{"id":15057,"date":"2021-07-23T12:50:02","date_gmt":"2021-07-23T10:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kanaga-at.com\/info-viaggi\/kenya\/the-landscapes-of-lake-turkana\/"},"modified":"2022-05-17T17:48:15","modified_gmt":"2022-05-17T15:48:15","slug":"the-landscapes-of-lake-turkana","status":"publish","type":"info_viaggi","link":"https:\/\/www.kanaga-at.com\/en\/trip-info\/kenya-en\/the-landscapes-of-lake-turkana\/","title":{"rendered":"The landscapes of Lake Turkana"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

There is an unknown Kenya, <\/b>“<\/span>light years” away from the tropical coasts, teeming with life and tourist resorts, or from the beaten track of safaris. A Kenya of heartbreakingly beautiful wastelands, endless desert or semi-desert moors stretching as far as the eye can see to the north, sunburnt savannahs and sandy expanses, inhabited only by a few brave nomadic peoples with their herds, the only guardians of the secrets of a life reduced to <\/b>the <\/span><\/strong>essential.<\/b><\/p>\r\n

Venturing into the deep north of the country, every time you come across any living form, you would exclaim: there is life on Mars!<\/p>\r\n

One of the first mirages to appear on the edge of reality, between the Kaisut <\/b>and Chalbi Deserts<\/b>, is the Marsabit National Park<\/b>. A true tropical mountain oasis, with a particular rainfall microclimate, it miraculously opens up in the centre of an inexorably desert and torrid region, a point of passage for all the nomadic or semi-nomadic tribes <\/b>in search of pasture and provisions. Here the town of the same name is a colourful hub of Gabbra<\/b>, Rendille<\/b>, Borana <\/b>and Somali <\/b>peoples, while the surrounding landscape is covered in dense forests <\/b>and volcanic lakes<\/b>, including Lake Paradiso <\/b>(a name, a guarantee), which attracts numerous bird species, as well as elephants, zebras, giraffes, buffalo and lions.<\/p>\r\n

But the real source of life in the boundless North, on the edge of the salt flats and volcanic dunes of the Chalbi desert, is the spectacular Lake Turkana, <\/b>named after the region’s main population, surrounded by an extra-terrestrial landscape of extraordinary beauty and fascination. Situated in the Rift Valley, <\/b>it boasts the record of being the largest alkaline lake <\/b>in the<\/strong> world <\/b>in a desert area, a real jade-coloured sea, with a low saline concentration that allows a surprising biodiversity.<\/p>\r\n

Its waters are home to three islands, the North Island<\/b>, Central Island <\/b>and South Island, <\/b>the latter included with the neighbouring Sibiloi National Park <\/b>in the UNESCO World Heritage <\/b>list since 1997, for their environmental and landscape value and for their contribution to the study of palaeontology and human evolution.<\/p>\r\n

On the north-eastern shores, semi-desert and sporadic forests on the Kulal and Lokilipi mountains are <\/b>unexpectedly home to a wide variety of wildlife<\/b>, including Grevy’s zebras, oryx, leopards and cheetahs, lions and hyenas.<\/p>\r\n

The prehistoric site of Kobi Fora, <\/b>among the many vestiges and stratified fossil remains from different eras, has yielded the skull of a homo habilis<\/i><\/b>, dating back two million years.<\/p>\r\n

On the windy shores of the lake, not far from the village of Loyangalani, <\/b>one of Kenya’s smallest communities, the El Molo fishermen<\/b>, go about their business with their log boats, which they use to tackle the sudden and stormy waters of Lake Turkana.<\/p>\r\n

But the <\/b>undisputed<\/strong> geological pearl of <\/b>Lake Turkana<\/strong> is the surreal conical crater of Nabuyatom, <\/b>which towers in its perfectly circular shape, on the extreme southern shore of the lake, in a volcanic landscape of pitch-black lava rock and emerald green alkaline basins, which together with South and Central Island, are home to myriads of pink flamingos <\/b>and the largest sanctuaries of large Nilotic crocodiles, <\/b>which find refuge here for reproduction.<\/p>\r\n

A lunar and surreal landscape that is among the most beautiful in Kenya.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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