Northern Kenya

Northern Kenya is the huge area straddling the borders with Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia and home to various tribes that still hold on to their traditional way of living. Some of the most interesting people are part of the Boran, El-Molo, Gabra, Merille, Rendille, Samburu and Turkana tribes. Northern Kenya's landscape offers a great variety. There are large areas of desert with scattered with dry thorn trees, but comes to live after the scarce but violent rains. There are cool mountains and oases with lush vegetation. Kenya's largest lake, Lake Turkana is in the northwest of the country. Two of the animal species seen often in the area, but not in other parts of the country, include Grevy's zebra and the reticulated giraffe.

National parks such as Buffalo Springs, Maralal, Marsabit, Meru and Sanburu are found in Northern Kenya.

Public transportation is only available on a few routes in the north. They include Kitale-Lodwar, Nyahururu-Maralal-Baragoi and Marsabit-Moyale. Other areas can only be reached if you have your own transportation, but fuel is available at a few places only.

Southwest of Lake Turkana, when you come from the northern Cherangani Hills, the landscape changes abruptly into endless plains. Ortum is the main town in the area. Many kilometers of empty plains cover the area between Ortum and Lokichar to the north. Traveling further north you will come to Lodwar and Lake Turkana.

On the eastern side of the lake there are two main routes that are regularly served by buses, matatu (minibuses) and trucks. Connections are infrequent and erratic though. One road runs from Nairobi via Nakuru, Nyahururu, Maralal, Baragoi and South Horr to Loyangalani on Lake Turkana, while the other route is more to the east and goes from Nairobi via Isiolo, Laisamis and Marsabit, north to Moyale on the Ethiopian border. You can also go northwest from Marsabit to North Horr and from there a road leads south to Loyangalani. Traffic on both routes goes in convoy to deter bandits from attacking.

There are three national reserves in the area, all just north of Isiolo.