Unusual Attractions in Kitui
Ukasi Hill: Yellow-Haired Fly Abode
Garissa is approached on a good road, the A3, from Nairobi through Thika and Mwingi, which runs across the northern frontiers of Kitui and Tana River Counties, forming the primary line of communication to its capital town of Garissa, 369 km away. Owing to the comparatively low rainfall and to the indigenous practice of overgrazing, the landscape beyond Thika is mainly of the thick thorn-bush type with little grass. Around Mwingi, 127 km east of Thika, where the road crosses the River Kanginga, the ground slopes away eastwards with a handful low-lying hills.
Rising abruptly from this plain are three modest hills – Endau (4,387 ft), Engamba (3,100 ft) and Kandelongwe (1,570 ft). This featureless plain, on which are wide-spaced valleys and scanty inselbergs, continues eastwards and north-eastwards until Garissa Town is reached, set along on its western border. Ukasi, where the Ukasi Hill is found, is a further 61 east of Mwingi. It lies just beyond Ukasi Police Station. This craggy upland is more impressive for what it contains than the site itself. The modest hill earned its fame from its eerie and rather bizarre residents.
Unique to the unassuming 120 ms high Ukasi Hill is that it is home to one of the rarest and oddest looking flies in Kenya: Scientists first came across the yellow-haired fly in 1933 and again in 1948. Since then, at least half a dozen expeditions have visited the location to find this odd insect dubbed as the terrible hairy fly – Standard Media. This bizarre fly, unable to fly and partial to breeding in bat doings, is thought to live only in the dark, bat-filled cleft on the isolated Ukasi Hill. It has peculiar non-functional wings resembling miniature belt straps and mingy eyes.
Around Kenya are a selection of natural landmarks, cultural shrines, architectural oddities, and technological installations that offer incredible, almost surreal experiences that can make you feel as if you’ve stepped into another world. Hauntingly beautiful to some, eerie sights for others, and still, for others, down right strange, these site provide unique experiences for adventurous travelers.
Index of Unusual Attractions Around Kenya
Baringo County - Olduka (Mogotio) Valley, Busia County - The Alupe Leprosy Centre, Elgeyo Marakwet County - Kipteberr, Isiolo County - Magado Crater, Magado Cave Dwellings, Nantudu Spire Rock, Merti Catholic Church, Buffalo Springs, Harr Girrissa, Kericho County - Van Wicker's Cave, The Kipkelion Monastery, Kilifi County - Hell's Kitchen, Luigi Broglio Space Centre, Ngomeni Shipwreck, Kwale County - Three Sisters Caves, Mrima Hills Rare Earth Mine, Laikipia County - Sirmon & Nyariginu Confluence, Lamu County - The Lamu Donkey Sanctuary, Machakos County - Komarock Shrine, Kituluni Magical Hill, Makueni County - Kenze Gorges, Virgin Mary Shrine, Emali Trig, Holy Nzaui Rock, Mandera County - Marehan Sandstone, Marsabit County - Chalbi Desert, Meru County - Mystical Lake Nkunga, The Giant Footprints, Mombasa County - Kizingo, Mbaraki Pillar, Muranga County - Muranga Gorges, Nakuru County - Longonot Earth Station, Menegai, The Djinn House, Diana Caldwell's Shrine, Nandi County - Sheu Morobi Cliffs, Kopere Rocks, Nyandarua County - The Kinangop Step, Wanjohi Happy Valley, Dragon's Teeth, Nyeri County - Italian Memorial Church & Somali Wall, Taita Taveta County - The Taita Skull Caves, Shetani Lava, Yatta Springs, Nyiri Taru Desert, Crystal Caves at Lake Chala, Salaita (Slaughter) Hill, Haunted Sniper's Tree, Turkana County - Kapedo Falls, Lake Alablab, The Turkana Boy Monument, Samburu County - Samburu Singing Wells, Ngurunit Pools & Slides, Mystical Emuruangogolak, Vihiga County - Wagevere Rock, Nganyi Rainmakers Forest, Wajir County - Shaletey Caves
Kitui County is a hidden gem for travelers seeking adventure, culture, and nature. With better infrastructure and marketing, it could become a key destination in Kenya’s tourism map. Known for its arid and semi-arid landscapes, rich Kamba culture, and untapped tourism potential, it is home to many unique attractions, hillscapes, scenic rock formations and valleys ideal for hiking and photography.
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Explore Destinations Nearby Ukasi Hill
A Guide to Kitui County
A Summa Digest of Kitui
About Kitui Way Back When
33 Destinations in Kitui County, arranged as one would visit these - north to south - with the aid of in-depth narratives, images, strip maps and distance chart:
Revelation Recreational Park, Kanyonyoo Wildlife Conservancy, B2 Yatta Ranch, Ukasi Hill, Mumoni Hill Forest Reserve, Muvaroa Forest Reserve, Gai (Muruu) Rock, Kiambere Dam, Mwingi National Reserve, Adamson Bridge, Ngomeni Rock, Kitui War Monument, Kitui Villa, Kalundu Public Park, Kitui Hills, Nzambani Rock, Ikoo Viewpoint, Mutito Hills, Mui Basin, Nuu Hills, Mutomo Hill Sanctuary, Mutomo Reptile Park, South Kitui National Reserve, AIC Ikutha, Tsavo East National Park, Athi-Galana River, Kanderi Swamp, Yatta Plateau, Ithumba Camp, Ithumba Hill Camp, The Man-eaters Bridge, Man-eaters Camp
Know More About Kitui County: Its Geography, Land-Use, Highlights, Population, Roads - with the aid of a distance chart, Airports, Climate & National Monuments
What’s The Lay Of The Land in C.15?
Kitui County has a low-lying topography with arid and semi-arid climates. The general landscape of Kitui is flat with a plain that gently rolls down towards the east.
What’s The Air Like In Kitui?
Climate in Kitui is generally hot and dry with little rainfall. Temperatures are high year-round, ranging between 14°C-34°C. The hotter months are September, October, January.
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