Car Rental to the Marsabit National Park

The Marsabit is both a national park and a nature reserve located at mount Marsabit in northern Kenya near the town of Marsabit. The national park is located 560 km north Nairobi in Marsabit county in the former eastern province and its reserve is noted for zebra population and bird sanctuary. The area contains a number of extinct volcanic craters covered in forests and a crater in the vicinity named Gof Redo 5 kilometres north of Marsabit in the fork of the roads to Moyale and north horr.

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The area is covered with animals namely; Zebras, elephant, lions, giraffes, buffaloes, black and white colobus, blue monkeys, bushbucks, sunis and leopards populating the park. The park contains 350 species of birds in total and 52 are birds of prey and the cliffs in the northern end of Lake Paradise in Gof Sokorte Gurda are homes to birds which include; Ruppel’s griffon vultures, peregrine falcons, mountain buzzards, black kites and African fish eagle with ducks such as garganeys, southern pochards and teals found on the lake which is also home to red-knobbed coots, hamerkops, purple herons, and yellow billed storks and on the lower slopes of the forest of the park, marked by scrubland there are populations of olive baboons, vervet monkeys, peter’s gazelles, beise oryxes, striped hyenas, caracals and aardwolves. On the road south from Mount Marsabit to the rocky plains describes passing the extraordinary strangler figs in the mountain-top forest.

In the 1970s, the park achieved fame for reputedly having elephants with the longest tusks in the world. One elephant, named Ahmed, was under constant surveillance, and when he died his tusks were found to weigh over 300 kg.

Attractions at Marsabit national park

Marsabit National Park is surrounded with a number of attractions that are worth visiting and the spark is known for its Elephants that have impressive tusks and endangered Grevy’s zebra. Paradise Lake is home to a wide variety of waterfowl. The singing wells where local tribes go to gather water.

Wildlife

Wildlife is the major tourist attraction which include; the African elephant, the endangered Grevy’s zebra, lion, leopard, buffalo, bushbuck, large herds of greater and lesser kudus, common zebra, grant’s gazelles among others plus small antelopes. On the lower slopes of the forest of the park marked by scrubland, there are populations of olive baboons, vervet monkeys, Peter’s gazelles, beisa oryxes, striped hyenas, caracals, and aardwolves. The park is famous for its elephant named Ahmed that was provided with 24hr security surveillance by presidential decree in the ’70s to demonstrate Kenya’s commitment to wildlife conservation. The dense forest makes spotting wildlife very difficult but fortunately its help is at hand in the form of a couple of natural clearings with semi-permanent lakes where animal sightings are almost guaranteed.

Birds

Marsabit national park contains 350 species of birds in total and 52 are birds of prey. The cliffs in the northern end of Lake Paradise in Golf Sokorte Gurda is a home to a number of birds which include; Ruppell’s griffon vultures, peregrine falcons, mountain buzzards, black kites, and African fish eagles and ducks like; garganeys, southern pochards, and teals. The park is also home to Red-knobbed coots, hamerkops, ibises, purple herons, and yellow-billed storks.

Lake Paradise

This is one of the most beautiful and stunning Lakes in the hearts of Marsabit National Park and on the slopes of mount Marsabit northern Kenya about a 10 km drive from the park’s Ahmed gate and the town of Marsabit.

It is the second largest of the three crater lakes in Marsabit national park or more accurately Maar Lake inside Golf Sokorte Guda which is said to be a Big sweet water crater. It was a dubbed paradise. Not far from here is a smaller and similar lake, inside Golf Sokorte Dika a popular hangout for elephants and other wildlife making the two the best places to spot animals like the rest of the park covered in dense forest especially during hot sunny days as many wildlife converge here to drink water. The area around is highly affected by climate being a lush green during the rains and golden during the drier times.

Bongole Crater

Golf Bongole is a crater located in Eastern Kenya and the estimate terrain elevation above sea level is 845 meters. Golf Bongole is south of Balesa Bongole with a diameter of 2.5km and the crater was formed as a result of the reaction between magma and underground water. The crater floor has a lake whose volume of water varies with rainfall variation and the vegetation ranges from green mash during the wet season to drier beds during the drier season. The crater serves as a great animal spotting ground for many wildlife are spotted around to feed on the grasses during drier times and to drink water as well as leaking the salty soils.

Land Scape

The densely forested Mount Marsabit is a an example of a basalt shield volcano and the mountain is peppered with extinct volcanic craters, known as gofs. The craters are lined with stands of juniper and Gof Sokorte Dika lies immediately in front of Marsabit Lodge.

Trekking Marsabit is a good area to explore on foot and there are many interesting hikes out of Marsabit town and there are plenty of interesting local sites within walking distance, including some impressive Volcanic Craters. These deep wells are used to water herds of cattle and of each well means that several men have to descend into the well and use a chain of buckets to transfer water up to the waiting herds.

Weather & Climate

The range of landscapes in this park means there’s a lot of variation in altitude. This in turn means the temperature can change a lot too dropping 6.5°C/3.5°F. Generally, though it stays hot here, certainly in the Dry season but even more so in the heart of the Wet season.

Best time to visit the park

Animals roam far and wide when the park is wet, and those that stay can easily disappear into the dense vegetation making the Wet season October to May not the best time to strap on your binoculars unless birds are your priority. To see other animals out in the open, visit in the drier months when there is a virtual parade of beasts at the crater lakes. Like most of the Kenya’s parks, it is possible to visit Marsabit year- round and see wildlife, however, the best months are when it is dry season, from June to October and December to March.

What to do in Marsabit National Park

The national park also a reserve is surrounded with safari activities that tourists can experience and enjoy during their safari.

Rock Climbing.

Rock climbing is an amazing activity carried out on stark massif of Ol Olokwe south of Marsabit offering some wonderful climbing routes which can be conducted by a trained guide with some good local knowledge.

Game viewing.

Game viewing is best done activity in early morning and late afternoon the park is covered with numerous animals which include; the African elephant, the endangered Grevy’s zebra,

lion, leopard, buffalo, bushbuck, large herds of greater and lesser kudus, common zebra, grant’s gazelles among others plus small antelopes In the midday heat, various animals retreat to the cool of thick undergrowth and turns to be invisible making the park easily be visited from Marsabit town. If you are interested in birding or wildlife just look for a tour operator to offer you specialized guiding and safari services to suit your best need.

Bird watching.

Marsabit national park is highly mentioned as one of the birding safari destinations with 3500 bird species including the grassland and forest bird species, so birders the park is a paradise to fulfil your birding interests by spotting various bird species like the Somali bee- eater, masked lark and Somali sparrow and migratory bird species in the savannah plains, forested areas of the park and during the walk, bird species in the park include African olive pigeon, beard vulture, little grebe, masked lark and among many others.

Where to stay in Marsabit National Park.

Marsabit Lodge

It is located in Marsabit National Park about 620km north of Nairobi and 263km North of Isiolo Town making it one of the best kept wildlife secrets sanctuaries in the world. It was home to the legendary king of Elephants, Ahmed, who died a natural death and whose remains is a major attraction at the National Museum of Kenya in Nairobi. The lodge gives you a great experience of nature, with a quiet environment and an animal view.

Saku guest house

It is situated in Marsabit 30 km from Marsabit National Park featuring accommodation with a fitness centre, free private parking, a garden and a terrace. Boasting room service, this property also provides guests with a water park. Guests can use the spa and a sauna, hot tub and a restaurant. At the resort, rooms have a balcony and the rooms come with air

conditioning and a flat-screen TV. An à la carte or American breakfast is available each morning at the property.

Camping in the 2 public campsites namely Ahmed Campsite which is located by the main Ahmed Gate 3.2 km from Marsabit lodge and Abdul Campsite located by Absul gate and is close to Park HQ. these campsites give you an incredible wilderness experience with the best wildlife and breathing fresh air.

Special Paradise Campsite: a grassy clearing on the shores of Lake Paradise.

How to get to the Marsabit National Park.

By road; From Nairobi, the reserve can be reached via Nanyuki and Isiolo a distance of 620 km. The road is paved up to Isiolo 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 consists of two gets namely; Ahmed and Abdul.

By Air; There is an airstrip at Marsabit, 4km from the Park’s main gate. It is only a two hour and thirty minutes flight from Nairobi and is sufficiently served by a good tarmac airstrip found approximately one kilometre from the town centre of Marsabit.