The lake has an array of freshwater fish such as Nile tilapia and catfish which are also exported to Congo.
With refrigeration being a luxury, locals have had to stick to traditional methods of preservation.
For any thrill seeking travellers, Turkana encapsulates the very essence of off-grid adventure. A new road connecting Lake Turkana Wind Power project to the rest of the country has made it more accessible. Our trip however took seven days and we had to factor in two days to get there following the Kitale-Kapenguria-Lodwar route.
Try the fish
Fishing is a key source of livelihood in Turkana. The lake has an array of freshwater fish such as Nile tilapia and catfish which are also exported to Congo.
With refrigeration being a luxury, locals have had to stick to traditional methods of preservation. Driving through Kalokol town, you will see several lines used to hang fish to dry in the sun. Despite the best efforts of the chefs, sun-dried fish is tough, the meat shrinks into the bones and with every bite, the bones kept pricking my tongue.
Much like in Kisumu where obambla is split into two halves, dried, smoked then stored for long, this method of preservation is also common in Turkana.
We met a group of fishermen who had filled three speedboats to the brim with the dried fish and were busy loading them onto trucks ready for export.
Visit Turkana Boy
Richard Leakey, a palaeontologist and conservationist, was co-leading an expedition across the Omo River in Ethiopia when his helicopter landed on the northeast of Lake Turkana. He stumbled on a rich find of fossil remains that put East Africa on the map. He found the skeleton of 1.6-million-year-old Turkana Boy which earned Turkana the name ‘the cradle of mankind’.
Getting there from Lodwar was however no mean feat. The heat was unforgiving and unlike other attraction sites, it took us longer to get from one place to the next because of the rugged roads.
Go partying in Lodwar town
Lodwar is a fast upcoming hub: there is an airport right in the middle of town, many roads are under construction, the luxurious hotels have massive pools and fancy cocktails which would make it a rather comfortable playground for anyone with good income.
There is a rather vibrant night-life here, which we decided to check out on a whim. I was barred from entering a nightclub because I was wearing sandals. Much to my surprise, establishments in Lodwar have standards, and my footwear was just not cutting it!
Relax on the sandy shores of Eliye Springs
A stark contrast to the dry and inhospitable parts of Turkana, Eliye Springs is the very definition of oasis.
We were met with pristine sandy beaches, green towering palm trees and the bluest of water, almost as though we had teleported to an untouched slice of beach at the Kenyan coast.
With its open plan design accented by thatched roofs, breezy open-plan spaces and private luxury bandas, Eliye Springs Beach Resort felt every bit like coastal retreat. There are various other options for comfortable luxury accommodation such as Jade Sea, Desert Rose and Koros Camp in South Horr.
Take a speedboat to Central Island
The Central Island National Park is located in Lake Turkana and is home to numerous volcanic craters.
Lake Turkana is one of the largest permanent desert lakes in the world, and we decided to hire a speedboat to explore its islands.
The beach at Central Island is black due to the volcanic soil. But do not walk on the rocks in the water close to the shore. Also watch out for the Nile crocodile . Lake Turkana has some of the world’s largest concentration of Nile crocodiles, and we actually spotted a few several feet away.
According to our boat crew crocodiles are more scared of human beings than we are of them and hardly venture out to where a loud group of people are gathered.
Central Island is magical. Picture a volcanic island in the middle of the lake, and you have to hike up for about 10 minutes to get to the crater lake with blue-green waters at the top. There is an untapped potential here for watersports like jet skiing, windsurfing, kayaking and more.
Go on a game drive at Sibiloi National Park
This is Kenya’s most remote protected reserve. Less than 200 visitors make it here annually, although that number probably surged in 2013 when dozens of adventurers set off to catch the solar eclipse. So gruelling is the road from Loiyangalani to Sibiloi—a full day drive over treacherous, a tyre-slashing roads that some of the adventurers never even made it.
There isn’t a lot of wildlife, although it is a major breeding hub for Nile crocodiles and has wildlife like zebras, oryx, cheetah, leopard, aquatic birds and more.
Koobi Fora, the museum with many of the fossil finds in Turkana, is about a two-hour drive from the main gate. You can also explore Lotikippi Game Reserve which is being gazetted.
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