Let’s Go To Marsabit! #TwendeMarsabit!

“Marsabit is now in Kenya”.

A Common phrase that comes up whenever a visitor remarks on the high quality roads snaking up towards the north of Kenya and through Marsabit County towards the Kenya-Ethiopia border town of Moyale. This statement, often delivered with a wry smile, comes from a relief that the North is now no longer isolated physically and politically, after decades of isoolation, since independence.

Before devolution took hold, the third Kenyan administration took the construction of roads networks across Kenya very seriously. The result was opening up of regions in the country that had been historically marginalized.

For a bustling town, what strikes you most is how quiet Marsabit Town is. Perhaps it is the scorching January heat.

Marsabit County Director Tourism, Abdullahi Ibrahim remembers watching the huge truckloads of tourists from all over the world trundle along the rough, unpaved roads, as a young, barefoot lad. It was a popular adventure tourism destination in the 1980s and 1990s, with Samburu National Park, Chalbi Desert and the Marsabit National Park as highlights.

The difference the new road network, from Isiolo to Moyale, has made in just fifteen years has been tremendous.

Turning off towards Chalbi Desert from the Marsabit Highway. (Photo by Velma Kiome)

“In just the last seven years we have seen tourist class hotels come up with the improvement of inter-county connectivity from Isiolo to Moyale. With devolution of government has come the devolution of the tourism docket necessitating more focused consultation with various stakeholders to achieve better outcomes for the industry,” says Abdullahi.

“Over seventy-five percent of Lake Turkana is in Marsabit county.”

The salt-crusted sand dunes in Chalbi Desert. (Photo by Velma Kiome)

Our vehicle seen from the salt-crusted sand dunes in the middle of the desert. (Photo by Velma Kiome)

“The annual Loiyangalani Cultural Festival, now in it’s twelfth year, is held on the shores of Lake Turkana, and is a colorful celebration of the traditions and culture of all the fourteen nations in Marsabit County. It attracts both domestic and international visitors,” he says.

The marketing of the festival has changed in the last four years to include social media, and a collaboration with Kenya Tourism Board giving the festival a larger visibility highway. It takes place every year in May or June.

Camels watering at the Maikona Oasis in Chalbi Desert. (Photo by Velma Kiome)

Beyond the Festival, there’s opportunity for revival of the Desert Safari in Chalbi Desert, the only true desert in East Africa, as well as North Horr. The beautifully, harsh, windy, barren landscape presents an opportunity for the desert Safari Rally, terrasailing, among other vehicular centered sports.

A combination of the Marsabit-Maikona-Marsabit National Park, makes for an exhilarating single-day circuit. Bring lots of fruit to stay hydrated for the trip. On your way out, finishing with a gorgeous view of the whole town from the Catholic Shrine grounds. The Shrine features a Bible Art tour and has accommodation for pilgrims, with prior arrangements.

There are opportunities to partner with private sector in this festival, as funding for tourism promotion dwindles, and moneys are directed to more pressing issues in the county, such as access to water and healthcare. The County Government welcomes investment, with opportunities varying to include but not limited to agriculture, mining and and wind power generation.

As you enter Marsabit, you have the option to divert into Marsabit National Park via the two main park gates; Ahmed Gate or Karare Gate, take in the fresh forest air and watch the animals water at the tranquil sink hole Lake Paradise, either up-close or from the vantage point. Or go through Marsabit Town through the Chalbi Desert via Maikona Oasis. Or onward to Kalacha and North Horr.

For the fitter folk, mount Ololokwe is a surmountable, towering challenge. It looms large as you approach Marsabit like a giant tree stump harking to an ancient, past long forgotten.

Lake Paradise from the vantage point. You have the option to drive right up to the shore. (Photo by Velma Kiome)

The smaller of the smaller sink hole Lake Pan, as seen from Marsabit Lodge. (Photo by Velma Kiome)

Marsabit Lodge is currently closed. It was among several Kenya Wildlife Services’ properties listed for private lease bidding. The bidding process now closed, may be repeated. This property consists of eighteen private cabins with a view of the smaller Lake Pan, a club house, a large water tank fed by forest springs and a generator housing. (Photo by Velma Kiome)

Several tour operators have answered the call of the North by organizing group trips for Residents and Citizens from Nairobi, seeking new ways to quench their wanderlust. The county is also well served by, and is accessible via public road transport from Nairobi via Nanyuki and Isiolo. Take the morning shuttle from Accra Road, in Nairobi, and arrive by the afternoon in Marsabit.

Hotels in Marsabit are conveniently located along the highway. Car hire and Tour Guides are both available from Chalbi Desert Extreme Tours, who have a good handle of the region and can craft exciting itineraries over one to three days, depending on how far one is willing to go.

By Velma Kiome.