Here is a list of the best places to visit in Turkana County. Turkana County is the second largest of all 47 counties, covering 13% of the Republic of Kenya’s surface. Although only known to a few outsiders, it offers a range of unique landscapes and ecosystems, as well as an impressive, intact traditional culture.
Turkana looks like a vast, empty area on the map of Kenya, but it’s a big draw for adventurers who thrive on challenge. Although the region has an airport, the thrill is in driving, which requires a reliable 4×4 to manoeuvre the craggy roads. Without further ado, here is a list of the top and best places to visit in Turkana County.
Best Places To Visit In Turkana County
1. Central Island
Visit Central Island, one of the gazetted national parks. The island is famous for its unique volcanic landscape and teeming bird life, home to hundreds of species of birds native to Kenya and is also an important flyway passage and stopover for migrant birds from northern Asia and Europe. The birds are essentially supported by plankton masses in the lake, which also feed the fish. A total of 84 water bird species, including 34 migrants, have been recorded here, including huge colonies of nesting egrets, storks, and cormorants, as well as a crater lake that is home to tens of thousands of flamingos.
Depending on weather conditions, it is a 1.5- to 2-hour boat ride from Kalokol Beach. The island has three crater lakes, Flamingo Lake, Tilapia Lake, and Crocodile Lake (reputed to have the highest density of crocodiles in the world). There are numerous walking trails around the island. A hike further uphill along the trails to the highest elevation on the island affords you sweeping views below over the two crater lakes and majestic Lake Turkana.
2. Beaches of Eliye Springs
Eliye Springs’ beaches are undiscovered beauties. They resemble the pristine white sands found along coastal shorelines. Eliye beaches, frequently called “a beach paradise,” were a top destination for local and international tourists in the 1970s. The wealthy would board private aircraft and fly to Kenya to unwind on the beach. Since Turkana is thought to be the “cradle of mankind,” you may expect to find incredible historical sites there. The Turkana Boy, a 1.6 million-year-old skeleton, was discovered in the county and is the oldest human skeleton ever discovered.
A desert safari, swimming, boat cruises, and views of Lake Turkana are some of the beachside pursuits. Your attention will be captured by the stunning scenes of camels quietly moving through the desert sand as you go. On the beach, you may witness a beautiful sunset as the sun descends below the horizon, casting a glorious light across the sky. Seeing the sunrise from the ground to bring in a new day is just as amazing. Also, you will savour the locals’ distinctive culture and cuisine. Spend a few coins in the curio shops to purchase a souvenir. Infinite palm trees line the region and the path leading to the beach. From the air, the region can appear to be outside of Kenya, let alone Turkana.
3. Hot Waterfalls of Kapedo
On arrival in Kapedo, the border town of Baringo and Turkana County, on the road running up from Lake Baringo, visitors will probably rub their eyes in disbelief when they see the major attraction of the region. two hot waterfalls that merge with the Suguta River, creating a huge natural spa with mineral water that is said to cure many skin ailments. A bath in warm water at night or early in the morning is an absolute delight and an unforgettable treat. The waterfall has become a major attraction for visitors from far and wide. It has become a uniting factor in the region as it has brought together the warring Pokot and Turkana communities, who enjoy the warm water
Kapedo itself is a picturesque village where traditional grass-thatched huts prevail. The surroundings also have a lot of charm, with Silali volcano to the east and Tiati Hills to the west, both of which are rewarding hiking terrain. ‘Kapedo’ means a crack between a rock in Turkana.
4. South Turkana National Reserve
When travelling from Kitale to Lodwar, most people drive past Turkana’s largest nature reserve without even sensing what they are missing. South Turkana National Reserve is probably one of the least visited nature reserves in the whole of Kenya, but it is a hidden gem. The chances to meet other tourists there are minimal. You can explore South Turkana by 4WD or on foot. You may see oryx antelopes, gazelles, warthogs, a wonderful birdlife, even lions and leopards, and most prominently: elephants. Animals are shyer and harder to trace than in the popular parks of southern Kenya. The true adventure of South Turkana is its scenic beauty of vast plains with anthills of record-breaking height and singular mountains, anyway. There are crocodiles in the rivers and abundant birdlife, much of which gather on the banks of the Kerio River.
5. Fergusson Gulf
Ferguson’s Gulf might just be Turkana’s best-kept secret. Ferguson Gulf is a huge bay full of shallow water, confined towards Lake Turkana by a sandy ridge overgrown by doum palm trees, a terrific landscape. The gulf provides a passageway to Long’ech Beach, the only vantage point to get unobstructed views of the mighty Lake Turkana while enjoying a perfect beach setting with swimmable, crystal clear waters surrounded by a glittering white sandy expanse. Everybody around seems to be busy fishing, thousands of pelicans, flamingos, and yellow-billed storks, as well as the local fishermen who practice their trade with sailing boats, canoes with outboard engines, or traditional rafts, which supposedly are the most ancient vessels of humankind. It all explains why the nearby town of Kalokol is the centre of Turkana’s fishing industry.
6. Lobolo Swamp of flamingos
Lobolo Swamp is a very scenic oasis along the sandy shores of Lake Turkana. A unique ensemble of dunes, lakescape, doom palm trees, and a swampy lagoon characterise the area of the Lobolo swamp. Myriads of flamingos, holy ibis, and other waterfowl have chosen it as their stomping ground. If you are a bird watcher or merely a nature lover, you will enjoy staying and unwinding here very much. There is an exclusive tented camp near a natural spring covered by a shady palm groove, right on the shores of beautiful Lake Turkana.
7. Lokori Standing Stones and Rock Art
In Lokori, not too far from the banks of the Kerio River, there is one of Turkana’s most impressive archaeological sites, an ensemble of numerous circles of standing stones and two hills bearing mysterious rock art engravings. The local people will insist that the standing stone slabs were once dancers turned into rocks by a wizard, similar to the stories you might have heard at the Namorutunga site near Kalokol. But again, archaeologists suspect other origins. Whether a graveyard or a site with another purpose, it surely must have been a place of important rituals.
8. Nariokotome Turkana Boy monument
It is a prehistoric site located near the shores of Lake Turkana. Turkana County set up a monument that is a replica of the world’s most complete early hominid fossil ever discovered, buttressing Kenya’s position as a key spot in human evolution studies. The monument is erected on a two-acre piece of land at Nariokotome village, located west of Lake Turkana, the world’s largest desert lake.
The monument, which is 130 kilometres from Lodwar town, hosts the most famous hominid site in the world, where the 1.6-million-year-old fossil, later named Turkana Boy, was found. The fossil, which also acquired the name Nariokotome Boy, has stories about it well documented in textbooks and documentaries since its discovery by Mr Kamoya Kimeu, who was part of the Richard Leakey-led team that was surveying the site in 1984
9. Kalokol Standing Stones
People don’t expect a mythical experience right next to a main road. But it may happen at Namorutunga when you drive from Lodwar to Kalokol. A gang of local elders can tell you all about the people of Stone, which is the literal translation of the local name of the site. As the tale goes, the basalt pillars once where people danced were cursed and turned into stone by an angry sorcerer. Archaeologists are not so sure that this is the true origin of the site but rather suspect that it has been a place of worship for approximately 2,000 years.
10. Lake Turkana
The Lake is the most saline lake in East Africa and the largest desert lake in the world, surrounded by an arid, seemingly extraterrestrial landscape that is often devoid of life. The long body of Lake Turkana drops down along the Rift Valley from the Ethiopian border, extending 249 kilometres from north to south and 44 kilometres at its widest point, with a depth of 30 metres. It is Africa’s fourth-largest lake, fondly called the Jade Sea because of its breathtaking colour.
11. Koobi Fora Museum
Lying on the eastern shores of Lake Turkana, Koobi Fora is one of the world’s leading pre-historic sites for the study of the evolution of humankind. The term Koobi Fora means a place of the Commiphora and the source of myrrh, which is a common plant in this hot and arid area. Hominid fossils from the Plio/Pleistocene of Eastern Africa have been recovered from seven localities, of which the most extensive is that east of Lake Turkana. This Koobi Fora site comprises approximately 700 square miles of fluvial and lacustrine sediments, representing a broadly continuous sequence of deposition from the Pliocene (5.0 million) to the Early Pleistocene (1.0 million) years old.
12. Desert Museum Loiyangalani
The Desert Museum, Loiyangalani, which is located on top of a hill with a view of the picturesque Lake Turkana, also known as the “Jade Sea,” opened in June 2008. It focuses on the lives of the residents of the eight communities in the area. Turkana, El-Molo, Rendille, Samburu, Gabra, Watta, Borana, and Dassanach are the eight communities. In recognition of the unique cultures in this region and by its mandate to preserve and promote Kenya’s rich cultural and natural heritage, the National Museums of Kenya decided to establish a museum in the area.
Loiyangalani is a small town on the lake’s southeast coast. Loiyangalani, which means “a place of many trees” in Samburu, is also home to the El Molos, a nearly extinct community. The town grew from a freshwater spring and is known as an oasis in the desert. Because of the unique desert environment and the rich cultural lifestyle of the people of Lake Turkana, it is quickly becoming a tourist attraction. An airstrip, post office, fishing station, campsites, and lodges are among the town’s amenities. The National Museums of Kenya, in collaboration with other partners, organise the Lake Turkana Festival, a cultural festival held annually in Loiyangalani to celebrate the culture of this region and to promote both local and international tourism.
13. Christ the Redeemer Sculpture
Towering conspicuously on top of one of the many hills that overlook Lodwar town, the political seat of Turkana County is a gigantic grey statue of Jesus Christ with his hands spread apart. It is a mirror image of the iconic Christ the Redeemer sculpture that defines Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s capital city, and was built in 1922 to celebrate Brazil’s 100 years of independence from Portugal. In contrast, Lodwar’s statue is a story of Christianity.
The site has the phrase “Porta Caeli” inscribed on its gate, which is a Latin term for “Gate of Heaven.”. According to Rwandese priest, Father Concorde Akimana, who has worked in Turkana for many years, the idea to build the statue was born in 2011.
The climb to the top of the hill is steep and tiring, which is meant to symbolize the tough journey Jesus Christ made when he was crucified. The first stop on the way to the statue represents Jesus’s condemnation before his captors forced him to carry his cross. Along the way up, there is a sculpture depicting a woman in the Bible known as Veronica, wiping Jesus’ face of sweat and tears. The climb up also has a stair section with loose rails that give way to a scary cliff. On the rails, an inscription asks, “What does it profit for a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul?”
Apart from being a holy place, the sculpture is also a tourist attraction whose entry is FREE. The hill was a favourite spot for Kenya’s first president, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, while he was detained in Lodwar. Occasionally, the site plays host to special masses that are conducted by the local Christian faithful.
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