Marsabit National Park & Reserve
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Mt Marsabit
Mt Marsabit

Marsabit National Park is a national park and reserve located at Mount Marsabit in Northern Kenya and covers an area of 1500 km2 which 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 water in the region.

The area contains a number of extinct volcanic craters, which are covered in forests. The three spectacular crater lakes 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.

Lake Paradise - Marsabit
Lake Paradise

Mt Marsabit, a gradual steep and mist-capped beauty covered by the forested realms of Marsabit National Park, is another beautiful scenery. From the peak of the mountain is a glorious view of Marsabit town. At the bottom of the mountain lies a paradise of scenic crater lakes and swamps, gigantic trees and dazzling array of wildlife.

This is one of Kenya’s most quiet and remote national parks. It is also one of the most famous of Kenya safari parks that requires lots of patience to find wildlife in the bushy centre of the park. Despite being arid, few wildlife to be expected in this dry region among them elephants, greater kudu, reticulated giraffe, buffalo, bushbuck, leopard, Grevy’s Zebra (found only in the northern Kenya) hyenas and antelope species.

The reserve is also known because of large elephants like the famous Ahmed, an elephant that was provided with a 24-hour protection by a presidential order. Ahmed, who boasted some of the biggest tusks ever recorded, died at age 55, and his body was preserved and is now on display in Nairobi National Museum.

The heart of the park is the extensive forest which supports wildlife. The thick forest does not make for great game viewing so it requires lots of your time which will ultimately be rewarded.

Birding is also great with some rare birds on record. Lake Paradise is an enchanting spot and a good place to camp, although there are no facilities here. This is also where most of the reserve’s water birds hang out. The reserve has a unique and diverse birdlife of over 370 species that include the Somali ostrich, the rare masked lark and over 52 species of raptors.

Nearby is Losai National Reserve, opened as a single reserve in January, 1976. It covers 1,806 sq. kms. of wild, semi – desert landscape characterized by rocky hills, plains and rivers. The scenic beauty is breathtaking; game to view include elephant, Greater and Lesser Kudu, Gerenuk and Grants Gazelle.

Losai National Reserve is a restricted tourism area, having formerly been a habitat for black rhino and elephants. Losai is characterized by rugged terrain; a lava plateau with scattered volcanic plugs covered with thorn bushes. Its relative isolation and inhospitable terrain make it very difficult to visit, even in a four-wheel drive vehicle.

On the west side of the national reserve there is the magnificent Ol Doinyo Lekinyo Mountains as well as the Ndoto Mountains. There also is a wide variety of animal species in Losai national reserve. Losai National Reserve gives one of the ultimate jungle and wilderness experience. This is because it is virtually in the middle of nowhere. For adventure lovers, Losai is the ultimate destination.

Animals such as elephants, the greater and lesser kudu and gazelles can easily be spotted in the park. Reptiles such as pythons, cobras and lizards are also common in Losai game reserve due to the hot humid weather that the reptiles prefer. It is also easy to note that there are a large number of insects such as grasshoppers, beetles and scorpions.