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Marsabit
National Park
African safari
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This is one of Kenya's most quiet and remote national
parks. It is also one of the most famous of
Kenya safari parks that requires lots of patience to
find wildlife in the bushy centre of the park.Despite being arid, few
wildlife to be expected in this dry region among them elephants, rhinos,
lions, leopards, cheetah, buffalos, wart hogs, Grevy's Zebra (found only in the
northern Kenya), reticulated giraffes, hyenas and antelope species. The heart of the park is extensive
forest and as such it supports these wildlife. The thick forest does not make
for great game viewing so it requires lots of your time which will ultimately be
rewarded.
Birding is also great with some rare birds on record. Lake Paradise is
an enchanting spot and a good place to camp, although there are no facilities
here. This is also where most of the reserve's water birds hang out. It is
highly recommended to fly into Marsabit because the road from Isiolo is very
rough and with banditry cases reported.
Nearby is
Losai National
Reserve, opened as a single
reserve in January, 1976.
It covers 1,806 sq. kms. of wild, semi - desert
landscape characterized by rocky hills, plains and rivers. The scenic beauty is
breathtaking; game to view include elephant, Greater and Lesser Kudu, Gerenuk
and Grants Gazelle. It is accessed via the Isiolo/Marsabit road which passes
through the reserve.
South Turkana is at
an altitude of 2,000 -6780 Ft ,an area less known and less visited
yet rich with wildlife. It has a number of permanent rivers with
woodland fringes and salty springs. Wildlife is plentiful and on the
list includes elephants, giraffes, buffalos, elands, Oryxes, impalas,
bushbucks, greater Kudu, grants and Thompson’s gazelle, lions, leopard,
cheetahs, spotted hyenas and jackals. There are crocodiles in the rivers
and abundant birdlife much of which gathers on the banks of the Kerio
River. There are no lodges or roads yet within the Reserve.
Nasalot National
Reserve is quite small opened also in 1979, covering an area of 92
sq. kms. It is mainly plains broken up by the impressive Sekess Hills, a
continuation of the Cherangani ridges. To the north it is bordered by a
section of the Turkwel River and the Wei Wei River bounds it to the
east. It has an important eco-system with river valleys and floodplains,which support evergreen forests dominated by fig and acacia trees and
many types of papyrus and sedges.
It also has
some wildlife among them elephants, hippos, giraffe, impalas,
grants and Thompson’s Gazelle, plains zebra, eland, Lesser Kudus,
bushbucks, duikers and dik-dik and their predators- lion, leopard,
spotted hyena and jackal. There are Olive Baboons and Vervet monkeys and
crocodiles are found in the rivers. Over 150 species of birdlife have
been recorded.
These reserves lie on either side of the main highway about halfway
between Kitale and
Lodwar. Neither is well endowed with game but Nasalot
is dominated by a rugged mountain
of the same name which overlooks the Turkwell Gorge, the site of Kenya's latest
hydroelectric power scheme.
There is a murram airstrip
but there is no accommodation in either reserve.
Safaris to some of these parks are on exclusive mobile
Kenya safaris.
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