Marsabit is accessible by 4 wheel drive vehicles off tarmac road, stretching 260km from Isiolo town just North of Mt. Kenya. The drive to Marsabit also passes through Samburu game reserve, crosses the Ewaso Nyiro River and proceeds to a beautiful wild country, undulating plains with occasional volcanic outcrops. Beyond Samburu country one drives through Rendille country before climbing the beautiful forested Marsabit Mountains where Marsabit lodge is located.

Marsabit National is one of Kenya's most remote and least visited national parks. It consists of a forested mountain that rises like an oasis in the middle of the desert wilderness and is the only source of permanent surface of water in the region. The reserve has three crater lakes that provide habitat for a variety of birdlife. One of the lakes, Lake Paradise, is most scenic and famous from early films and writings of Martin Johnson and Vivien de Wattville. Marsabit reserve is also known because of large elephants like the famous Ahmed, an elephant who boasted some of the biggest tusks ever recorded.

The heart of the park is extensive forest and as such it supports animals that one would not normally find in arid northern Kenya. There are elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, wart hogs, Grevy's zebra - which is specific to northern Kenya, reticulated giraffe, hyena and antelope. It also has a wealth of rare birds. Lake Paradise is an enchanting spot and a good place to camp. This is also where most of the reserve's water birds hang out. You are best advised to fly into Marsabit as the road from Isiolo is rough, and has in the past been plagued by bandits. 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.

Surrounded by volcanoes and ancient lava flows, Chalbi Desert is the hottest and most arid region in Kenya. Though it is a harse and sparsely populated desert, its known for its stunning natural beauty. It has towering sand dunes and volcanic mountains.

The Kalacha oasis is an assured watering point - several days’ walk from the closest suitable grazing areas, and camels, cattle, donkeys and goats gather here in mass. With its traditional caravan routes, the region is also home to Kenya's last nomadic tribes, such as the Turkana, Samburu, Marakwet, Pokot, El Molo, and the Gabbra tribes. The Gabbra people of this area are a hardy race, and adaptation to a nomadic way of life ensures their survival.

Accommodation in Marsabit & Chalbi Desert

Images of Marsabit & Chalbi Desert