Through the Kerio Valley to Lake Baringo

Hello everyone,

On Saturday, I went to Lake Baringo with Steve, his family (wife and 2 children), and one of his friends. The drive takes about 1.5-2 hours without any major stops.

On the way there, we drove through the Kerio Valley, the Grand Canyon of Kenya, and made a quick stop at the Chebloch Gorge tourist attraction. Here, between the cliffs, you could see a small river called the Kerio River running through deep gorges. I was told that this area used to be full of water, up to the top of the cliffs. Unfortunately, it is now almost completely dried up. As a little attraction, a few local boys jumped down into the 15-meter-deep gorges into the river for a small fee.

After the Chebloch Gorge, we continued to Kabarnet, the birthplace of Kenya's second president, Daniel Arap Moi. Here, we visited a small museum with exhibits on human evolution and the culture of the Baringo District. The museum also has a small reptile zoo, where we saw some snakes and turtles.

We reached our main destination after lunch. By the way, we had Ugali with Nyama Choma (Roasted Meat) for lunch.

Initially, we wanted to go to Lake Bogoria, which is not far from Lake Baringo. It is known for its geysers and especially for its high population of flamingos. After getting a little lost, Steve convinced a local young man to join us and show us the way for a small tip. Having a local with us also had the advantage of knowing places along the way where we could spot some animals, but more on that in the pictures...

When we arrived at Lake Bogoria, we found out that the entrance fee was not fair. As a non-Kenyan, I would have had to pay nearly four times the amount compared to Kenyans. So we decided to go straight to Lake Baringo. There, we got a good deal for a lot:

Together with two guides, we went on a small wooden boat and sailed across the lake. We could observe a lot of birds, and occasionally, a crocodile popped out of the water. We also saw a family of hippos from a safe distance. Then we continued to one of the many islands on the lake. According to the guides, a few families even live on these islands. When we arrived at the island, we were greeted by local women who offered their handmade traditional jewelry. But even more exciting were the hot springs and small geysers where we boiled eggs that the guides had bought for us. While the eggs were cooking, we had the opportunity to jump into the lake for a quick swim. There was even a hot spring under the water, so we didn't have to freeze.

We returned with our boiled eggs as it was getting dark. We have already planned to arrive earlier at Lake Baringo next weekend and take a complete tour of the lake. We were promised that we can admire giraffes and other animals, among other things.