KENYA

Happy Valley Happy Days

We arrived at the Namanga border crossing and were through both sides within an hour or so. Again the border crossings in Eastern Africa proved again to be more efficient than their Western and Central African counterparts. The customs officer almost didn’t notice the fact that my Tanzanian temporary vehicle import license had expired. When he did, a fine didn’t materialise but I had to pay for another 30 day one that cost US$20.

We were planning to stay with Louise Rose, a friend in Nairobi who was originally from Perranporth, Cornwall, She has been living in Kenya for the past ten years and is currently living in the Karen suburb which is in the south western area of Nairobi. To get there, and avoid the manic traffic, we were advised not to take the main highway, but instead take the rough road from Isinya to Kiserian and then the tar road onto the Langata Road. The first part of the route was pot holed tar, but once we reached Kiserian the going was good. On the way I called Marzio of Ndovu Holdings, who had been highly recommended by a number of people and who was dubbed as ‘the man’ in Nairobi for Land Cruisers We had a brief chat and I agreed to call him on Monday to arrange an appointment for Proper Job. I figured this would be the last reliable place to get work done before reaching Europe.

We met Louise at Galeria, which is one of Nairobi’s major new shopping malls. After a quick bite we followed her back to her house and met her lovely young girls, Evey and Erin, her staff and her five dogs. That evening a barbeque had been arranged and we met a part of her social circle. It was a great gathering and we thoroughly enjoyed the evening drinking Tusker beer and devouring some fine steaks.

The following day we were all a bit jaded, but had things to sort out. First on the list was to get new SIM cards so we headed back to the Galeria shopping mall. We were told by the Safaricom staff that once purchased we had to wait 48 hours for the SIM cards to be properly activated so we could receive text messages and calls. Sounded like a familiar theme but we had little choice but to sit it out. Nairobi is well stocked with shops and malls and one can pretty much get anything here. That evening we went to the Karen Blixen Restaurant and ate some more great steaks. Karen Blixen is famous in these parts for her novel Out of Africa and for the many charities she participated in.

Monday morning I rang Marzio who said he could only have a look at Proper Job on Wednesday. I had not wanted to stay in Nairobi for so long but booked the Wednesday slot anyway. Later, speaking with Louise, I decided to go to another ‘expat favourite’ called Bush Rover that is owned and run by Salim. We drove to his work shop on Karen Road and found he could do a service immediately. We jumped at the opportunity and, leaving Proper Job, grabbed a taxi into the Junction Mall which is close to the well known overland haunt called Jungle Junction. We double checked in a Safaricom shop whether the 48 hour story was watertight and were told that they would activate the SIM cards immediately on their computer. Of course there was a current problem with the network, but they would call us when it was done. I bought a pair of safari shorts to replace my other pair that is so tattered I could not even give them away. That done we had lunch and drove back to Bush Rover to pick up Proper Job. Salim is very much hands on and it was nice to know that he personally test drove Proper Job. He concluded that, apart from wearing brake pads, everything was fine. We then headed back towards Karen and went to a supermarket to stock up for our trip to the Tsavo National Park. Later that afternoon we visited Louise’s in-laws and ate a very tasty fish dinner before retiring for the evening.

The following morning we said goodbye to Louise and her girls and drove out of Nairobi along the main road towards Mombasa. We were very grateful to the hospitality shown to us by Louise and her staff and look forward to meeting again on our return to Nairobi. Some hours later we arrived at Mitto Andei gate, which is the northernmost entry into the Tsavo West National Park.

It was here, in the Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary, where the David Sheldrick Trust releases their orphan rhino’s back into the wild. I was hoping to see Shida, the black rhino I had recently sponsored. Shida has quite a life story; having fought off a pack of hyenas from his dying mother for many hours when he was only a few months old. He clearly had a lot of go in him and he was nine years old when released into the wild. Unfortunately, upon release, he had tangled with a young elephant upon and had almost killed it. Luckily no real damage was done, but Shida obviously still has a lot of aggression. Hopefully this would hold him in good stead for his new life in the wild.

After purchasing our permits we proceeded along a dirt road towards the Chyula camp site which lay about 40km to the south west. The road was not bad but we saw very few animals along the way, which was quite disappointing. When we arrived at the camp we found ourselves to be the only campers. The campsite is well located and has individual bandas (open wooden huts) including a banda for the barbeque, which is the first time I had seen this. That evening I made a fire and we cooked our rump steaks and boerewors whilst watching a fierce storm over northern Tanzania. Luckily it did not come our way and we had a restful night back in the comfortable roof tent. That evening we finished off our last four cans of the super Namibian beer called Windhoek Lager. We had purchased these just before heading into Mozambique and I am really surprised those two cases had lasted as long. During the night we heard a couple of hyenas, which later came to our camp and scoffed the leftovers.

The following morning we left the camp at 8am and headed towards an area we had been told was good for game. We went through the impressive black Lave Hills and then stopped at the crystal clear Mzima Springs, the water source that supplies Mombasa. Again we didn’t see that much game, but did see a pair of Secretary birds on the hunt. They are interesting to watch as they stomp through the grasslands flushing out things to eat. They can kill fairly large snakes but we only saw them catch a small one. We needed to find somewhere to stay that evening and decided to try out the Ngulia Lodge, which is highly recommended by the Lonely Planet. On the way to the lodge we took a number of small tracks and came across a lone male mane-less lion. It looked a bit odd, but then again this is the area the legendary mane-less man-eating lions of the Tsavo killed and ate 138 people that were constructing the railroad. John reckoned, after reading the write up in the Lonely Planet, that these lions are real goers as they have more testosterone in them than all other African lions. The one we saw, with its scraggy looks didn’t inspire such a romantic notion however.

We pulled into the hillside located Ngulia Lodge where we stumbled onto four lions that had unsuccessfully hunted buffalo in front of the lodge the evening before. The lodge rates are very good value and it is the cheapest ‘luxury lodge’ in Tsavo. Our stone cabin overlooked the watering hole where the lions were lying as if waiting to ambush anything that came down for a drink. We were hopeful of some action later that evening.

Later that afternoon we headed out on another game drive and took a number of loops. We saw quite a few red laterite coated elephants that looked very picturesque against the green landscape. The bird life suddenly got really good as there was a large hatch of flying ants after the recent rains. Unfortunately there were also places where swarms of the dreaded tsetse flies were, and we both got a couple of bites from these aggressive insects.

We continued slowly along the track viewing many different bird species when suddenly we came across a very unusual sight. Two large snakes lay on the road in front of us. One was a fat 4ft puff adder and the other a 7ft black mamba. The odd thing was that they were lying right next to each other on the road. The mamba took off immediately we approached whilst the puff adder remained motionless and I wondered whether it had been killed by the mamba. After some minutes, I got my mono pod, leant out of the window and gave it a light prod. It immediately became aggressive and slithered off the road and into the bush. We could only ponder that the puff adder had come too close to the mamba’s lair and was being ushered away. .

We headed back to Ngulia Lodge and sat on our veranda watching the lions and hoping something would come down to drink. Unfortunately, as the light faded, nothing had approached and the lions disappeared into the darkness. The following morning there was no sign of them so clearly they had moved on to more prospective sites. We had now seen 52 lions on our travels through Africa. The next morning we decided to complete the same route we had taken the previous afternoon and again saw quite a lot of animals. We were really surprised when we suddenly came upon the same black mamba in exactly the same place as the previous day. Again, it rapidly disappeared into the bush before we could take a picture. They don’t get their speedster reputation for nothing. We returned to the lodge and had an early lunch before heading eastwards towards the Tsavo gate from where we would drive to the coast north of Mombasa. We agreed to take one of the friendly staff to the town of Voi as he needed to visit the dentist. Luckily for us, he showed us the smooth route along the fence line of the Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary. The smooth surface lasted about half way to the gate before turning into a rough corrugated bone shaking road.

Going along the Rhino Sanctuary fence I wondered how Shida was doing. Later that day I checked my emails to discover Shida had tragically died a few days before from a wound inflicted during a fight with a wild black rhino. What a pity, after having survived much hardship. My sponsorship had now been switched to a new baby black rhino called Solio which was still in Nairobi.

A few hours later we arrived at Watumu, a beachside village located a couple of hours north of Mombasa. We reached Watumu via a recommended short cut which led us through a rural landscape along a dirt track. It would have been much more pleasant if it wasn’t for the rain storm we hit half way along the track. The rain ran in rivers down the road and it slowed our progress considerably. I hoped that the rains would not continue for the next few days as that same road would be much worse on the return journey. Watumu is the well known for its fabulous big game fishing and is where you can catch some of the biggest blue marlins in the world. I wanted to try my luck again at a marlin but knew one had to be very fortunate to hook one of these monsters. Watumu is also where Hemingways Resort, owned by Cornish man Dicky Evans (sponsor of the Cornish Pirate rugby team) is located. Hemingways has four deep sea game fishing boats so we booked one for the day at a cost of US$750. It sounds expensive, but if you hook into a big blue marlin it becomes immaterial as the action is so thrilling (so I have been told because remember I have never caught one).

We checked into the all-inclusive Turtle Beach Lodge that is highly recommended by the Lonely Planet. It was alright for a couple of nights but is not my type of place as there were way too many people. And the all inclusive thing, no. The following day we headed up the coast to Malinga where we finally got our SIM cards working properly. On the way back to Watumu we visited a very good Snake Park and later saw a 650lb blue marlin at Ocean Sports next to Hemingways that had been caught that day. The rules here are thankfully catch and release, but unfortunately this one had died during the long battle.

The following morning at 6.30am we checked out of Turtle Beach Lodge and drove to Hemingways where we met our skipper, a South African called Stuart, and boarded the boat. A few minutes from shore, whilst chatting to Stuart, I realised that, although we had been told we could extend our trip once out there, we would not be going to the marlin zone. Stuart explained the set up and we quickly decided to turn around and go back to shore to grab his big marlin lures. A few minutes later we were on our way to a deep shelf 20 miles offshore. A few miles before reaching the area we started trolling with 7 fishing rods. After a while we caught a couple of small tuna and a decent dorado. Marlin fishing is all about patience and you need a lot of it. The conditions were perfect and the ocean was pretty flat. A couple more hours went by as we continued trolling up and down the deep shelf. Suddenly we had a savage strike on one of the rods and I instantly leapt into action and down the steps to the fighting chair. At the same time I was trying to psyche myself up for what I knew would be a long exhausting battle that could last for hours. The reel screamed as line was rapidly peeled off. Stuart screamed blue marlin somewhere around 500lb and gunned the boat engines. The line suddenly stopped and the deck hand who still had the rod in his hands turned to us and said it’s gone. I had a strange sensation, almost of relief, that I would now not be battered and exhausted by a long battle with one of the oceans prize fighters. I also realised that this could well be the only marlin strike of the day.

We continued trolling around the area but no other strikes were had. We heard from another boat that they had caught a sailfish and a striped marlin a few miles away. We slowly made our way to that area. An hour later two of our rods had strikes and we both leapt into action. We had hooked two sailfish in what fishermen call a ‘double header’ and they leapt from the sea with their big sail like dorsal fins fully open. It was an awesome sight and after ten minutes we both reeled them in. We estimated they weighted around 50lb each. They were both tagged and released.

We continued our search for a marlin but again no luck. We then came across a buoy from a commercial fishing boat and suddenly we were getting strikes on all the rods. We had come across a shoal of dorado and these beautifully coloured fish surrounded the boat. The action was fast and furious and it was great fun fighting these acrobatic fish. We must have caught ten of them between us and the deck hands put them into the fish hold to take back to shore. However, we were in search of the big one so left the shoal and continued our quest for the marlin. Unfortunately, like I quietly suspected when we lost the marlin we hooked at 9am that morning, we did not get another chance. At 4pm we called it a day and headed back to shore. We had a good day and were thankful for what we had caught. The big marlin would have to wait for another day.

That evening we headed to a couple of bars to catch up with Stuart and some of his fishing buddies. The night turned into a long one and we got back to Hemingways in the early hours. We had decided to head down the coast that morning on our way back towards Nairobi. We drove to a pretty seaside town called Kalifi and pulled into a nice lodge where we negotiated a reduced rate for a night. That afternoon we crashed and caught up with lost sleep.

The following morning we made our way along the same dirt road we had come in on. We drove for 90 minutes through scenic rural countryside before hitting the main tar road from Mombasa to Nairobi. Some hours later we arrived in Nairobi and made our way to the Jungle Junction camp, which is one of the most popular overland meeting points in East Africa. When we arrived we found the place full of vehicles. Looking around I suddenly noticed our old friends, Jane and David of The Lizzybus, whom we had met a few times in west and central Africa. It was nice to see them again and we enjoyed a couple of beers recounting what we had all been up to since our last meeting in Namibia. A few travellers were still awaiting their Ethiopian visas via courier from Europe. A few months ago the embassy in Nairobi had ceased issuing visas and now the only place to get them is from your country of origin. Luckily we had got ours whilst back in the UK over the Christmas period.

The following morning we decided to visit the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage which starts its daily program at 11am. Besides sponsoring a black rhino which as previously explained had recently died, I also sponsored a baby elephant called Mutara. It was very interesting to listen to the ranger explaining the way they prepare the young elephants for release into the Tsavo NP. We saw the elephants playing together and being fed. I asked a ranger to point out Mutara and enquired about my ‘replacement’ baby rhino called Solio. He explained that because Solio had been so well taught by its mother to stay in the bush like normal wild rhinos until after 3pm, they did not want to break this pattern. Hence we could not see him unless we came back later. On the way back to the Jungle Junction I got Proper Job power washed in preparation for going to Ndovu Holdings the following morning for its final check over before heading westwards and then northwards to Ethiopia. Nairobi is probably the last place to get quality work done before Europe so I was keen to have Marzio give Proper Job a thorough once over.

The following morning we left Jungle Junction and drove to Ndovu Holdings where we met Marzio and explained a few things that needed looking at. He invited us into the work shop to see them perform the initial test work. This involved having a few workers rock Proper Job violently back and forward and side to side whilst Marzio watched underneath and listened. He gave instructions to the mechanics and then took us for a tour of his premises. He is a keen rally driver and showed us a Ferrari he was preparing for the East Africa Rally. Apparently it will be the first Ferrari ever entered. He also prepares vehicles for National Geographic crews. Marzio clearly knows much about off road vehicles. Later that afternoon we went around to Louise’s house and she kindly offered for us a room. We had arranged to pick Proper Job up in the morning.

The following morning we took a taxi to Ndovu Holdings and met with Marzio. I was pleased to hear him declare that Proper Job was in good health and had clearly not been thrashed on our journey around Africa. Marzio has a stellar reputation in East Africa and I recommend him to other over landers. The best way to contact him is on mobile number 0733 713368 or +254 555598. We then dropped into Louise’s house to deliver a couple of bottles of fine South African red wine and then headed westwards towards Lake Naivasha.

Lake Naivasha was infamous as being the heart of ‘Happy Valley’ in Kenya during the height of colonialism. When we arrived a couple of hours later it was easy to see why. Once you leave the main road you arrive at the lake’s scenic tree lined shore. We had been recommended to stay at Carnellys which is located right on the shoreline. The camp is very nice and has many large trees. It has a great bar and restaurant and deserves its fine reputation. We enjoyed our two nights stay there and found the staff very efficient and friendly.

We then headed to Lake Nakuru National Park which lies further to the northwest. We had heard that it was the best place to se rhinos and flamingos so decided to camp for one night inside the park. Again the entrance fee and camping were expensive and it keeps on reminding me how good value the South African national parks are. We drove down the western shore line and saw huge flocks of pelicans, but not so many flamingos. The game viewing is easy and we came across a lot of buffalo. The rhinos were also there in numbers and we saw at least twenty during our time in the park. We had a look at the camp site near the main entrance gate and found it quite unappealing so we decided to head down to the Makalia Falls campsite. We arrived around lunch time to find just one tent set up. We decided to have a bite to eat, and soon regretted it. The camp has a bad reputation for its baboons which have lost their fear of humans. Anyone that knows these animals will realise the seriousness of this. A large male baboon approached us and sat 20 metres away and watched our lunch making. After we had finished one sandwich it got up and walked straight towards us without blinking an eye. We figured it would veer away, but it didn’t and when it was a metre from us we moved to the side and it calmly walked up to the tailgate and picked up the remaining sandwich, then paused and also picked up the loaf of bread. A car then drove in and some Kenyans casually threw more food at the baboons. I remonstrated with them but they didn’t get it. Now the only way to deal with the baboon problem is to kill them, but I doubt the Kenyan authorities will bother.

Furthermore, there were no park camp attendant and also no running water and, with this additional hazard, we decided to abandon this camp site and go to the one by the main gate. On the way back to the northern end of the park we bumped into Dave and Jane of the Lizzybus and warned them of the problems at Makalia Falls camp. Later they joined us in the other camp and confirmed that the big male baboons were still prowling around the other camp. The Nakuru Park is scenic and you do see huge flocks of birds and an array of animals. However, it is not worth staying overnight as the camp sites offer no value for the money. It should be treated as a day visit only and I would say that it is probably the most disappointing national park we have stayed in so far.

The following morning we drove out of the park and headed westwards through the scenic and spectacular Rift Valley. We climbed up the western escarpment to Eldoret, which sits at 2500 metres above sea level. The climate is noticeably cooler here and the wind was quite strong. We drove to the much vaunted Naiberi Camp, located about 17km outside of Eldoret. The campsite is an absolute gem of a place to stay and is super value. The sloped gardens are well laid out with bandas and the restaurant is tastefully designed. I immediately liked the place and decided to stay for some days to chill out. The food is great value and the staff polite and professional. Later that afternoon the Lizzybus also turned up and set up camp.

Raj, the pony tailed owner who looks like he came from the set of the Last of The Mohicans, is from one of the oldest Indian families in Eldoret and is a very sociable fellow, Often, he will be the last to leave the bar and you can wile away the hours chatting with him. He also has great enthusiasm and can help out with many things, including fixing problems with your vehicle. Besides the camp, he has a large textile factory in Eldoret with an excellent mechanic shop. He has ‘re-fixed’ many overland vehicles that have had shoddy work done on them in Nairobi. The grounds are full of bird life and there is an all year river running through the bottom end of the gardens. There is also a nice swimming pool, and all this for just £4 per person night. The Naiberi Camp is definitely in my top five camp sites in Africa.

The next day we drove into town and bought a few items from Nakumet super store. These Kenyan super stores have just about everything in them and the food stuff is excellent quality and blows Shoprite away for value. We then visited Eldoret’s famous cheese factory and bought a chunk of lovely mature cheddar. On the way back to Naiberi we decided to fill up with diesel and surprisingly found most garages empty. After three tries we eventually found a Total garage with diesel. We headed back to the camp and had another pleasant evening in the bar chatting with Raj and a number of over-landers on their way to Uganda.

The following morning, after adding a few more ticks into my Africa Bird book that took the total identified so far to almost 500, I met with Raj’s friend called Ash. I thought they were brothers at first glance as Ash also has a pony tail and is from another of Eldoret's oldest Indian families. Ash offered to take me on a walk through an ancient forest that borders his property some 5km away from the Naiberi Camp. In fact Ash, with Raj, built and ran the Naiberi Camp for over 15 years. He is, like Raj, a very laid back and sociable guy. I jumped on the back of his trail bike and we drove along the dirt roads to his property. He showed me around his house which is still in construction and then he arranged for one of his staff to take me into the forest. I spent a couple of very enjoyable hours walking through this cool ancient forest. At around 3pm Ash dropped me back at the Naiberi Camp and we had a quick snack in the bar before he headed back to Eldoret. I wish him all the best with his project, which includes a 15,000 tree planting project that his Canadian wife is heading up.

That afternoon Venu and Anita, some other over land friends arrived. They are doing almost the same route as me, but the other way around. We had a fun evening catching up with them and then watched Man Utd knock Chelsea out of the Championship League. The next morning Venu and Anita were planning to leave to go to Uganda. However, after a late breakfast, they decided to stay for another day, which is an easy decision to make in paradise Naiberi. We all enjoyed the extra time together and spent a few hours that evening with the entertaining Raj.

The next morning we all said our farewells to Raj and departed Naiberi. Seriously, if you are going through Eldoret you have to stop here. After buying some nice rump steaks in town we headed northwards along a tar road to Lake Baringo, which is one of the only freshwater lakes in the Rift Valley. When you descend down the escarpment you are treated to some wonderful views. This really is a nice part of Kenya. When you reach the bottom the temperature rises dramatically and you really miss the cool climate of Eldoret. For a couple of hours we drove along the plains of the valley before climbing another escarpment. With my new driving instructions from Marzio, I was no longer having any problems with gear box overheating on steep long climbs. Basically, use the gearbox as you would a manual gear box; stick it in 2^nd and climb.

Later that afternoon we reached Roberts Camp on the shores of Lake Baringo. There were a few campers there and we soon found a flat shady camp spot. A couple of hours later the Lizzybus turned up and pulled into the adjacent camp spot. It is hard to get excited about a camp site after Naiberi Camp, but this is a good place when compared to all the other places we have stayed. It has many trees and is right on the shore. A sign warns you of hippos and crocs that come into the camp during the night. That evening we heard the hippos munching but could not see any. The next morning, the Lizzybus decided to leave for Maralal, the first stop (and last fuel stop) on the long rough trek to Lake Turkana. We would also go to Lake Turkana, but had decided to go 300km eastwards first to visit the Samburu National Park. Later that morning, I met with Moses who is a friend of Raj at Naiberi. He is also a guide and I arranged to go on a guided bird tour to the nearby rocky cliffs later that afternoon. Roberts Camp is alive with bird life and I don’t think I have seen so many species in a camp since the Lower Sabi in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. I had a great walk with Chris, one of Mosses’ specialists. When I came back to camp I drank 3 litres of water and didn’t realise how dehydrated I was from the walk across the savannah like landscape to the cliff and back.

We ate dinner at the restaurant and made plans for our trip to Samburu. I needed to go to the loo and walked down the path to the toilet block. It was dark and as I walked I glanced to the side and noticed a big dark blob. I stopped and starred into the gloom. I suddenly realised it was a hippo and it was no more than 20 metres away. I rapidly retraced my steps to the restaurant, where a guard warned me that there was a hippo also to my right. It was only 8pm and no one had expected them to come out of the lake this early. After dinner I left Johnny to finish his beer and was escorted back to Proper Job where I quickly climbed into the roof tent. An hour later I heard some munching noises outside and looked through the window to see two hippos grazing where the Lizzybus was the night before. They were only a few metres away and by the time John turned up they had disappeared.

The following morning we left Roberts Camp and started our long journey eastwards along dirt roads to Samburu. The drive around the northern end of Lake Baringo and across the deserted savannah was really something special. We only saw one car, one motor bike and one tractor during the whole journey. We drove through a couple of villages along the way and were impressed with the gorgeous costumes of the Massai people. Vibrant, colourful and armed with spears these serious looking people really looked the part in this remote part of Kenya. The dirt road was generally in good condition, but became rocky when going up and down the series of ridge like plateaus. The last 60km were rougher as this road was used by trucks. Eventually, after 6 hours driving through a deserted landscape, we made it to the tar road which led southwards towards. It is instantly calming when reaching a tar road after so many hours driving on dirt roads where one had to concentrate at all times. We needed more fuel and as our only option was Isiolo, just south of Samburu National Park, we decided to stay at the Bemon Hotel that evening. That evening we ate at the Hills Restaurant and watched Man Utd loose to Man City in the FA Cup semi final. If only Berbatov had scored one of those easy goals he missed in the first 20 minutes, the game would have gone Unt’s way.

The following morning we headed back to the Samburu National Park where we paid our US$120 entrance fee. We told them we would only decide on the camping once we had seen the camp sites as we did not want another episode like we had in the Nakuru NP. We drove along the river, which had some water still in it from the rains they had had three days ago. We saw elephants and a number of other animals, including the strange looking long necked antelope called a Gerenuk. We found the camp site where, upon our arrival, a number of big baboons turned up and approached. We knew this would turn out like Nakuru and quickly decided to skip camping. We concluded that the problem with baboons seems to be in parks that are frequented by day visitors. Later we reached one of the gates that leads into the adjacent Buffalo Springs and spoke to one of the guards. She told us that two leopards had been spotted a couple of kilometres away so we turned around and went looking for them. After some time we came across another vehicle near a tree and indeed one of the leopards was there. The other vehicle left and we stayed with the leopard for over one hour. At one stage it came down from the tree and rank at a nearby water hole, which was great to see. Every now and then it would make a loud call that sounded like the cutting of a log with a saw. It stayed in the tree for most of the time, until after an hour it leapt down and slipped into the bushes. We drove around the tracks trying to relocate it but to no avail. It had slinked out of sight, and was a good reminder of how easy it is for them to hide from humans. We went back to the gate and spoke to the same guard and asked if we could stop there to make a cup of tea. She kindly directed us to a camp site next to the bridge where we boiled some water. A number of vervet monkeys were in the trees and they are real thieves if you don’t watch carefully. Whilst the water was boiling I took a pineapple from the back of the car and placed it on the tailgate to cut up. I turned my back for a second and heard some rustling behind me. As I spun around, I saw two of them running off with the pineapple. Thankfully it had gone soft but they didn’t mind in the slightest. Anyway, that said we drove around for a couple more hours and then headed back to the Bemon Hotel in Isiolo for the night. The park is a good place to visit and has great scenery and a good array of animals. For me, sharing an hour with a leopard was something special.

The following morning we drove the 100km along beautiful tar road northwards from Isiolo. Some 30km before our turn off through the Katsui Dessert we hit the start of the notorious Moyale road. It certainly lived up to its reputation and we were glad when we took the turn into the desert. The desert road started as firm compact sand that was a pleasure to drive along. The scenery again was not to disappoint and we drove through some remarkable landscapes. After an hour or so we reached an area of deep sand and detoured along tracks the locals had taken to avoid the obvious bogging down. We drove through areas where we wondered if humans had ever ventured. We did not see any wildlife and the further we drove the sparser the vegetation. Along the way we drove through numerous dried river beds, some of them with concrete runs and others without. I would not like to have driven this route in the heavy rains but so far we have been lucky.

The landscape was desolate but strangely very beautiful. Occasionally we came across a village with immaculately dressed people. We took a wrong turning at a village located along a particularly stunning barren mountain range and stopped to ask for assistance. Some warrior attired men came over and after some banter and hand shaking they showed us the way to South Hor, which is on the main dirt road to Lake Turkana. After four hours of driving we reached South Hor and turned northwards.

As we approached Lake Turkana the road became very rocky which slowed our pace drastically. By now the vegetation had completely disappeared and we were surrounded by a burnt other-worldly lava landscape. I have never seen the like. The nearest comparison is far north western Namibia. Eventually, we rounded a corner and came across the ‘jade lake’. Nothing really prepares you for this oasis of colour in this harshest of landscapes. We dropped down to the lake in first gear along a rocky road and drove a further 20km along the black rocky shore to the Palm Shade Camp. The middle of the lake is dominated by a jet black volcanic island that extrudes jaggedly from the green waters.

We arrived at the camp and found our friends the Lizzybus already set up. We had arranged to meet them here to discuss the route we would take in convoy across to Ethiopia. One concern we had was the rains. We had heard that they had already started in the north and this meant that the remote Banya Fort crossing would be tough. The camp had also not seen any over-landers arrive via that route for a couple of weeks. The backup plan was the route eastwards across the Chalbi Desert along an apparent compact sand road that leads to Marsabit which lies on the main road to the Moyale border crossing. This 160km route was something not to be attempted in the rainy season but we had been told recently that they had not yet arrived in this part of Kenya.

That evening I greased the prop shafts and gave Proper Job the once over before the long journey across the desert. The wind is consistently strong and warm on Lake Turkana and, drinking cold beers, we had a fun evening chatting to the drivers from a safari tour group.

The following morning we ate a quick breakfast and headed down along the eerie rocky lake shore for 30km before heading eastwards into the desert along a road to the north of South Hor. Proper Job set off first and we agreed to stop every hour to have a break and allow the two vehicle convoy to keep together. The first 50km was glorious firm compact narrow sand road through a wild harsh landscape. We saw very little wild life. After another 20km we came to the first signs that there had been some heavy rains here in the last day or so. I immediately feared we would come across areas where the route would become impassable because of mud. There were signs of vehicles sinking deeply into the mud and we soon had to make a detour from the track so as to avoid a particular treacherous area. However, we were in luck as the rains were probably from a couple of days ago and the sun had dried most of the muddy areas into a passable roadway. We continued through this wetter area for another 10km and eventually emerged into a drier sandy region.

As we approached Marsabit National Park the sand road was replaced by a rocky one. This slowed us down drastically and we crawled along at 20kmph for the last 20km that snaked its way up through a craggy series of hills. The clouds had gathered and we had some rain, but thankfully it was here and not in the middle of the desert. The whole journey from Lake Turkana to Marsabit across the desert was a brilliant experience full of fabulous unforgettable landscapes.

Upon reflection we had made the right choice to cross the Chalbi desert and not to go northwards from Lake Turkana and across to Ethiopia via the Banya Fort crossing. However, I would not attempt the desert crossing once the rainy season was in full swing as it would be impassable.

We spent a night in a small motel in Marsabit and prepared for the last push to the Ethiopia border and across the Moyale crossing. By taking the trip from Isiolo to Lake Turkana across the desert and back again across the desert to Marsabit we had saved seven hours of the miserable corrugated road that leads to Moyale. We had been told that from Marsabit to the border the road gets better and we should be able to do it in about 6 hours.

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