Attractions in Narok County
1. Shompole Conservancy
Just a short hop north of Lake Natron and the Kenya-Tanzania boundary sits the inter-territorial, privately-run 141 km2 Shompole Conservancy; shared by Narok and Kajiado Counties. Set between the distinguished Amboseli National Park and Masai Mara National Reserve and made up of two sizeable community ranches, Olkiramatian and Shompole, this picture-postcard savanna is teemed with enormous wildlife resources. Its location and its astounding variety enable holiday-makers to pack several exciting experiences which, elsewhere in Kenya, would require considerable travel. Into the bargain of its wildlife, Shompole is also strategically set between Lake Magadi (in the north) and Lake Natron (in the south); two of the most famous lakes seen in the southern region of Kenya’s Rift Valley and the largest hatching spots for the lesser flamingos in the world. Shompole Camp, a small and exclusive lodge of only 6-luxury tents, nestled in the shade of a gigantic fig trees along the banks of the South Ewaso Nyiro River, offers an intimate experience at one of the most beautiful wilderness landscape in Kenya. Some of the highlights include; unlimited game safaris, exploring the Shompole Swamp, tubing, kayaking, canoeing or walking along Ewaso Nyiro, walking along with baboons ( a 90+ troop of habituated Olive baboons), hiking excursions to Shompole Hill and Nguruman Escarpment, visiting the lakes, and cultural passages into Maasai villages. It is located 118 kms from Nairobi City, through Lake Magadi, Magadi Town, Ol Tepesi Center, and Olkiramatian Town.
2. Shompole (Ngare Ng’iro) Swamp
Shompole or Ngare Ng’iro Swamp is found within the Ewaso Ng’iro South River floodplain on the Ngare Ng’iro plain. The river flows through this swamp before eventually draining into Lake Natron. The weather around Shompole is marked by high ambient temperatures with low bimodal rainfall. Mean annual rainfall varies from 300-800 mm. For which reason, despite this being a semi arid area, Shompole Swamp, alongside the Ewaso Ng’iro South River, provides sufficient water for domestic use and for livestock watering. Its significance is highlighted by the fact that during the dry seasons, Shompole Wetland is virtually the only grazing land available for livestock. It’s also home to a prolific avi-fauna variety.
3. Nguruman Escarpment
Not far west of the Shompole Conservancy, about the foothills of the Nguruman Escarpment, there is an explosion of interesting craggy beauty which covers the eastern boundary of Narok with Kajiado and from the boundary with Tanzania northward to Mau Complex. Nguruman Escarpment, more proper the western scarp of the Great Rift Valley, is a belt of dissected country about 16 kms wide extending along the eastern boundary of Narok. From near Mount Suswa, 160 kms north of Shompole, the Nguruman proceeds as the Mau Escarpment before it terminates near Mau Narok as it forms part of the forested Mau Highland. A popular hiking destination with many ways to it, Nguruman Escarpment offers fantastic views of the Great Rift Valley and its lakes, Loita Hills and its forests, and, of course, the Entasopia Falls, one of Nguruman’s most sought-after jewel.
4. Entasopia Falls
Outside the plains of Narok, the life-changing ‘brown and muddy waters’ of the South Ewaso Nyiro River, sometimes spelled as Uaso Ng’iro, flows in a graben valley with the Nguruman Enkorika Fault Scarp (Nguruman Escarpment) as its west flank as it aims for its end of the line at Lake Natron. As the South Ewaso courses along, leaping over one of the abrupt ridges of Nguruman Escarpment, it forms the wildly-pleasing Entasopia Falls, near Oloibortoto. Originally known as Hayton’s Falls, it is a spell-binding corner of paradise, reached on a veritable journey of ecological display starting at the windswept plains and culminating within the lush wooded areas near the falls. Depending on the starting point, it takes on average six hours (round trip) to hike up Nguruman to Entasopia Falls.
5. Loita Hills Hiking Camp
The Subukloita Hills area, although less than a hundred and twenty kilometres from Nairobi, is little known to the ordinary tripper. However, avid campers are attracted by the scenery and game there, to Loita Hills Hiking Camp. The area lies on the western flanks of the Nguruman Escarpment (Rift Valley) west of the soda Lake Magadi and northwest of Shompole Conservancy, with most campers using Morijo Center as the approach. The economic potential of Subukloita area is proved disappointing, but this is perhaps offset by the relative abundance of plains game, augmented by the stock-herding of the nomadic Maasai. The camp is set in the mountainous Loita Hills – variant forms of spelling for Subukloita Hills or Subuk Leita – that rise to 8,500 ft. The natives, mainly of the nomadic tribesmen of the Purko and Loita clans of the Maasai, who graze their cherished cattle herds over the plains and grass covered hillscape, are a friendly folk. The distribution of their villages basically depends on the presence of surface water.
Abiri Kenya 