TURKANA
murals painted by Ethiopian artists. I’m delightfully surprised by how beautiful it is. But now we need to concentrate and gird our loins to cross the infamous Chalbi Desert. The horror stories of cars lost in the desert or stuck for days on end in the sand have dominated our conversation in the days past, and now we’re at the point of no return. After an hour of driving we arrive in Maikona only to realise we’ve passed the worst of it. What happened to the big fearsome desert? Did we use the wrong route? Were we not scared enough? What did we do wrong not to get ourselves stuck? A LEOPARD IN MARSABIT After the anti-climax of our combined fears, it’s now a straight shoot down to Marsabit town. As the tyres finally kiss tarmac for the first time in six days, I swear I hear the car wheeze out a sigh of relief, as do we. After a quick lunch and some down-time, late afternoon finds us in Marsabit National Park where we get to view elephants at one of the crater lakes and also follow a leopard along the road for 15 minutes. Funny how these things happen just when you’re winding down your expectations of a trip. That evening back at the hotel, the highlights of our adventure replay in my mind. Tomorrow we will be back in the city far from the almost other-worldly landscapes of Northern Kenya and Lake Turkana. Some friendships formed and some strengthened, some disappointments and some unexpected surprises, conquering the unknown and choosing to embrace the unfamiliar. This is the very essence of adventure, this is what we seek on the road. Count Teleki would be proud.
PRACTICALITIES:
The road from Nairobi to Ngurunit takes approximately 10 hours. The fenced Lasamu campsite offers basic ablutions and a roof under which to unfurl your sleeping bag, costing Ksh 1,000 per person. Leaving Ngurunit, head towards the wind farm. The road deteriorates after the wind farm as it winds down to the lake shore, and it takes roughly four to five hours to reach Loiyangalani from Ngurunit. Palm Shade offers shaded camping for Ksh 500 per person. The road to Kalacha, initially following the lake before heading east towards North Horr, takes about six hours. Stay at either the AIC Mission, or the Catholic Church, which has basic but comfortable rooms starting at Ksh 800 per person. The following day takes you across the Chalbi desert towards Maikona, and then to Marsabit. The journey takes around five to six hours. It is a seven to eight hour drive back to Nairobi.
NOMAD MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2017
33