First, apologies for the lateness of this, the fourth and final instalment in what has been one hell of a ride through the Northern reaches of Kenya. A trip came up in between the writing of this article and the previous one so I’ve been a bit turned around and trapped totally tripping over trips in tandem. If you’re late to the party there was Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 previously. But no fear here we are, and it’s fitting that this series ends with one the oldest and most well known of the country’s parks, and yet one of the least visited (because it’s far, quite far.)
Lake Paradise in Gof Sokorte Gudho
Background Information
This where I usually put a little bit about the park but it’s been repeated over and over again in numerous forums so I won’t regurgitate it. Suffice to say the parks history includes an elephant called Ahmed, longest tusks, something about Mzee Kenyatta, and so on and so forth. Awesome blogger Safari 254 does an awesome job writing about it here.
Getting There
Since we’re continuing from where we left off in the last article my directions might be of little or no use (this article is starting off rather inauspiciously) but you’re here and you will listen.
So we set off from Lasamu Camp in Ngurunit aiming for for Laisamis (route is red line on the map) instead of heading up to Logo Logo which we came through (the yellow line). You might realize that the route is kind of ass-backwards but as you might remember in Part 3, we had been warned that the Milgis Lugga might be in flood hence the the yellow – lined route while going in to Ngurunit.
So why do we go back down to Laisamis? The road is much better and this Kori bustard doesn’t want us to leave.
Some great murram road here due to oil/wind farms or whatever development is going on up here.
Of course in true Kenyan fashion when we finally get to the Milgis it’s as dry as a bone, serves us right for listening to that cop on our way to Ngurunit a few days ago.
After joining the tarmac road at Laisamis once again it’s time to make sure everything is strapped in for the straight shot North. Note to future self: never buy ratchet straps from Nakumatt, limp spaghetti would be stronger.
This road has so few cars that when you come across one you just have to take a photo. It’s an event.
This might be the longest drive of the entire trip, miles and lies with just the hum of the engine and the occasional but of traffic. It’s great landscape though so I’m not complaining.
All in all the trip from Ngurunit to Marsabit is 170km and takes us around 3hrs. Not that long is it? But when you’ve been on the road for over a week our destination can’t come soon enough.
On Arrival
The landscape gets greener, the air gets chillier as we leave the desert behind, the last few km’s into town are not tarmacked but are very close to completion. We have gone from a low of 423m to 1374m (at its highest Mount Marsabit is 1707m), the landscape in the background shows you what a difference that makes.
On Arrival
So after having a look around town we’re finally at the Ahmed gate to the park (10min from Marsabit town) but if you think we’ll soon be in the park soon I envy your innocence.
Let me set the stage, we are only 2 people going into the park, somehow this sets the following series of events:
KC: Hi, we are 2 adults, camping for 2 nights, and one vehicle.
Ranger: Hello. Okay so thats 1person, camping for 3 nights and 2 vehicles.
KC: No, no, just listen. In fact I’ll write it down for you here.
Ranger: Okay thats easier (taps away at calculator). We should be okay now.
KC: No you’ve still got it wrong, I think you’ve under charged us. Ama niende tu?
Ranger: (chuckles) Saa zingine huwa nina sahau hizi bei. Let me call my boss.
(ten minutes later)
Ranger: I’ve confirmed, everything is fine now. So, that was 2 children, a plane and a dog?
KC: ……
The Muse: (wails) What have we done to deserve this?
Forty minutes (you read that right) later we have paid our penance for any sins we might have committed in the last 5 years and are released into the wild. Don’t get me wrong the ranger is so nice and friendly, she really is, but forty minutes is forty minutes. If you ever visit my house the tickets from this encounter will have been carefully framed and mounted on the wall.
#NeverForget
The Park
It’s shocking the change in altitude and landscape. We have gone from roasting on the plains to having to wear something warm, and to think we are still surrounded by desert on all sides!
Marsabit Lodge in Gof Sokorta Diko
Driving through the park, you can see just how forest-y it is.
Sorry to repeat this photo, but this is just to show you our campsite at the parks most famous feature, Lake Paradise. Our campsite is in the middle of the clearing top right. The park has 3 major extinct craters called ‘Gofs’ , a local Borana word for the craters.
Once down in the crater we look for the official special campsite. We find it impossible to drive to it due to very rocky and muddy terrain and when we do get there it is in a bushy area with no view of the lake? Terrible siting of a campsite. Hopefully something has been done about this since I was there.
So since we seem to have the park to ourselves we just look a nice spot to pitch our tent under a tree. The coordinates for where we set up are here in case anyone’s interested.
Much better view. Let 2 days of nothing begin!
But laundry waits for no man.
Up and About
Almost all of park is extremely forested so if you’re out to score wildlife sightings you would have to be extremely lucky. Your best chance would be to visit any of the 3 craters in the park which all have clearings. So we content ourselves with taking walks near our camping spot.
We get to see some buffalo around the lake near our campsite, I’m hoping to see some elephants also come down to drink but that is not to be.
This park is a birders paradise, because of the lake you get to see more species than you can count in a day.
And thats no exaggeration, at any one time we see Fish Eagles, Sparrow Weavers, Hammerkops, Ibis, Heron and numerous species of ducks.
When night falls I’m up to my usual shenanigans, but it’s a pretty hazy night so results are questionable.
Summary
- There is a campsite near the park HQ but why would you travel 100’s of kilometres to camp there? Camp inside the park at Lake Paradise. (You can also try to set up camp at the viewpoint but don’t tell KWS I told you that.)
- Lake Paradise campsites have no facilities, you must be totally self sufficient but it’s worth it.
- The park is very forested so as such there are no game drives in the traditional sense. Visit the craters for the views and a chance to see some game.
- For non campers there is only one lodge in the park; Marsabit Lodge. Looks decent enough.
- For information on park fees and contacts visit the KWS website here.
Conclusion
Despite the ‘slight’ delay on entry I really enjoyed my time here. This is not a park known for it’s wildlife but the birding, the butterflies and the views more than make up for it. If you’re ever up this way, don’t make the mistake many make of day-tripping this park. Stay the night, see the light change, watch the fog roll over the crater, have a billion stars all to yourself; thats the secret to what parks like Marsabit National Park are all about.
(see my final words below).
And so ends my series on Northern Kenya, it has long been a dream of mine to take a big trip like this, six months of research, planning and the ‘S’ word (saving). I hope I’ve managed to show that Northern Kenya is not some mythical big bad wolf, it’s a beautiful part of Kenya with the friendliest people living in a vast and beautiful landscape. With a bit of planning, great company and a sense of adventure it’s an extremely rewarding adventure.
As always comments and questions are always welcome, let me know what you think! But for now it’s goodbye and see you in the next article. I hope it’s something a bit tamer!
Happy trails,
KC
Thank you for doing all this research and writing so we don’t have to! Beautiful stuff.
Yeah access to the right information is always one of the issue isn’t it? Glad to be of help.
A good read, like always. Glad you made it to my shagz, and to one of our favourite spots, Lake Paradise.
I’m glad I made it after all these years, I remember us talking about it many moons ago.
What a great trip … very jealous!
Whenever you’re back you can plan your own 🙂
Si nice !
Very nice. Looking forward to doing the trip one day.
‘One day’ is too far! This year is much better…:)
Wow! Simply brilliant!
Thanks Wambui!
It looks beautiful, great Photos
It really is a beautiful place, photos don’t do it justice.
For your camping location – you guys weren’t scared about wild animals?
There’s really nothing to fear, animals tend to avoid humans if they can. You have nothing they want.
do you go through laisamis or south horr…? how much are your trips?
Went through Laisamis. I am not in the tourism industry and as such do not organize trips.
Si I have waited for this part 4! Am inspired to take that trip to northern Kenya.
You did a really great job in all the 4 parts…. Now on to the other adventure
It is one he’ll of an experience. Forget all the marketing about Maasai Mara and the coast, if you want a real adventure Northern Kenya is where it’s at.
You really inspire me to go camping, I have taken the que and do one very soon.
Hi Shailen, I hope you make good on that inspiration 🙂 There’s so much to see out there and camping is an inexpensive way to do it.
hi that a good safari i like Ngurunit , more the place is so calm and peaceful. even if u cant make a call from there it seems like the untamed Africa
It is very peaceful as you say, a place to unwind and forget the outside world for a bit.
Hi KC, nice read! Vividly described that I felt I was part of the adventure! You are always welcome, my home is on the western slope of Mt Marsabit. Sorry for the ranger who kept you for the damn 40 minutes and still maintain the ” all is fine face”….but rem to post the framed tickets! Lol
Hi Galgallo, next time I’m in Marsabit I think I’ll follow up on that invitation. Hope there’s always a Thermos with hot tea tayari.
I am taking a walk from uhuru park to Mandera through Nyeri, isiolo, marsabit, moyale and Ramu on the 10th of july 2016 while preaching peace and also planting about a million trees. This shall be the mother of all adventures.
Noordin, that sounds like one hell of an adventure. Best of luck! Are you documenting the trip anywhere?
Finally finished part 3 and part 4. Excellent reading as always.
Any news on the campsite situation at the lake? Just booked the special campsite for September and don’t want to be surrounded by thick bush and no view!
No news as yet but even though it’s not cleared I wouldn’t worry about it. Just look for a spot around the lake, got the impression they’re not that strict about where you camp along the lake. As long as you’re not on an animal trail and you carry a panga to clear the site you should be golden.
Wow, lovely post and depiction of Nothern Kenya! I love the ending when you say ‘it’s not some mythical bad wolf’…Yes, you’ve certainly managed to show the beauty of a place that’s been so misunderstood. Thanks, now I really want to visit 🙂
http://www.scrapbookjourneys.com
I hope you do, it might not be the easiest trip to plan (but it’s as difficult as you make it), however the reward speaks for itself.
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Hi John, all the contacts are on the article. Best of luck and have a good trip, it’s a beautiful place.
Thank you for this wonderfully evocative report. I first went to Marsabif in 1986 and if is truly an astonishing mountain in the arid lands of northern Kenya. A geographer will say whether this is true or not, but I understand the next highest point eastwards is on the Indian sub-continent. Hence, the high rainfall. Truly a paradise.
On a technical point, I had “followed” your blog, but the last two blog entries somehow didn’t arrive in my email account. Fortunately, I logged on to your blog to see if there had been a technical hitch, and there were two blog posts that I hadn’t seen. I also agree that the Ndoto Mountains are – as you say – “awesome”. Keep on posting, and safari njema!
Thanks for the kind words and I’m glad you enjoyed the articles. I think I might have heard the highest point eastwards thing before so I don’t think you’re far from the truth.
Thanks for subscribing and if you have any other issues with articles not hitting your site let me know.
Thanks to you KC my friends and I will be visiting Mt Ololokwe 2nd July. Hope the weather will be great.
That’s great news! I wish you great weather and please let me know how it went and tag me in a photo or two on FB or IG.
Great article though I am suprised to hear that you were allowed to camp at Lake paradise!…I shall now look into that..lol!
Hi Stacey, hope you’re good. Driving all that way and not camping at the crater? Might as well stay home 🙂
Wow, it was so green in the park. You were very lucky to see it like that. I’ve been to Marsabit park numerous times over the years and don’t think i have ever seen it quite as green as that. A few years ago it looked like the forest was dying. There were no leaves on the trees and everything was covered in dust. When i last went (late 2014) it looked much greener but not as luminous as it looks in those pictures (and there certainly wasn’t as much water in the crater lakes).
Hi Stuart, thanks for your comment and for checking out the article, much appreciated. I thought that was the way the park looked it majority of the time as that was my first visit there and hadn’t done much research beforehand. I am happy to hear that I was quite lucky that my visit coincided with the park looking it’s best, it was really good to hear your own visit presented a much different picture. Part of the beauty of these places is just how many faces they can have according to the season.
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haha,its funny how you said animals dont want anything we have, am just glad you didnt camp in tsavo, during the time of the man eaters ,its always nice to have security if you are camping in the middle of some wilderness,,,,nice article though
Hi,
This is not really a reply, but a request.
I have just come across your blog and wish I’d done so sooner. I’m on a motorcycle trip from Belfast, RSA to the original Belfast, N Ireland (www.belfast2belfastbybike.com) and passing through Kenya.
Up to now I have really just been travelling, but have realised I need to slow down a bit and explore the areas I’m passing through. So I’m looking for areas/places to visit between my current location, Eldoret, and Moyale.
I’m really looking for some advice. My bike is an old. (1974) Honda CB750 – that’s another story – and is not really suited for off-road adventures; clearance is low and the bike is heavy. I can do gravel, provided it is reasonably well maintained and not too corrugated, and I can manage packed earth, provided it is dry. I cannot do sand more than 1-2cm deep and on a hard base – deep dust really – and I cannot do rocky/volcanic tracks.
I’ve read some of you posts and they are amazing – makes me want to return to Kenya with my old landie – but I can’t really get the feel for what might be possible on my bike; I can see when it is not possible mind.
Tomorrow I’m heading to Saiwa Swamp and back to Niaberi Lodge where I’m staying. Then it’s down to Nyahururu and Thompson’s Falls, Nyeri, Nanyuki and then north towards Moyale. I know it’s a big thing to ask, but if you could suggest a few places worth visiting and accessible en route, I’d really appreciate it.
Thank you for even considering replying.
Sean
Hi Sean,
Nice to meet a fellow rider, went through some your blog and you seem to be on an amazing adventure.
You might be hard pressed to go far off the main Isiolo-Moyale road on such a heavy bike, some roads are fine but others could be very sandy so it’s a crap shoot on what would be accessible. Also the ‘formal’ wildlife protected areas wont allow bikes so that’s out of the question.
I find it always almost impossible to recommend places to go as we all have different interests and abilities but a good stop for a day would be Sabache Camp for some camping. It’s a good base to climb Mount Ololokwe which comes highly recommended. Also a chance to see elephant around the camp if you’re lucky.
Wishing you the best of luck on the rest of your trip and I hope you’re having a great time in our beautiful country.
KC
Thank you for the response.
I’ll check out Sabache; not sure I can manage teh climb as I twisted my knee a bit when I took a tumble a few weeks back.
Enjoying it so far, especially when I can stay of the main roads.
Best of luck!