Attractions at Marsabit National Park.
Marsabit National Park, is blessed with a number of attractions that are worth visiting.
The Park is known for its Elephants that have impressive tusks. See the endangered Grevy’s zebra. Paradise Lake is home to a wide variety of waterfowl. The singing wells where local tribes go to gather water.
Major wildlife attractions 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, and many other 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 the decree in the ’70s, to demonstrate Kenya’s commitment to wildlife conservation. 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 weight over 300 kg. Black-and-white colobus and blue monkeys are often around as well.
The dense forest makes spotting wildlife very difficult, but fortunately, help is at hand in the form of a couple of natural clearings with semi-permanent lakes, where animal sightings are almost guaranteed.
The park contains some 350 species of birds in total, of which 52 are birds of prey. The cliffs in the northern end of Lake Paradise, in Golf Sokorte Gurda, are home to a number of birds, including Ruppell’s griffon vultures, peregrine falcons, mountain buzzards, black kites, and African fish eagles. Ducks such as garganeys, southern pochards, and teals are found on the lake, which 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 located 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.
The second largest of three crater lakes in Marsabit national park, or more accurately Maar Lake.
It is inside ‘Golf Sokorte Guda’, which is said to be a local Boran word for ‘Big sweet water crater’.
It was dubbed ‘paradise’ by American adventurers Martin and Osa Johnson.
Not far from here is a smaller but similar lake, inside ‘Golf Sokorte Dika’ or ‘Small sweet water crater’ — a popular hangout for elephants and other wildlife.
Together, the two are some of the best places to spot animals, like the rest of the park, are covered in dense forest, especially during hot sunny days, as many wildlife converge here to drink water.
The area around it highly affected by climate, being a lush green during the rains and golden during the drier times.
Bongole Crater
Golf Bongole is a crater(s) and is located in Eastern, Kenya. The estimate terrain elevation above sea level is 845 meters. Golf Bongole is south of Balesa Bongole. With a diameter of 2.5km, 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 as very many wildlife are spotted around to feed on the grasses during drier times and to drink water as well as leaking the salty soils.
Lake Paradise (which attracts game animals such as elephants and buffalo), and Bongole Crater located in the heart of the forest are both local attractions for tourists
Land Scape
The densely forested Mount Marsabit is a fine example of a basalt shield volcano. The mountain is peppered with extinct volcanic craters, known as gofs (the name given to them by the local Borana people). The craters are lined with stands of juniper. Scenic 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. There are plenty of interesting local sites within walking distance, including some impressive Volcanic Craters. Just outside Marsabit are a series of Borana wells. These deep wells are used to water herds of cattle. The depth 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. These wells are found throughout this area and are vital to the survival of the Borana.
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 for every 1,000m/1,000ft you ascend. Generally, though, it stays hot here, certainly in the Dry season (June to September) but even more so in the heart of the Wet season (October to May)