National Parks Africa » Marsabit National Park

Marsabit National Park and Reserve is situated in what used to be known as Kenya’s "Northern Frontier District". Marsabit itself is an improbable forested volcanic mountain which rises like an oasis out of the dry black lava-strewn surrounding semi-desert.

Climatic oddity:
The park encompasses the mountain and is only some 20 square kilometres (eight square miles) in extent. The much older surrounding reserve covers approximately 2,100 square kilometres (840 square miles). The eastern slopes of Mount Marsabit are dry and barren, whereas the western slope is covered in perpetual mist and enjoys heavy rainfall which has given rise to dense rainforest. The reason for this climatic oddity is that when hot air blown off the surrounding desert rises and cools over the mountain, clouds are formed and rain occurs.

The mountain microclimate allows for the growth of lush, tropical, evergreen forest in which elephant and greater kudu can be found. Herds of buffalo—some claim a smaller "mountain" variety—are also common.

Ahmed the elephant:
Lake Paradise, at the bottom of one of the mountain’s craters, hosts a variety of waterbirds. Some of the biggest elephant tuckers have lived here, including the famous Ahmed, now sadly dead. Ahmed was renowned for his splendid down-sweeping tusks and was protected by presidential decree. In the late 1970s, just a couple of years before his death, he was assigned a ranger to watch over him and to keep his location known for visitors. From his teeth, it was clear that he was about 65 (old for an elephant), had an abscess on one side of his jaw, and was obliged to chew on the other side. He was on his last set of molars, and their diminishing and smoothing surfaces were clearly incapable of processing the necessary amount of vegetation. So he had the added distinction of being one of the last great tuskers to die a natural death: debilitation caused by undernourishment. His position has been filled by another big tusker known as Mohammed II, who can be seen in the crater swamp in front of the Marsabit Lodge.

Marsabit National Park is 560 kilometres (347 miles) north of Nairobi. The asphalt road finishes at Isiolo which means that 270 kilometres (167 miles) has to be driven on corrugated dirt road. In order to drive to Marsabit one must obtain permits from Provincial Headquarters at Isiolo. From here, it is recommended to drive in convoy and to carry petrol, water and supplies for the journey. Various charter companies at Wilson Airport in Nairobi will arrange flights to the reserve.

Accommodation in the park is provided by the Marsabit Lodge at the edge of the forest, overlooking the swamp and lake in the Sokortre Dika crater. The lodge is comfortable and food is provided as well as lunch boxes for game drives. Nights are cold so asweater is needed for when you are not sitting around the lodge fireplace. Rooms face the crater lake where greater kudu, reticulated giraffe and, if you are lucky, the elusive Lammergeyer can be seen. Campsites are available—the most beautiful is the one located at Lake Paradise.