Attractive places in Narok County
Attractive places in Narok County : Narok Town, the administrative centre of Narok County and home to more than 40,000 people, is situated 142 kilometres from Nairobi. The Maasai people who call Narok County home refer to it as Enkare Narok, which is a Maasai word for “black water” or “dark water.” Enkare Narok is the name of the river that runs through Narok Town.
Popularly, Narok Town is connected to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve. After all, Narok County contains the majority of the Game Reserve. Narok, however, is more complex than merely the Mara. The top attractions in Narok County that aren’t the Maasai Mara Game Reserve are listed below.
Mara River
The Serengeti-Mara ecosystem’s wildlife depends on the famed Mara River, which flows across Kenya and Tanzania and serves as a crucial lifeblood for them. The river, which extends over 395 km, rises in Kenya’s Mau Escarpment, passes through the Maasai Mara National Reserve and the Serengeti National Park, and then empties into Lake Victoria.
The yearly Great Migration, during which millions of wildebeest, zebras, and other herbivores cross the perilous Mara River in search of better pastures, is likely the event that most people associate with the river. A highlight of any African safari, this amazing display allows guests to see thousands of animals cross a river as predators like crocodiles and lions wait in the shadows.
The Mara River is home to a wide range of wildlife species, including hippos, elephants, buffalo, and several bird species, in addition to the Great Migration. Visitors can take a guided boat excursion along the river, where they can see the local wildlife and take in the breath-taking environment.
Mount Suswa conservancy
Mount Suswa is a wonderful destination for trekking and caving, and it’s situated in the Great Rift Valley in both Kajiado and Narok counties, about 50 km from Nairobi. This extinct volcano has a remarkable buried “crater within a crater” and a distinctive double crater system. Ol Doinyo Nyokie (the red mountain), the inner volcano’s top, rises to 2,356m (7,730 ft), offering a breath taking scene.
The outer crater, which has a diameter of about 10 km and is scattered with Masai manyattas, gives the Maasai people access to freshwater from underground steam outlets and grazing for their livestock. The inner crater’s (5 km) natural tropical forest is home to baboons, antelopes, buffaloes, baboons, leopards, hyenas, and other animals. A sizable network of obsidian caverns on Mount Suswa is also available for exploration. These caves, made well-known by a BBC programme, are home to a ‘baboon parliament’ and tens of thousands of bats. This particular cave network is regarded as the most intricate braided lava tube network in the entire world.
Ol Kinyei Conservancy
Ol Kinyei is a reserve administered by the local Maasai people that has an area of about 65 km2. It was established in 2005 when members of the Maasai community set aside some farming area in order to prevent the encroachment of human activity on wildlife and natural ecosystems. Ol Kinyei has provided the villagers with a stable source of income and assisted them in safeguarding their precious areas.
It is regarded as one of Mara’s Big Four conservancies, together with Mara North, Naboisho, and Olare Motorogi. Ol Kinyei is home to a variety of animals, including The Great Migration, and is known for its undulating hills, riverine forests, wide savannah grasslands, and an abundance of water in the form of rivers, streams, and springs. You will be able to locate lions, elephants, cape buffalo, cheetahs, and giraffes with the assistance of knowledgeable Maasai guides. Ol Kinyei has two camps, both of which are modest but provide visitors with breath taking vistas and excellent spots from which to explore the Mara.
Olare Motorogi conservancy
Along with Mara North, Naboisho, and Olare Motorogi, it is regarded as one of the Big Four conservancies in the Mara region. Ol Kinyei is renowned for its undulating hills, riverine forests, expansive savannah grasslands, and an abundance of water in the form of rivers, streams, and springs. It is home to a variety of animals, including The Great Migration. With the help of expert Maasai guides, you can find lions, elephants, cape buffalo, cheetahs, and giraffes. There are two camps at Ol Kinyei, both of which are modest but offer wonderful views and great places from which to explore the Mara.
The Olare Motorogi Conservancy is renowned for having some of Kenya’s most breath taking scenery as well as astonishingly high wildlife densities. It has lovely dome-topped hills and unending undulating grasslands that give way to the stunning sheer rock walls of the distant Oloololo Escarpment.
Mount Suswa
Only 73.9 kilometres separate Narok town from Mount Suswa, a wonderful natural phenomenon. Visitors can engage in a variety of outdoor activities on the mountain, including hiking, mountain climbing, and bird viewing, thanks to its difficult topography and varied vistas. A rare chance to study the processes of geology that have produced the Great Rift Valley over millions of years makes the region a favourite travel destination for geologists and other experts.
A variety of wildlife species, such as zebras, giraffes, hyenas, and many bird species, call the area around Mount Suswa home. The mountain can be explored on foot or by car, allowing visitors to take in the breath taking vistas and varied landscapes that make this place such a special and alluring location.
Mara Naboisho Conservancy
The Masai Mara National Reserve and Mara Naboisho Conservancy are next to each other. A pioneering tourism initiative is the Mara Naboisho Conservancy, a private conservancy. Visitors that come here for exploration will find plenty of privacy, nature, and independence. Here, camping can be enjoyable. You can set up camp on the savannah plains of Africa and wake up to the zebras’ cries just outside your tent. Big cats can be found in great numbers in this conservation area. Giraffes, elephants, and a variety of wildebeest may all be seen here. The Mara Naboisho Conservancy closely keeps track of the amount of visitors, unlike its neighbouring the Masai Mara National Reserve.
Mau Forest
The Mau Forest is the largest enclosure of native montane forest in all of East Africa. It is also a location where Kenya experiences the most rainfall, therefore you should avoid visiting during the rainy season. The forest also serves as Kenya’s greatest water catchment area, and as a result of all these factors, it has begun to draw a lot of visitors. The forest is home to a wide variety of plant and bird species, earning it the moniker “bird watchers’ paradise.” You can interact with a variety of local ethnic groups while there if you look for them. A must-see location inside the Mau Forest complex is the Rift Valley. The establishment is open day and night.
Maasai Mara National Reserve
One of the most amazing game reserves in the world is Maasai Mara. The Serengeti’s northernmost region is the Mara, which is situated away on Tanzania’s border. Between Tanzania and Kenya, it serves as a wildlife corridor. The Maasai people that live here and graze their livestock there are known as the Maasai, and the Maasai Mara is named for them. Mara, which means mottled in the local tongue, may be a reference to the interplay of shadow and light from the acacia trees as well as the cloud-strewn skies on the huge expanses of grasslands. The park is famous for the Great Migration, which takes place from July to October and involves large numbers of zebra, wildebeest, and Thomson’s gazelle travelling back and forth from the Serengeti.
Loita Hills
The Loita Hills, often referred to as the Loita Plains, are a breath taking expanse of grasslands and rolling hills situated 57.4 km from Narok town. The Maasai Mara National Reserve is located east of the hills. The Maasai people reside in the Loita Hills and have done so for years. They uphold a customary way of life that revolves around their herds of cattle, sheep, and goats. The Maasai people’s culture and traditions, including their distinctive attire, jewellery, and rituals, are available for tourists to learn about at the Loita Hills.
Hiking is one of the most well-liked pastimes in the Loita Hills. A network of trails crisscrossing the area provides breath taking views of the surrounding fauna and landscape. Additionally, there are guided nature hikes, bird watching, and village excursions available to visitors. Giraffes, zebras, antelopes, and several bird species are among the many animals that call the Loita Hills home. Due to the Loita Hills’ connection to the Maasai Mara habitat, visitors may even get to observe lions and leopards.
The Loita Hills are a fantastic spot to rest and unwind in addition to its natural and cultural features. Visitors have the option of setting up camp in the wild or staying in one of the many manyattas, or traditional Maasai homesteads, where they may experience Maasai kindness and friendliness.
