Kenya · 7 days
Iten is a running town before it is anything else. The camp is in the village itself, and the daily rhythm is the one the Kenyan groups keep: out on the red dirt roads in the morning, track sessions, long runs, then recovery. Because the camp works with the local running groups, you can join training with athletes who …
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Kenya · 7 days
Iten is a running town before it is anything else. The camp is in the village itself, and the daily rhythm is the one the Kenyan groups keep: out on the red dirt roads in the morning, track sessions, long runs, then recovery. Because the camp works with the local running groups, you can join training with athletes who race internationally. The camp frames the appeal plainly — you might find out why Kenyan runners are so fast.
Altitude is the point and also the challenge. At 2,394 m, easy runs feel harder than they do at home, and the camp's recovery setup is built around that. There is a cryotherapy ice bath and a sauna, which the camp says is a combination you won't find elsewhere in the Rift Valley or Kenya, plus traditional Kenyan massages and a gym equipped for runners. These are the things that let you back up a hard track session with another session the next day.
Beyond the running, the camp arranges visits to the places that made Iten's reputation. Kamariny stadium has its own history in Kenyan athletics, and St Patrick's School is where the story of running in Kenya began in 1961 — if you're lucky, Brother Colm O'Connell may be around, and there is a museum at the high school to visit.
Bikes are available to rent — mountain bikes and gravel models — which is the easiest way to see the roads and countryside around Iten between sessions. The restaurant at the top of the building serves coffee and food with a view across the village, and is open to people who aren't staying at the camp.
Some guests come mainly for the travel. The camp runs safaris from Iten and Nairobi lasting 3 to 12 days, including Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara, and can arrange paragliding in Iten, agro-tourism in Nandi Hills, boat rides on Lake Baringo and Lake Naivasha, hikes to Kessup and Torok Waterfall, on Mount Elgon and Mount Kilimanjaro, and beach time in Mombasa and Diani. If you describe the trip you want, they will put a custom safari together.
- Accommodation at The Swiss Side in Iten for the dates booked (arranged by quotation) - Access to the runners' gym - Access to the sauna - Access to the cryotherapy ice bath - Restaurant on site
- Travel to and from Iten - Airport transfers - Traditional Kenyan massages - Bike rental (mountain bikes and gravel bikes) - Pacer services - Safaris and excursions - Spa treatments - Travel insurance - Personal expenses