1. Northern Kenya
Wilds- The Dream of Adventure Travelers
 Kenya's
north is a vast country of rugged dramatic scenery, whose
native peoples have shunned the modern world, and indeed appear
contemptuous of it. Its hot and dry vistas are perched with
scorched desert, merciful oases, beautiful plains, barren
mountains, enchanting forests, and a selection of wildlife
and prehistoric sanctuaries.
In this harsh, remote and beautiful world,
the last of Kenya's proud nomadic tribal people live out their
days as their forbearers did before them, perhaps for thousands
of years.
Adventurous and intrepid explorers, see in
Kenya's north a world of marvelous possibilities- in terms
of the natural world and the people. Wilfred Thesiger- one
of the 20th century's leading explorers and travel writers
spent over 20 years of his life amongst the Samburu and Turkana
of northern Kenya. He was a passionate fan of traditional
societies; particularly desert tribal people who remain untempted
by the allures of the modern world.
In the wilds of northern Kenya, Thesiger -an
Eton and Oxford educated Englishman, found a people after
his own heart and spoke like one of them when he wrote of
a "deep-seated resentment of western innovations in other
lands, and a deep distaste for the drab uniformity of the
modern world." Through his splendid writings and unsurpassed
black and white photography, the world has heard about these
lands and its people from a sympathetic voice. Two of his
books you should look out for are: "The Life of My Choice"
(1987) and "My Kenya Days" (1994).
Kenya's northern frontier region unwraps from
Isiolo and rages on through to the borders with Sudan, Ethiopia
and Somalia. The region can be split into two; the eastern
and the western sections. The eastern section -from the Moyale
cut-off point, onwards to the Somalia border -is rather inhospitable,
hostile and has little to offer. The area is un-touristy and
the security situation is unfavourable: only guided tours
by the Kenya Wildlife Service or under police or military
escort are viable.
The much friendlier western section is the
heart of the northern country and offers plenty for the adventurous
spirit. The region shares in the Great Rift Valley and is
endowed with amazing topographic diversity, and is an incomparable
prehistoric treasure house. It hosts 10 national parks and
reserves, where flora and fauna is protected. The Lake Turkana
national parks are a UN World Heritage Site.
 The
semi arid expanse is home to an assortment of tribal peoples.
The El Molo -of whom there are no more than 500 of them -
are among the last of the remaining true hunter-gatherers.
They live on the southern shores of Lake Turkana. They are
great weavers of basketry, and fish using simple tools and
equipment. Other hardy residents include the colourful Samburu,
the crocodile eating Turkana, the Borana, Rendile, Pokot and
Somali. These peoples are primarily itinerants who constantly
traverse the blistering panorama.
Isiolo has an air of desert culture and is
the market town where the north comes to trade. Here you can
buy local desert souvenirs from as far as Somalia and Ethiopia.
A little further north, Archers Post -a former British military
training base -offers another possible shopping spot for souvenirs
and basics.
Slightly south of Archers Post, the Ewaso
Nyiro River brings life to this semi-desert land. The Ewaso
Nyiro rises from the foothills of the Aberdares. Eastwards,
the river crashes into Chanler's Falls, while westwards it
quenches the national reserves of Samburu, Shaba, and Buffalo
Springs, before finally vanishing in the Lorian swamps. The
area is parched, with lots of acacia and scrub, except the
banks of Ewaso Nyiro, - which attracts wildlife -elephants,
crocodiles, hippo and other thirsty animals. The region is
so dry that the Ewaso Nyiro at times in the year completely
vanishes.
The adjoining Samburu (165 sq km), Shaba (239
sq km), and Buffalo Springs (128 sq km) are the most accessible
and frequented of the northern sanctuaries. Many meet here:
hunters and prey, game and viewers, birds and watchers, herders,
campers, lodgers, writers, filmmakers, scientists, game wardens.
Game found here includes the big five- elephant, lion, leopard,
rhino and buffalo, and Somali ostrich, hippo, crocodile, gerenuk,
cheetah, hyena, giraffe, Grevy's zebra, and oryx. Some of
the wildlife is not found elsewhere in Kenya- such as Beisa
oryx, reticulated giraffe and Grevy's zebra.
Grevy's zebra - the biggest and wildest of
Africa's three zebra species, are endemic to the northern
Kenya and Ethiopia. Their numbers have fallen sharply in recent
years - from about 15,000 in the 1970's to an estimated 2,500
in 2005. They are now classified as endangered as a result
of habitat loss, competition with livestock, and hunting.
 Samburu
National Reserve with its walking trails and observation points
promises an unforgettable game viewing experience. It is in
this sanctuary in 2002 that the Biblical promise that lions
shall lie together with lambs came true. In an event that
captured headlines worldwide, a lioness adopted a newborn
Beisa oryx, defying common practice and commonsense.
The lioness protected the baby oryx, and only
occasionally allowed the real mother to suckle it. The fun
finally ended when game wardens intervened to separate them
after the oryx had gone hungry for two days. Samburu National
Reserve is 325 km to the north of Nairobi.
The Samburu/Shaba/Buffalo Springs complex is home to 365 bird
species. Some birds commonly sighted are Vereaux's eagle owl,
night heron, redheaded weaver, and pygmy falcon and palm nut
vulture. In Shaba you find the endemic Williams lark.
A blend of grassland and woodland, Buffalo
Springs National Reserve is a land of rolling plains, riverside
forests, and swamps. Shaba, though the least visited of the
three is the most appealing. The Shaba Hills steal a landscape
marked with low-lying plains, springs and swampy perches where
animals gather in the dry season.
Shaba was the last home of the legendary Joy
Adamson -author of "Born Free" and it is here that
she was murdered in 1980. Shaba has become a choice location
for many moviemakers. It was here in 2001 that the American
reality TV series "Survivor" was shot. There is
excellent lodge accommodation serving the three sanctuaries,
in addition to campsites. You can tour Samburu, Shaba and
Buffalo Spring as part of a Kenya
safari package that will also include some of the
other popular game parks and reserves the country is famed
for.
The Samburu, who dominate this region, are
a colourful people popular with seekers of authentic Africa.
"Samburu" means butterflies in the Masaai language
and is perhaps inspired by their partiality for colourful
adornments. The tall and dark Samburu have a nomadic lifestyle
and like their Maasai tribal kin share a fetish for the colour
red. In full regalia, a Samburu man will have a bright red
fabric to cover the waist downwards, bare chest, simi (sword)
tucked at the waist, a spear in hand, and face and hair dyed
in red ochre paint.
Samburu women wear colourful cloth, with red
as the dominant colour. The men move with their animal herds
in pursuit of water and pasture leaving the women and children
behind with no guarantees given of their return. Their herds
are most important to them, and nothing will deter them in
seeking their happiness and increase.
Rising tourist activity has however sensitised
them to other possibilities besides herding. Their time invested
beadwork and handicrafts have now become fashionable trade
items from which some derive a livelihood. The Samburu place
great value on their hand-me-down practices, and like most
of the northerners they have adamantly refrained from embracing
the modern world.
Further north of the three reserves but still
within Samburu land lies Wamba, a scenic mountain town. The
mountains give way to Maralal, -a town that marks the beginning
of the pure northern frontier wilderness. The market town
appears all-ancient with its camels, caravans and trails,
traders and warriors. Maralal is 350 km from Nairobi - and
can be accessed either from Isiolo or Baringo.
Maralal -'The Place of God' is where the Samburu
in times past asked their gods for spiritual guidance and
intervention. Maralal National Reserve, the Loroghi Hills
and the towering Matthews Range provide magnificent climbing,
mountain cycling and hiking trails. There are also opportunities
for camel safaris with the excellent Samburu guides, who navigate
the wilds on camel back as part of their daily life.
Sleepy Maralal comes alive in 2 days of August
when local and international entrants arrive for the annual
Maralal International Camel Derby. The Yare Club is the base
of this event, which is Africa's premier camel race. The race
is great fun and racers are grouped in professional (42 km),
semi-professional (20 km) and amateur (10 km) categories.
Many amateurs are embarrassed by the obstinacy of the camels,
which can head off in a completely different direction from
that planned by the organisers.
In recent years, a parallel professional mountain
bike and amateur bicycle race event also takes place. The
bicycle race is on the calendar of the International Cycling
Union and winners tally credits accordingly. The 2005 camel
race attracted 60 international and 150 local participants
and was won by the reigning champion Sanju Lenengoi, a local
herdsman. Harry Ross- an Australian took the third position
and was the best performing international.
You can lodge at the Yare Club or its camping
grounds or stay over in one of the budget hotels in town.
If you can spare the cash or need to unwind after the event,
head for the upper end lodge just outside town whose amenities
include a golf course and swimming pool.
Further ahead of Wamba and Maralal, the Ndoto
Mountains rise grandly, interspersed by the Milgis River,
which waters the Losai National Reserve to the north. Losai
is tacked between two rivers, and rich woodlands twine the
riverbanks with a moderate thorn bush inland. This is a land
of rocky hills, where snakes and lizards find comfort; and
is home to elephants, greater and lesser Kudu, Grant gazelle
and gerenuk. During rainy spells, the rivers bring such floods
that the reserve is impenetrable even on mounted truck. You
are advised to clear with the reserves' warden before trucking
to Losai- for at times the difference between an adventure
and a death trap is razor thin!
Further and higher ahead, in the heart of
the desert, you come across an amazing forested sanctuary
atop a mountain. You are in Marsabit- a paradise of the northern
wilderness. This is the domicile of the Borana - a nomadic
people who moved to Kenya from Ethiopia in the early 18th
century. Other peoples who inhabit the area are the nomadic
Rendille and Gabbra, and the sedentary Galla.
Mount
Marsabit is a thickly forested mountain that forms Marsabit
National Reserve. It covers 1500 sq km and rises above the
plains by 1700 m. The mountain has created its own microclimate
and its name means "Mountain of Cold". Emerging
from the plains, the thorny bush changes into a thicket of
evergreen forest, and further up into an acacia dominated
grassland, and finally the volcanic craters.
And here lies the fascination of the mountain
- three permanent fresh water crater lakes. The crater lakes
have been the focus of a number of writers and filmmakers,
including Martin Johnson and Vivien de Wattville, who were
particularly spellbound by the picturesque Lake Paradise.
Marsabit is good birding country, and 370 bird species, among
them the atypical Lammergeyer vulture are on record.
The sanctuary is well known for its larger
breed of elephants and has every species of northern wildlife
including greater Kudu, reticulated giraffe, striped hyena,
aard wolf, buffalo, bushbuck, leopard and caracal. On safari,
patience is called for, as animals can be difficult to sight
due to thick vegetation. There are a number of public campsites
within the park.
Ahmed, Kenya's most celebrated elephant had
his home in the Marsabit. Armed with Africa's biggest recorded
set of tusks, the animal was protected by presidential order
in 1970. Ahmed was accorded a round-the-clock guard in the
last years of his estimated 63 years. Today, his preserved
body is at the National Museum in Nairobi.
There are rock-climbing opportunities at the
Ol Olokwe mastiff to the south of Marsabit. Marsabit is 620
km from Nairobi, with the last nearly 300 km best navigated
by 4-wheel drive vehicle.
Further north looms the inhospitable Chalbi
Desert. It is the harshest of the entire northwestern section
and only the toughest of species survive. Stretching up to
Huri Hills towards the Ethiopian border, Chalbi pretends to
be a simmering lake; but it is actually an ocean of hot and
dry volcanic sand raging from horizon to horizon, with no
shelter or oasis to offer respite. When the rains come, the
desert turns into a non-navigable shallow lake.
The Chalbi's harshness breaks off at the much
extended western oasis front of Loyangalani, -'The Place of
Trees'. This was definitely created to reward those who successfully
transverse the uncouth dryness behind. The oasis extends to
the shores of Lake Turkana -the jade coloured water mass -
widely known as Jade Sea. Count Samuel Teleki, the Hungarian
explorer who was the first European to reach it in 1888 had
named it Lake Rudolf.
 The
crocodile infested Lake Turkana has the triple honour of being
Kenya's largest lake, the world's largest desert lake and
the world's largest alkaline lake. It occupies 6,405 sq km,
and stretches for 250 km lengthwise. The rivers Omo, Turkwel
and Kerio feed it, but except for evaporation it lacks an
outlet. The lake carries the world's largest Nile crocodile
numbers, 60 fish species and over 350 bird species. Its shores
are the dwelling place of the Turkana and El Molo people -
a people undeterred from their traditional lifestyle by the
allures of western civilization.
Further south of Loyangalani, the lake nurses
the blessed South Turkana National Reserve; a haven for animals
tortured by the Chalbi Desert and local herdsmen fleeing the
vagaries of the dry season. At this sanctuary, wildlife and
birdlife alike flourishes at the nourishment of the Jade Sea.
North of Loyangalani is Koobi Fora, which has established
Lake Turkana's reputation as an unmatched repository of the
prehistory of mankind. This is the only place in the world
where hominids and remains that link modern man to his immediate
ancestor, Homo Habilis have been found.
Dr. Richard Leakey, the archaeologist, unearthed
his 2 million year prize findings here in 1972. In 1984, Kimonya
Kimeu discovered the remains of a Homo erectus youngster.
Later Meave Leakey came across a 3.5 million skull of our
earliest ancestors. Since then, more relics have emerged about
this site, triggering the establishment of the Koobi Fora
Museum.
Moving further north beyond Koobi Fora, the Sibiloi National
Park (157 sq km) emerges- home to a variety of wildlife including
the hippo and crocodile at its water end. At Sibiloi, many
fossils have been found as well. These include the extinct
Behemoth -akin to the elephant, and the 5 ft jaws of an enormous
45 ft crocodile believed to be 1.5 million years old now sitting
in the Koobi Fora Museum.
Taking a boat ride into crocodile territory,
the Central Island National Park and the South Island National
Reserve await. These are tiny islands within Lake Turkana
believed to have resulted from volcanic action. Central Island
encompasses 5 sq km of a dry and hot land that is crowned
by three crater lakes named after their common inhabitants-
that is Crocodile, Flamingo and Tilapia Lakes. This island
park is part of Sibiloi and is an important breeding place
for crocodiles. South Island lies at the southern tip of the
jade waters and spreads over 39 sq km. Here, birds flock in
numbers in search of breeding grounds and is an exceptional
location for bird watching.
The Lake Turkana national parks are a UN World
Heritage Site on the basis of their importance to the natural
and prehistoric world.
The ferocious Turkana feed on crocodiles,
and along the banks of Lake Turkana you will see children
as young as 7 years heroically shouldering their crocodile
catch. The renowned photojournalist Mohammed Amin and his
partner Duncan Willetts captured this enthralling shots in
the book "The Insider's Guide to Kenya" (1989),
written by Michael and Peggy Bond.
West of the Jade Sea, Eliye Springs mark the
culmination of the wild north as the Lotikipi plains disappear
at the Kenya - Sudan border. Turkana is Kenya's remotest destination-
800 km from Nairobi partly on rough roads- and is visited
mainly by those adventure travellers who relish off-the-beaten
track.
Northern Kenya can be accessed from Isiolo
and from the western countryside via Baringo or Kitale through
the Marich Pass, Laikipia, Lokichar, and Lodwar to the northern
shores of Lake Turkana. The road to Isiolo is all weather,
but beyond, the region has well tracked rough roads suitable
for testing your 4WD. Most of these roads are impassable during
the wet seasons. To travel north, you need organised transport,
as there is no reliable public transport service. If you are
visiting just one specific locality in the north- say Lake
Turkana, you can get there by charter aircraft from Nairobi.
Most parks and reserves are well equipped
with campsites, lodges, bandas, inns, and have walking and
hiking trails and observation points. In this adventure-land,
there is no room for standard hotels and restaurants. Due
to the logistics required to make a successful trip, it is
advisable for visitors to be accompanied by competent guides
as part of a professionally organised northern
Kenya safari package.
Northern Kenya borders territories of Ethiopia,
Somalia and Sudan that have been unruly in the recent past.
Incidents of banditry have been reported, especially past
Samburu National Reserve and it is prudent to travel in convoys
with police escort. The northern tribal peoples place great
stock on cattle and cattle rustling has been reported between
rival communities. This however does not generally affect
tourists and other travellers who have no cattle they can
covet. To the west of Lake Turkana, it is considered quite
safe for tourists.
On your northern Kenya safari, wear light
cottons and linen. It is advised on walking safaris and game
drives to wear down to earth colours, as bright clothing will
draw the attention of the animals to you. You will need a
robust luggage pack able to withstand the handling, and dusty
conditions. For protection against the unrelenting equatorial
sun, bring along a good pair of sunglasses and a wide brimmed
hat.
To help bring the animals and landscapes closer,
pack a pair of binoculars. Carry cameras and video equipment
to preserve the images you will doubtlessly need to record.
Do not forget to pack sturdy footwear equal to the tough conditions.
If you plan a long trek, a basic medical kit is advised.
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