What is there to do in Marsabit National Park?

What is there to do in Marsabit National Park? The less crowded Safari tour destination is located on Mount Marsabit in northern Kenya, close to the town of Marsabit, the Marsabit National Park is a national park and natural reserve. The reserve is a unique safari in kenya , known for its zebra population and a bird watching safaris lovers because of the rich bird sanctuary found within the park. Marsabit National Park is situated 560 km north of Nairobi in Marsabit County, in the old Eastern Province.

There are several extinct volcanic craters in the area that are covered in forests, including one called Gof Redo, which is located about 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) north of Marsabit at the intersection of the routes to Moyale and North Horr. This is one of the Great unique feature of Marsabit National park which gives it the unmatched scenery from the other great safari adventures in Kenya. There crater lakes, the only continuously occupied bodies of water in the area, and a thickly forested mountain range make up the park’s 1,554 square kilometres of land. There is also an extinct volcano is in the middle of the park, and its height generates a microclimate that sustains a sizable area of native forest, which in turn supports a variety of wildlife. Thick mist that accumulates overnight when the hot air rises from the desert and cools supplies water to the montane forest. Frequently, the mist lasts until the early morning. The park is home to numerous Gofs, or extinct volcanic craters.

Wildlife in Marsabit National Park

Kenya wildlife service is the body in charge of Marsabit National Park and the inhabitants of the park include zebras, elephants, lions, giraffes, buffaloes, black and white colobus, blue monkeys, bushbucks, suni, and leopards. A total of 350 different bird species may be found in the park making it a great safari destination for birdwatchers, 52 of which are raptors. Ruppell’s griffon vultures, peregrine falcons, mountain buzzards, black kites, and African fish eagles are just a few of the species that call the cliffs at the northern end of Lake Paradise in Gof Sokorte Gurda home. On the lake, in addition to ducks like garganeys, southern pochards, and teals, there are also red-knobbed coots, hammerkops, ibises, purple herons, and yellow-billed storks. Olive baboons, vervet monkeys, Peter’s gazelles, beisa oryxes, striped hyenas, caracals, and aardwolves all have populations in the park’s lower slopes of the forest, which are delineated by scrubland.

There is a spectacular Strangler figs in the mountaintop forest on the way from Mount Marsabit to the stony plains of Shaba. This is a sharp contrast to the dusty road below, which is bordered by low, flat-topped acacia trees.The area is inhabited by social weaver birds, who are distinguished from sparrow weavers by their “scruffier” nests, neater, tidier nests, and white-bellied turacos.

The park rose to fame in the 1970s for allegedly housing elephants with the longest tusks in the world. The great elephant was named  Ahmed and when he  died, his tusks were discovered to weigh more than 300 kg. Ahmed was kept under close supervision under the instructions of Kenya’s first president Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.

Ahmed Elephant

The bull elephant that lived there in the 1960s and 1970s is commemorated by the name Ahmed gate at Marsabit National Park’s entrance. Ahmed is an Arabic name that means “one who is highly praised” or “one who continually thanks God.” Regardless of which one they used to affix to this specific pachyderm, Ahmed was renowned for having tusks long enough to allow him to lay his head on them, which he frequently did.

The King of Marsabit, as he was known to many, is claimed to have had two young bull elephants as personal bodyguards who went with him on his strolls through the bush, keeping an eye out for him and shooing away any that came at him angrily.

A letter-writing campaign was initiated by Kenyan schoolchildren begging Jomo Kenyatta to protect Ahmed from poachers after Ahmed the elephant and his enormous tusks attracted the attention of several American and French filmmakers in 1970. Ahmed was given presidential protection after the president designated him as a living monument, and five armed rangers were assigned to guard him for the remainder of his days. A significant confirmation of his personal security in his later years came from the discovery of multiple old bullets inside his corpse during the autopsy after his death. He was the most well-known elephant in the entire globe.

At the age of around 65, he passed away four years later. According to legend, he passed away naturally and was discovered resting quietly against a tree. It was simple to believe this account because, on average, African elephants live to be roughly 70 years old. A recent bullet wound was discovered in Ahmed’s stomach when he was rediscovered after going missing for a few days, and it was believed that this had caused peritonitis, which led to the bull’s eventual demise. This information, however, comes from a book written by hunter, author, and publisher Steve Smith. He claims that Peter Wain, the manager of Zimmerman’s Ltd., the taxidermist hired to preserve the remains, told him this. According to the legend, the government decided it would be best to keep the story quiet once Peter submitted his findings to them.

Things to do in Marsabit National Park

Mountain climbing

There is a lot of fun filling activities to do in Marsabit National Park and one of such great activity to be enjoyed during your safari visit to the park is mountain climbing. On the southern part of the Lake there is massif of Ol olokwe, this part is great for mountain climbers. While on your mountain climbing safari , accompanied by the local knowledgeable guides there are other activities to be enjoyed such as birdwatching and game viewing.

Birdwatching

With over 500 bird species, including grassland and forest bird species, Marsabit National Park is widely regarded as one of the best birding safari destinations in Kenya. For birders, this makes the park a haven for pursuing their passion by spotting various bird species like the Somali bee-eater, masked lark.

These birds include many different species, such as the colourful Somali ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes), vulturine guineafowl (Acryllium vulturinum), and Kori bustard (Ardeotis kori). A variety of bird species move to the reserve on a seasonal basis, including flamingos that come to breed in Lake Paradise.

Game viewing

The Marsabit National Park in Kenya is a great place to go on a safari to see wildlife because it is home to many different animal species and it is also ideal safari location for those who wish to enjoy the less crowded Safari tours. It is highly rich in wildlife that live in the savannah grassland plains, woods, and acacia trees. Game viewing in Marsabit National Park is done on game drives that are do twice in a day morning and afternoon game drives in the 4X4 wheel vehicle with an open pop roof. Game viewing in Marsabit National Park gives animal lovers the chance to see many animals, the big five animals and plenty other animals including elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, rhinos, Grevy’s zebra, bushbucks, sunis, aardwolves, caracals, peter’s gazelles, beisa oryxes, stripped hyenas among others.