Lake Turkana

When we first heard of Lake Turkana, it was mentioned for its large population of crocodiles and hippos.  Looking at the map, we crossed it off as it was too far away from everything else.  After arriving in Kenya, we heard about the different cultures in the area and how it’s the world’s largest desert lake.  Throw in that it’s also off the beaten tourist path and that was enough for us to make it a priority.  We went in search of a tour as getting there with public transport and without knowing the local languages wasn’t the best option in our opinion.  Gametrackers came up every time we searched so we took that as a sign. 

Day 1

By the time we walked downstairs from our hotel to grab breakfast, the truck was already waiting for us.  We ran to a nearby bakery to get a few things and then finished packing our bags.  Our tour would leave us in Nanyuki, where we’d climb Mount Kenya, so we downsized our belongings as much as possible.  But first, we’d have 7 days to head North away from civilization and into the desert.  

Rufus drove us along with our chef, Alfred, out of Nairobi and up into the highlands.  There was a viewpoint with the Rift Valley below and Mt. Longonot in the distance.  As we cruised along the highway, we passed the normal police checkpoints and were typically waved right through.  When we reached one, they signaled for us to pull over.  The officer claimed that his colleague had caught us with a radar kilometers back going 86 kph in an 80 kph zone.  Both of us couldn’t believe that they’d ticket someone for such a small excess meanwhile Rufus argued that the vehicle had a speed governor and it was impossible to go over 80 kph.  After a one-sided discussion, Rufus put money into his pocket and then exited the truck.  He resolved the issue either by paying the fine or bribing the officer, but either way we were on the road again.    

 

 

We reached Nyahururu for lunch, which is also the home of Thomson’s Falls.  The muddy water comes crashing down 74 m (242.8 ft) into the river below.   We were standing at the height of the top of the falls and watched as it pounded the rocks below.  It was the weekend so there were locals enjoying the view with us and many climbed to the bottom to get sprayed by the water.  As we ate, the rain started and continued for most of the day. 

 

We drove until the asphalt ended and then kept going.  They had recently paved the road so Rufus was quite surprised by how far it reached.  On the dirt road, we passed several bicyclists that were in a local competition.  We cheered as each of them passed us and got smiles from most of them.  As we continued on, we saw zebras and impala that were grazing amongst the sheep and goats.   

 

 

The road was rough and we bounced along as we went over the rocks.  Rufus stopped at one point to get out and look at the tire and got back in to say we’d lost a shock absorber.  It wasn’t the end of the world, but if we kept going like that we would have bigger problems.  We kept going knowing that we’d get it fixed at our destination and watched as the runoff from the heavy rain created rivers everywhere.

 

We reached Maralal and entered the small town to get a replacement part.  The shop and the mechanic were separate so we made 2 stops and then watched as they quickly put on the new shock absorber.  From there, it was time to set up camp.  We took the road we’d taken to get into town and entered someone’s property.  The campsite was in an assembly member’s garden so we found a good spot and put up the tent.

 

They made us a fire while dinner was prepared and told us how we’d wish it was cold in a few days once in the desert.  It started to drizzle so we decided to move inside and were glad we did as the downpour started shortly thereafter.  With the roof over our heads, we hoped that our rain cover on the tent was doing its job.  

 

The rain slowed, but didn’t stop so after we finished eating it was time to crawl into the tent.  Water managed to get in so we were given a different mattress and put on a second rain cover in hopes of stopping the leak.  We closed our eyes and hoped for the best, but knew everything would dry out even if it did get wet. 

Day 2

The rain stopped at some point during the night and we woke up to birds chirping and clear blue skies.  We packed things up before eating breakfast and had chickens and a calf wander over while we ate.  As they loaded up the car, we spoke with Sharon, the daughter of the assembly man, and Larus, the Samburu watchman.  Sharon translated for us and then followed us out as she ran alongside the car with her kite.  

 

The road took us through village after village of the Samburu people.  Many wore their decorative beads and there were men and children out caring for their herds of livestock.  As we moved closer to the desert, we could see the landscape was getting more arid.  We passed Samburu that were migrating with their cattle, goats and camels to greener pastures.  The family moved together and they carried the few belongings they had.  Some had donkeys to help with the heavier items and one man in each family carried an automatic rifle.  The guns had been provided to them by the government due to cattle rustling.  

 

We passed the Marit police check and had an officer walk around the car while looking inside to make sure there wasn’t anything suspicious.  He asked about our plans and Rufus told him about our route.  From that point, we left the Samburu people behind us and entered Turkana territory.  They wore similar beaded necklaces, but had their head shaved to leave just a patch on the top.  Several were selling charcoal beside the road and we stopped to buy a large bag  to cook with later on the trip. 

 

 

As we drove, we saw dik diks trying to get shade from the hot sun.  This animal is the smallest of antelopes and are quick to escape a lot of predators.  We reached a waterhole not far from the road that was a gathering place for people.  There were a few military cars and Rufus told us that something had likely happened.  The military had been sent to try to mediate the situation as fighting can quickly break out with the weather conditions.  As we continued on, we passed herds and herds of cows with more military for protection while their owners were at the meeting. 

 

Not long after, we stopped for lunch near a dry riverbed.  While the food was prepared, we wander around looking at the plants and birds.  The ground was full of minerals that reflected in the sun when you got at the right angle and there were oversized grasshoppers hidden in the bushes.  We ate in the shade and then loaded back up to finish our journey for the day.   

The scenery was getting more and more barren, but that didn’t stop us from seeing vervet monkeys and ostriches.  The latter were different from those we’d seen previously as they were Somali ostriches with a grey neck and legs.  There was also a cow laying on the ground that hadn’t been able to make the trip to find greener pastures.  

 

 

We reached South Horr, which was a small Samburu community.  Everyone we saw alongside the road was walking with their containers in search of water.  There were hardly any plants anywhere and it looked as if it hadn’t rained in a long time.  We passed a small river that was flowing with water where boys were splashing around and enjoying the fact that they had a place to jump in.  Some of the residents had taken the water for agricultural use and were growing bananas, mangos and papaya.

 

Not far after, the road conditions improved as they were building a wind farm to generate energy.  We looked up at the massive propellers as we drove through and could see Lake Turkana ahead.   There were huts along the shore and as we got closer to the town of Loiyangalani, more and more life appeared.  The car pulled into Palm Springs Hotel and we found our home for the night, literally in an oasis of palm trees.  

 

 

 

While there were rooms available, we opted to sleep in the tent on the lawn.  With our nylon walls constructed, we enjoyed a cold beer and relaxed until dinner was ready.  I decided to take a shower and while I had hopes of having a cold shower after the hot day, the water tank on the roof had been thoroughly heated by the sun during the day.  Even with the sun gone for the night, it was still warm outside.  At 1 am as we both struggled to sleep, it was 29°C (84°F) inside the tent.  There was a breeze, but it wasn’t reaching our tent.  So we got up and turned the tent before finally falling into a deep sleep.

 

 

Day 3

Once the sun rose, the temperature started to increase.  As we hadn’t gotten the best night’s sleep, we stayed in the tent a little longer until it was time for breakfast.  We’d stay at the same campsite for another night so we left everything as is and drove along the edge of the lake towards the El Molo village.

 

As we passed a group of elders sitting under a tree, Rufus stopped to say hello.  Several of the men came over to the car to shake hands and greet him as it had been months since he’d been in the village.  They proceeded to take our hands as well while welcoming us to their home.  It was a nice feeling to know that our guide was respected by the locals and had that type of connection with them.

About halfway to our destination, we stopped at the Desert Museum.  We didn’t actually go inside as we were told it was small and not really worth the time.  But we took advantage of its location and looked out over the lake.  The South Island was in front of us and there were straw huts that lined the edge of the shore.  We continued on down the bumpy road to the village, which happened to be one of the only 2 that still existed.

 

 

In recent years, the culture has been mixing with the Samburu and Turkana people such that very few are still 100% El Molo.  Their culture is slowly fading away, but Jules, our local guide, walked us around and explained what they were trying to do to keep it alive.  Very few people still speak their native language as it too has blended with the nearby cultures.  But he explained their burial rituals, schooling, how important fishing is in their daily lives as well as their use of dancing for entertainment.

 

Some of his stories seemed a little far fetched, but we listened intently regardless.  The lake is known for its large crocodile population and he told us about how part of a boy’s childhood includes swimming from the nearby island back to the shore of their village.  When it was his turn, one boy in his group saw a crocodile coming so he jumped on its back and poked its eyes while using its front legs to steer.  The climax of the story was that the boy then pressed his head against the crocodile’s before rolling over the animal to dismount when he’d reached the other side.

After Jules finished his tour, we wandered around on our own.  Tico took pictures of some of the villagers and we got a closer look at how the women build their homes.  On the drive back to town, we passed a woman walking along the road.  Rufus helped us out by offering to give her a ride in exchange for pictures.  Helen had been walking for hours and had no problem posing before getting a lift for the last bit of the trek.

 

 

 

 

Back at the campsite we ate lunch and then had the afternoon free.  The sun was out in full force so we played with the thermometer to see how hot it really got. Inside of our tent and directly in the sun, it reached 54°C (129°F).  We were glad we could at least hide in the shade to escape the sweltering heat.  And as we knew it was too hot to do anything, we waited until the sun dropped lower to actually go anywhere.

 

Then we walked out of the hotel and towards the homes to see what life in the town was like.  The center contained a few buildings, but once you left the small main street, there were straw homes scattered about.  We walked through an open area and then ended up with a group of children following us.

 

 

As more people came out of their homes to see what was happening, we found ourselves in front of several women and children. Tico tried to communicate that he wanted to take their picture, but his idea wasn’t being understood.  Up to this point, Rufus had always been there to translate so we used our hands and played a game of charades until someone showed up that could speak some English.  In the end, Tico got his picture and we continued on our walk.  We found women in the shade braiding each other’s hair and some even used the headrest/seat as their pillow.  They were just as surprised to see us wandering around as we were to find their beauty parlor.

 

 

The plan was to get a lakeside view for the sunset so we retraced our steps back to the hotel.  Rufus set up a table and chairs and the 3 of us drank wine and watched as the sun set over the mountains and lake.  Once it was dark, we loaded back into the truck and had dinner before climbing into the tent that had thankfully cooled off.  But that didn’t stop us from again waking up after midnight to move the tent.  A strong wind blew in a different direction than the night before so we rearranged ourselves and actually needed a blanket by the time we woke up.

 

We’d only seen a small part of the North of Kenya so far, but were amazed by the difference in the way of life.  The advancements we’d seen in the larger cities were nowhere to be found and the locals struggled to survive under the harsh weather conditions.  They continued to live as they had for hundreds of years and we got to witness a small piece of that.  We still had the rest of the week to discover more cultures, but so far we were glad we took the time to go out of the way.