Tourists gearing up for the total eclipse in Kenya

Northern Kenya is an arid area with scorching sun that can go for months without a drop of rain. It is not your typical tourist destination.

With its varying landscape from volcanic cinder fields to sand dunes, beautiful mountains to hidden lakes, fossil forests to a rich culture it is a place that is rarely visited. But in the next couple of weeks, all roads will be headed to there as tourists, both local and international, make their way to see the unique hybrid total solar eclipse on November 3.

Unlike others before it, this will be a remarkable switch from partial and total eclipses shimmering across Lake Turkana as the moon crosses the path of the sun at approximately 5.22 p.m.

Though the trajectory of the hybrid solar eclipse has been marked to transverse the north Atlantic and pass through some countries in Africa near the equator including Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Ethiopia it is in Kenya, specifically in north eastern that there shall be total darkness for 11 seconds.

It is this corner of Kenya, at Alia Bay, in the Sibiloi National Park, Turkana, that has been identified as the best place for viewing the 13-kilometres of lunar shadow due to the predicted clear skies.

“We can confirm that there are over 1000 bookings for the event but we expect more astronomy lovers and adventure enthusiasts to join the caravan,” said Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) managing director Muriithi Ndegwa.

The new phenomenon of astro-tourism, where people travel to different places sited as the best places to view stars, meteorites and eclipses has taken Kenya by storm opening up the northern frontier as a preferred tourist destination.

It has become a must-see event, especially among scientists, as eclipses are so rare that the last one was seen in 1973 and the next is predicted to occur in 2117.

“There has been a lot of excitement globally about the hybrid solar eclipse. I remember getting a call from international tour operators about the packages we were having for it over a year ago,” says Kenya Tourism Federation chief executive Agatha Juma.

Travel and tour operators have been quick to capitalise on the opportunity with attractive packages, most of which are by air for international travellers all through to Sibiloi and by road for those locals and foreigners who are adventurous enough to take the long trek that will pass through different tourist destinations in the country.

An opportunity to see northern Kenya, a circuit whose tourism potential the government is looking to develop and tap into, especially with a resort city in Isiolo.

There are also air packages where tourists can fly straight into the park’s airstrip. Yellow Wings Air Services, which operates from the Wilson Airport, is one of the companies that run private charters into Sibiloi.

“The packages are designed for both local and international tourists and range from between Sh260,000 to some that are going for Sh1.3 million. The travel date will be dependent on the package a tourist will choose. There are some for as long as six days or even seven days because the tourists want to take advantage of their trip to see other parts of the country,” said Muriithi.

Another variant for the packages is the itinerary and the routes being taken to get to the national park.

Safaris

Sky and Telescope, an international astrological site, has planned a one-week safari around the eclipse from October 29 and their packages are already sold out, according to its website. International tourists were paying $5,695 (Sh486,067) per person for double accommodation while those in single would pay $6,389 (Sh545,300).

Travel Quest international has an 11-day itinerary that will go through Amboseli National Park and Masai Mara Reserve as it heads north towards Lake Turkana.

They offer flexibility in terms of numbers as triple accommodation is charged at $8,700(Sh741,500) double rooms are charged $9,350(Sh798,021) and those booked into single rooms are each charged $10,350(Sh881,832).

The Jade Sea Journeys itinerary will go through the Chalbi desert, Samburu and Marsabit national parks. They also have an air package where tourists fly into the Lobolo camp from Nairobi on November 1 and drive to the eclipse viewing point two days later.

Stacey Bisely, a tour consultant with international operator Gametrackers, said they had already received 10 confirmations of their local and international bookings for their eight-day package.

This comes at a cost of $760 (Sh65,360) for foreigners, excluding flights, and Sh56,000 for locals. This will allow one to enjoy an inclusive camping trip with several game drives, visit to the volcanic craters in Marsabit, a firsthand experience of the Kaisut and Chalbi deserts with the return trip including a view of the Thompson Falls.

“We decided on this particular route because there is a growing interest in the northern frontier which has remained largely unexplored as a tourist destination. People want to see what is there and be exposed to the different cultures. We are breaking it down so that people do not get weary of the road travel,” she said.

Their planned safari begins from Nairobi to Samburu via the Mt Kenya route before proceeding to Marsabit. Local and international tourists will then be able to proceed to Koobi Fora via the North Horr route and later go to the eclipse site at Allia bay.

Claudious Tours and Safaris, on the other hand, offers a wide range of packages from five days to 11 days, each with its own itinerary. There will be an official caravan that will include major tourism stakeholders that will leave Nairobi on October 31 escorted by the tourist police to return on November 6.

Charges for their eight-day safari to Turkana via the Chalbi desert for those traveling in a minimum group of four people are charged $740 (Sh63,047) per person. Civic Travel service is offering a luxury safari of Kenya and Tanzania that will include game drives to Samburu, Maasai Mara and Amboseli national parks.

The $9,890 (Sh841,737)charged per person includes economy class airfare from Canberra in Australia to Nairobi.

Those choosing this packages will have the opportunity to sample the luxurious accommodation at the Elephant Bedroom camp within the Samburu Game reserve, the Tipilikwani Camp when they arrive at Maasai Mara. 

After viewing the eclipse, the tourists will then fly to Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

Those travelling with the package offered by the eclipse traveller, will spend their first three nights at Samburu Intrepids and another 3 nights at the Mara Interpids Camp before flying into Alia Bay on November 4 for the eclipse viewing.

Fountain Safaris is offering local tourists a three-day two nights full board safari package at only Sh30,000 per person sharing.  The tourists will travel through Kitale and Lodwar and accommodation will be offered at the Eliye springs Camp and Lodge in Turkana.

Those planning on traveling on a limited budget could drive up to Turkana with the caravan and pay the Sh200 and sh100 entrance park fees for adults and children. For every night that they decide to camp they will be required to pay an additional Sh150 for adults and Sh100 for children.

Apart from the eclipse, visitors can explore the wildlife in the national parks within the region, visit the world’s largest desert lake, go to the 6 million-year-old Petrified Forest and get in touch with history by visiting the archaeological sites that are managed by the National Museums of Kenya.

While it is possible to travel by road from Nairobi to Maralal, then proceed to Loyangalani and finally to Sibiloi, the recommended route for the caravan is through Marsabit and North Horr.

Camp site

Rather than be in groups, a person could opt to travel as a free independent tourist driving with the caravan and camp at the designated areas within the Sibiloi park.

In order to cater for the large number expected, the Kenya Wildlife service has set apart Sh10 million for the upgrade of the national park.

“The money will be used to upgrade the roads within the park, put up signage on the roads leading to the park and refurbish the visitor’s accommodation,” said Micheal Wanjau of KWS.

There are plans to extend the airstrip runway by one more kilometre in order to allow larger aircraft to land directly into the park.

With the attention the eclipse has attracted, the trip to the World Heritage site has been termed as a home coming of sorts.

“The Turkana boy was found in the archeological sites within the park so the visit by tourists in November is like a return of sorts to the cradle of humankind,” Ndegwa added.