Travel Guide Marsabit National Park

In Marsabit Park, you will evolve in an extraordinary oasis of greenery lost in the middle of a desert deprived of any life. Suddenly, like a mirage, Paradise Lake will appear before you... A simply enchanting place.The park covers the upper part of the mountain (about 20 km²), while the Marsabit National Reserve covers a much larger area (about 2,000 km²). The park consists of dense forest and three small volcanic lakes (called gofs). This oasis of greenery in the middle of the desert is obviously home to a rich fauna (great kudu, buffalo, leopards, caracals, giraffes, zebras, lions and some elephants) but difficult to observe. Although very little frequented, the site is absolutely superb.Most of the time, the visitor will have the impression to have the park all to himself, which makes the visit particularly pleasant. The park itself is small and can be covered in a day. The ideal tour is to go around the park and pass by the three crater lakes. These three enchanting sites, surrounded by forests, offer wonderful views of the desert and are home to a large variety of wildlife and bird species. The largest lake, Gof Bongole (third from the gate), is the best place to observe animals, as the vegetation is less dense. But the most admirable of the three is the famous Lake Paradise (aptly named). The view of Lake Paradise (in Borana "Socreti Diko", which means big lake) from the top of the perfectly shaped ridges of the crater is a unique sight, and the main interest of the park.For a few years, the park has been taken in hand, the tracks have been redone and are maintained, a camping area has been built just at the entrance of the park, a small museum has been built, and the staff in charge of the reception of the visitors entirely devoted to give back its letters of nobility to this beautiful park long neglected.