Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Marsabit, Kenya, Africa
Marsabit is a Kenyan town situated in the Eastern Province in the northern part of the country at 2°20′ N 37°59′ E. It is the administrative centre of Marsabit District, located within the Marsabit National Park and Reserve, around 530 km north-northeast of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Marsabit is in the forest area, featuring many volcanoes and crater lakes that attract a large number of adventure and nature enthusiasts year round. Lake Paradise and Bongole Crater are the prime local tourist attractions of Marsabit. The town of Marsabit houses a bank, petrol stations, many shops and restaurants as well as many lodges.
How to reach Marsabit?
Marsabit hosts an airport but flights are not regular, so it is not a recommended option to get Marsabit. The nearest major closest airport to Marsabit is Samburu Airport, which is located around 250 km south of Marsabit, operating flights from Masai Mara and Nairobi, served by Airkenya Express and Safarlink.
Marsabit is situated between the routes of Nairobi–Moyale and there are two buses plying between these routes daily. Marsabit can also be reached by bus from Isiolo, which is situated around 30 km away from Samburu Airport.
Culture, Shopping and Food in Marsabit:
Marsabit is a town with people belonging to different religions, dominated by Christians, who covers 40% of the town’s population and the rest of population is shared between Muslims and other traditional religions.
Marsabit is home to many shops, lodges, a bank, a dry cleaner and restaurants with both traditional and international cuisine.
Things to do in Marsabit:
- Village tours
- Hiking
- Camping
Places of interest in Marsabit:
Marsabit National Park:
Established in 1994, the Marsabit National Park is spread over an area of 1,554 sq. km, located in the vicinity of town of Marsabit. The park is famous among visitors for its zebra population and bird sanctuary.
Lake Paradise:
Lake Paradise is situated to the south of the town of Marsabit and the lake itself is spectacular and also receives loads of elephants and buffalo occasionally.
Losai National Reserve:
The Losai National Reserve is a dense scenic national reserve featuring open plains, riverine woodlands and rocky hills. The reserve covers a total area of 1,806 sq. km, home to a wide range of reptile species including pythons.
Lake Turkana:
The Lake Turkana is not only a natural attraction but also holds many dignities, including the largest permanent desert lake and the largest alkaline lake in the world. It is also home to three national parks, which are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. It is located towards the west of Marsabit.
List of other places of interest in Marsabit includes:
- Meru National Park
- Meru Museum
- Meru National Park
- Chyulu Hills National Park
- Shaba National Reserve
- Buffalo Springs Game Reserve
- Central Island
- Sibiloi National Park
- Desert Museum
- Observation Hill
- Crescent Island Game Park
- Selenkay Conservancy
- Lake Oloidien
- Musiara Swamp
Best time to visit Marsabit:
The best time to visit Marsabit is the months of January and February and between June and August.
Accommodation options in Marsabit:
The town Marsabit itself houses many well facilitated accommodation that caters visitors with lot of love and care with a wide range of traditional as well as modern facilities, including food on request, hot water for bath and 24-hour on-call medical services. Some nice tourist favor hotels in Marsabati are as follows:
- Chicho
- Nomads Trail Hotel
- Malabo Resort
- Ngulia Safari Camp
- Treetops Lodge
- Alba Hotel Meru
- Sarova Shaba Game Lodge
- Meru County Hotel
- Garden Hotel Machakos
- Countryview Hotel
- Offbeat Meru Camp
- Elsa’s Kopje
- Rhino River Camp
- Lewa House
- Amazing Kenya Retreat