repetitive use of the + button), click on the square ‘map view’ icon in the lower left corner of the ‘map legend’.
PRICE INFORMATION
Wild Images Inclusions: Our tour prices include transportation, accommodations, meals, water, all photography, driver and guide gratuities and entrance fees.
Deposit: 20% of the total tour price. Our office will let you know what deposit amount is due, in order to confirm your booking, following receipt of your online booking form.
TO BOOK THIS TOUR: Click here (you will need the tour dates)
2028: provisionally £6640, $9100, €7780, AUD12740. Nairobi/Nairobi.
Single Supplement: 2028: £480, $670, €570, AUD930.
If you are travelling alone, the single supplement will not apply if you are willing to share a room and there is a room-mate of the same sex available.
This tour is priced in US Dollars. Amounts shown in other currencies are indicative.
REMOTE KENYA PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR: DETAILED ITINERARY
Remote Kenya: Day 1
Our Kenya tribal photography tour starts in the early evening at our Nairobi hotel. We will stay overnight at a comfortable hotel close to Jomo Kenyatta Airport.
If you arrive at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport today, we will provide a transfer to our hotel.
Remote Kenya: Day 2
This morning we will drive to Lake Baringo in western Kenya. This beautiful lake is home to the Pokot people and the Njemps, a smaller group of fishing and agropastoralist people who are related to the Maasai. On our first afternoon, we will visit a Pokot community at their family boma in a grove of Acacia trees.
Our lodge for the evening is perched high on a cliff overlooking the lake.
Remote Kenya: Day 3
After a sunrise canoe trip with Njemps fishermen, where we will watch them bringing in fish and sharing it with local African Fish Eagles, we will return to the lodge for breakfast. During the morning, we will venture out onto the lake in canoes to visit an island community of Njemps people for photography.
After returning to the lodge for lunch and a break, we will spend the afternoon cruising the lake in motorised canoes to photograph resident Nile Crocodiles and waterbirds near the lodge.
Remote Kenya: Day 4
After breakfast, we will drive north via Maralal into the spectacular granite peaks of the Ndoto Mountains. These stunning peaks are dotted with fertile valleys, waterfalls and beautiful communities of Rendille people. We will settle into our beautiful tented camp in time for dinner.
Remote Kenya: Day 5
At sunrise, we will meet a group of Rendile Morans (warriors) for photography in the foothills of the Ndoto Mountains. Back at camp for a late breakfast and lunch, we’ll rest before spending the afternoon visiting beautiful Rendile villages for photography until sunset.
Remote Kenya: Day 6
Today we will leave the Ndoto Mountains and drive north towards the turquoise waters of Lake Turkana. The landscape will change dramatically as we leave the relatively fertile valleys of Ndoto and drive over the harsh rock desert toward the lake. After lunch by the lake, we may see our first Turkana people nearby. After lunch, we will drive to Loiyangalani, where we will check in to our basic lodge and enjoy a sunset photography shoot with a community of El Molo people living on the lake shore.
Remote Kenya: Day 7
We plan to join a group of local, stunningly attired Rendile women for sunrise and sunset photography at various locations around Loiyangalani. During the day, we will visit a local site of ancient giraffe petroglyphs and the fascinating Desert Museum, which provides wonderful educational background on the people, ecology, and archaeology of Lake Turkana.
Remote Kenya: Day 8
We will enjoy a full day of photography with the incredible Turkana people, starting with a sunrise shoot by the lake with Turkana elders. After returning to the lodge for lunch and a rest, we will spend the rest of the day watching the Turkana’s beautiful dances and visiting Turkana villages for photography.
Remote Kenya: Days 9-10
After breakfast, we will pack up our vehicles in preparation for our drive north into the most isolated region of our tour. Crossing the wild rock deserts of northern Lake Turkana, we will see the last of our Turkana communities living in one of the harshest desert environments you can imagine. As we reach the entrance gates to Sibiloi, the landscape softens somewhat, and we will enjoy lunch at the park entrance before visiting an ancient petrified forest nearby.
From there we will make our way slowly through the national reserve in search of wildlife. We will also begin to see our first Dassanech shepherds herding their livestock through the park. Our base for the next two nights is the tiny town of Ileret on the northern edge of Lake Turkana near the Ethiopian border, where we will visit communities of Dassanech and Diyes people.
Remote Kenya: Day 11
This morning we will drive eastward into the Chalbi desert. We will start to see the first of a few singing wells of the Gabra people in the first few hours of the drive. These deep wells see over a thousand animals over the course of a day as Gabra shepherds queue, taking turns watering their herds. The next day, we will spend the day photographing and visiting Gabra communities as we learn how they milk camels, take their livestock to graze and water, and how Gabra women construct their beautiful homes.
Remote Kenya: Day 12
After a sunrise shoot with Gabra people as they go out to milk their camels and goats, we will embark on an adventurous drive over the Chalbi desert, crossing one of the desert’s largest salt pans where we hope to find Gabra salt miners. Leaving the salt pan behind, we will drive over the rock desert to Marsabit, where we will check in to our lodge and enjoy a sunset photography session with a lovely group of local Borana people.
Remote Kenya: Day 13
After breakfast, we will check out of our hotel and drive a short distance to meet a lively, colourful, and fascinating group of local Burji people. We will enjoy some of their traditional music before driving south to Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County. After checking in to our beautiful tented camp at the foothills of the mountains, we will enjoy a sunset photography shoot with a group of Samburu Morans (warriors) nearby.
Remote Kenya: Day 14
At sunrise, we will enjoy more photography of Samburu Morans, then join them at a local Samburu family boma for photography. After the light becomes too harsh, we will return to our lodge for a late breakfast before returning to Nairobi, where our tour will end at Jomo Kenyatta Airport in the afternoon. For guests leaving on evening flights, we suggest an overnight stay in a hotel close to the airport in Nairobi. Please contact our office about extending your stay in Nairobi.
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