Attractions in Kajiado County
12. Ole Polos Country Club
This makes an excellent destination for a long day out of the city. In any case, the host Maasai throw down a pretty good braai (nyama-choma), which is the the main interest here. “Wash it down with cold Tuskers as you gaze over the Rift Valley and you’ll be close to heaven”. With not too much extra trouble – commuting or driving – one can reach Ole Polos located about 15 kms south of Kiserian Town and also enjoy blissful walks around the area that offers pleasant views. Other notable nyama-choma eateries at Kitengela, Kiserian and Rongai include Arusha Meat Den, Nasinya Grill, The Ofis, Texas Choma Zone and Kibz.
13. Mount Olorgesailie
Magadi Road, south-westerly trending, travels from the north-western region of Kajiado County past Ngong Hills and Olorgesailie Museum to Lake Magadi. 28 kms from Kiserian Town, near Masai Village, the volcanic eminences of Mount Olorgesailie and Ol Esakut stand sentinel over the peneplain landscape. Mount Olorgesailie, the higher and more spectacular of these two dormant volcanoes set on the edge of the Rift Valley, rises to 1,760 ms. Save for the scotching heat, which at Olorgesailie is amplified by the strong reflection of the whitish surface and the encroaching dust, Mount Olorgesailie is a delightful hiking destination, best tackled during the early morning hours when the sun is not too high over-head which commences with walking the spectral dried river bed of the Ol Keju Nero. Flowing only seasonally through the depression west of Olorgesailie, this river has cut back impressive scarps. Then, there’s Lake Kwena, a seasonal lake which is a thriving habitat for large colonies of vultures. Further along, views of the overlain Ol Doinyo Narok formation and the Kerichwa Valley, fading south to end up at Olorgesailie Pre-Historic Museum and the Rift Valley, are amusing.
14. Masai Village
No tootling of Kajiado County would be complete without paying homage to a Maasai Village, to see their Maasai traditions in action, at one of many cultural Manyattas which are notably plentiful around the Amboseli National Park. The Maasai Community are known the world over for their unscratched culture and some the most guarded traditions. Famous as herders and warriors, who once dominated much of the wide-ranging savanna plains of East Africa, the Maasai are now confined to a fraction of their former range. But, they have not strayed far from their traditional ways of life and prefer to remain nomadic, moving as their needs necessitate. As the economy grows, their open plains are shrinking, and the Maasai may one day soon find it more difficult to roam the open plains. The Masai Village at the foot of Mount Olorgesailie offers a chance to interact with one of the most fascinating cultures in Africa. The Masai, sometimes spelt as Maasai, also answer to the epithet “Maa” meaning the Maasai speaking tribe.
15. Olorgesailie Museum
12 kms past Mount Olorgesailie, at Oltepesi, is a momentous landmark among the archaeological sites of Kenya. At this site, a respectable size of tools made by the pre-historic man some 200,000 years ago remain exposed and are visible to visitors. First excavated in 1919 by geologist John Gregory and subsequently in 1942 by Louis Leakey, Olorgesailie Museum is best known for its enriching and fascinating pre-history of man. The site itself is on a dried lake basin thought to have existed about 100,000 to 200,000 years ago. Fittingly eke-named the tool factory, it exhibits many of tools associated with the Middle Pleistocene Epoch. Unique to the Olorgesailie Museum is its looping elevated walkway, which goes appreciably close to the excavation site exposing lots of interesting artefacts. It makes for an intriguing final destination on an afternoon’s vivify joyride across the humps of Ngong Hills down to the Rift Valley. The more ardent adventurer may wish to continue down to Lake Magadi 35 kms past the exit to Olorgesailie.
It is possible to stay the night at the Olorgesailie Museum where there are bandas equipped with basic furniture, from where trippers can make a visit to Baboon Camp, where baboons congregate in the evening, just 1 km from the campsite or enjoy hiking Mount Olorgesailie and birding.
16. Lake Magadi
Famous for its amazing scenery and plenitude of birds, notably of its thousands of flamingos, the lunate 100 km2 Lake Magadi occupying a large alluvium filled valleys caused by large faults is also the southern most of Kenya’s Lake System in the Rift Valley. At most times, it is marked by a long shimmering coconut-ice white band, upto 80 yards in width. On close inspection this is seen to be trone, the deposit from which soda ash is obtained – which mixes with beds of clay to a depth of 50 ms. Also unique to Lake Magadi is that in the midst of a full algae bloom its waters run red, mostly in the dry season, yet, even without the bonzer colour change, it’s a wildly beautiful site. In the wet season, most of the outlying troughs, including Little Lake Magadi, become waterlogged and swampy, and may even contain shallow lakes for a few weeks. Other interests include the hot springs and natural spas found along its shoreline, driving across the causeway, or dropping in on the Lake Magadi Tented Camp. Those with an hours to spare can explore Little Magadi Town – a fully-functioning town originally developed by Magadi Soda Company as a place where its employees could live in relative comfort. The larger and identical Lake Natron sits 28 kms south of Magadi near Shompole, and 79 kms from Kiserian. “The road is surfaced but temperatures are high and chances are that driving at midday will produce an ill-temper. Yet the lake itself is a fine experience. You can drive across a causeway build by the Magadi Soda Company and ponder what would happen if you slipped into the trona, which, looking like snowy ice, crusts a very murky slippery liquid below”.
17. Nyiri Desert
Sometimes known as the Taru or Nyika Desert, this encompasses large parts of Amboseli National Park, stretching northerly to the fringes of Nairobi National Park and southerly to Kenya-Tanzania border. Its aridity is caused by the rain shadow effect of Mount Kilimanjaro. Remarkably, Nyiri Desert hosts a variety of game including kudu, impalas, and giraffe. Conspicuous at Nyiri Desert are the baobab trees fondly dubbed Africa’s wooded elephants. After the rain, Nyiri Desert blossoms with variegated flora. It is located 80 kms east of Lake Magadi.
Abiri Kenya 