Kenya Safari: Spectacular Wilderness Thrills of Marsabit

Surrounded by harsh environment, you may be exonerated to assume this remote national reserve is misplaced and its unique attractions far fetched by unknown phenomena. But you are mistaken; the real thrill is true, authentic and natural. On this northern frontier of Kenya arid spheres lay one of the most spectacular wilderness thrills and nature's most unique contrast. This is Lake Paradise in the greater Marsabit National Reserve and the ancient Marsabit town.

Marsabit town and its sanctuaries lie atop a mountain rising sheer from the desert floor to a height of about 1707 meters. The mountain is a natural phenomenon, born out of volcanic fire and shaped by mist where its great massive ranges and undulating peaks have created its own ambient climate.

Every evening, about midnight, the hot air rising from the desert floor cools and forms clinging fingers of mist, which grasp the mountain slopes, rarely releasing their grip until the late part of the morning. Mount Marsabit is famous for the dreamy waters of Lake Paradise which are located on its peak, for the foothills of rugged grandeur that fan out from its volcanic craters, and for the cloud forests which shelter both greater kudu and an ancient dynasty of elephants famous for their huge tusks.

Although the lower slopes of the mountain are scorched and dry, above them are richly forested wonderlands of crater lakes, swamps, towering cliffs and giant trees, all with an astounding display of wildlife and magnificent scenic views. Here bird and beast dart between the tall stands of juniper and podocarpus in a scene much as wildlife filmmakers Osa and Martin Johnson recorded when they made their home at Lake Paradise, one of the crater lakes, in the 1920's.

Many species of raptors inhabit the shaggy cliffs and the treetops around Lake Paradise and Sokorte Guda, a cliff lined bowl, which forms a natural amphitheatre in which Marsabit's elephants parade to drink in the late afternoon. Large herds of buffalo and other ungulates join this display. Other species found on the mountain include the shy greater kudu and other antelope as well as lions and leopards.

On the road south from Mount Marsabit to the rocky plains, the area is home to Sociable Weaver birds, which can be identified by their neater, tidier nests; Sparrow Weavers, with their "scruffier" nests; and white-bellied turacos. The area also unfolds indescribable natural phenomenon while passing through extraordinary Strangler figs in the mountain-top forest. This displays a stark contrast to the dusty track below which is lined by low, flat-topped acacias. Bird watching is a popular activity in this area.

For an estimated 63 years, Marsabit National Park and Reserve was the home of Ahmed, patriarch of the forest, guarded from hunters seeking his mighty tusks, by a presidential decree. A model of Ahmed now stands in the National Museum in Nairobi while his scions wander the forest under the watchful eyes of the Marsabit Reserve's rangers.

Lower down the mountain, below the forest line, groups of Borana people drive their camels to water at the singing wells. Three or four men form a human ladder down these deep shafts and with camel-hide buckets work in swift relay to bring water to the troughs above. The songs they sing while undertaking this work have earned the wells their name.

From Nairobi, the reserve is reached via Nanyuki and lsiolo a distance of 620 km. The road is paved up to lsiolo leaving a distance of 270 km of very bad road that is only motorable by 4 wheel-drive vehicles during the dry season. The reserve is 2 1/2 hrs by air from Nairobi and is adequately served by a tarmac airstrip located about one kilometer from Marsabit town centre.

Marsabit Town is a staging post for the journey to Moyale and onwards to Ethiopia and also the beginning of an adventure, which intrepid travelers make when they cross the inhospitable Chalbi Desert to reach Lake Turkana.

This shimmering and seemingly endless expanse of sand stretches for 300 kilometers to the shore of the lake of which it were once part. Even today, perhaps once in every decade, in one of the torrential downpours, which occur during a rare rainy season, it will again come into flood to form a vast but shallow lake.

There is no doubt that lake paradise and the surrounding enclosures of Marsabit national reserve will soon be asserted world wonders that every soul will desire to experience.

Learn About Kenya's Four Animal Sanctuaries

Animal lovers who want to spend their holiday with animals can depend on Kenya’s four main animal sanctuaries. The Garissa Community Giraffe sanctuary is located in Garissa Town in North Eastern Province of Kenya bordering the dry dusty Bour-Algi village. The sanctuary was started after a surprising influx of giraffes from the border areas. The giraffes move freely within human settlement, or stoop to drink from close to where the local women are drawing water. The animal sanctuary is a community-based conservation and natural resource management initiative. Its name stems from the large presence of giraffes attracted by the abundant acacia trees. The sanctuary has an estimated 1000 giraffes. Other animals sighted in the area are Kirk’s dik-dik, Lesser Kudu, warthog and waterbuck.

Lumo Wildlife Sanctuary is a migration corridor for elephants and other game between Tsavo East and West Community. This animal sanctuary has a very beautiful landscape characterized of woody rolling savannah. The animal sanctuary covers an area of 46,000 hectares in Tsavo in Taita Taveta district in southern Kenya. It is a significant dispersal area for elephants that use the migration corridor. The area has a rich variety of flora and fauna. Other than the elephant, there is the buffalo, giraffe, aardvark and lion, eland, oryx, dikdik and kongoni. It is also home to numerous birds. You can make a stop over to the Tsavo West National Park which borders this animal sanctuary.

Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary is located in East Africa, in the Kwale District of Kenya's Coastal Province. The animal sanctuary has an area of 36 km², borders the Shimba Hills National Reserve. The sanctuary is characterized by rolling hills, steep ridges, cliffs and winding water shades. Elephants are the main attraction at the animal sanctuary with about 150 of them at the sanctuary. The area is the most densely populated natural breeding ground for elephants in the world. If you are lucky you can witness their ‘reunion’ this summer. You can camp at the animal sanctuary and spend the night with the elephants in the middle of the sanctuary.

Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary is a privately owned animal sanctuary established by Hilton International. It is located in Taita Taveta district within the coast province and covers an area of 280,000 acres. While at the animal sanctuary you can either stay at the Sarova Taita Hills Game Lodge or at the magnificent Sarova Salt Lick Game Lodge. The animal sanctuary is home to elephant, lion, oryx and lesser kudu.

The Kenyan Giraffe

Also known scientifically as Giraffa camelopardalis, the Kenyan giraffe is the tallest living animal with a long neck adapted to reach vegetation far above that is inaccessible to other herbivores except the elephant.There are eight sub-species of Giraffes in Africa. Kenya has the rarest Rothschild Giraffe, the commonly seen Maasai Giraffe of Southern Kenya and the Reticulated Giraffe of Northern Kenya.The giraffes have a unique walking gait moving both right legs forward then both left with a top speed of about 55km an hour. Unlike other wild animals, giraffes have good eyesight. Giraffe horns are actually knobs covered with skin and hair above the eyes which protect the head from injury.

Giraffes inhabit mostly in the arid and dry-savanna zones south of the Sahara and therefore can be found wherever trees occur in Kenya. They are very common in many of the Kenya National Game Reserves. They feed mainly on broad leafed deciduous foliage and on other evergreen species. It's menu includes Acacia and Combretum trees that are always available in most areas such as the Amboseli national park.This animal can feed on 134 kg of leaves per day and drinks water every 2 to 3 days.Since it feeds on green leaves it can leave with no water where its not available.

The Kenyan Giraffe can be commonly sighted even outside wildlife conversational areas.They are social, non-territorial with no coordinated herd movements or leadership. Males test their strength by swinging necks on each other to establish who is dominant. They reproduce throughout the year but usually peek during rainy seasons. A female can conceive at age four while the male starts mating at age seven. The cow takes 16 months between two pregnancies.

The young animals are left together while their mothers graze within.They can survive weaning at two months since they they already can start eating leaves. Young giraffes are most likely to be preyed on by other predators since they cant attack in return though they are never left alone. Bulls often use their horns to combat its competitors whe mating and powerful kicks for its enemies. The fiercest known enemy to adult Kenyan giraffe's is man who usually kill it for wild meat and skin.

Swara Plains Accra