Attractions in Narok County
6. Mount Suswa
Assigned the Maasai epithet Ol Doinyo Nyukie, translating as red mountain, the dormant volcanic dome of Mount Suswa noted for its 12 kms double crater rises 8,000 feet at its summit. Due north 16 kms away sits Mount Longonot, another volcanic dome with an impressive 9 kms wide caldera, reaching 9,000 feet. Mt. Suswa’s vegetation is for the most parts semi-arid, composed of stunted thorn bushes (whistling thorns and Acacia) and patches of grass. The river and stream beds are often marked by lines of trees, with perennial rivers like South Ewaso Nyiro, Siyabei and Kedong all having thicker vegetation along their banks. On the central island block and in the annular trench, the vegetation is that of an evergreen dense woodland. Mt. Suswa is shared mainly by Narok, Nakuru and Kajiado Counties, with just a tiny part of the eastern wall set in Kiambu County. It is possible to drive up Mount Suswa as far as the foot of the outer caldera wall, although a four-wheel-drive vehicles is necessary. The B3 Nairobi-Mai Mahiu-Narok Road that travels across the north face of Mt. Suswa is the most popular approach. Mount Suswa has many memorable sights, that include; Ol Doinyo Nyukie or the red mountain, which is a remnants of the highest point of Mt. Suswa as well as a separate cone on the southwest side of the inner caldera. On the east side of Mount Suswa are located its famed lava tunnels and geysers, first reported by Hobden in 1962. These extend for several kilometres into the mountain and provide a rare survey of mountain geology. North of Suswa sits the charming Mount Longonot that overlooks several ash and cinder cones and hills rising above the Akira plains. Wildlife is plentiful here, particularly on the plains around Suswa, where five varieties of antelopes and zebra can be spotted.
7. Mau Highland
North of Mount Suswa en route Nakuru Town the Nguruman-Mau Escarpment finally reaches the highland-tableland of Mau, marking the northeast and north boundary of Narok County. The Mau Highland, rising to over 10,000 feet in the north and its main geological formation, is encompassed by the largest forested bearings in Kenya, covering almost 2,733 km2. The Mau Highland is the source of life-or-death rivers like the Mara and South Ewaso Nyiro. Mara River, the single most important river in Narok County, traverses through the Masai Mara Game Reserve, before coursing due west to drain into Lake Victoria. The South Ewaso Nyiro, and the only perennial river on the eastern half of Narok County, drains southward into Lake Natron in Tanzania. Owing to the soft nature of the rocks under the Mau Highland and Mau Escarpment, erosion is rapid, and both these rivers are bigly “brown or muddy” as they transport high quantities of silt.
The Mau Highland is the largest closed‐canopy forest in Kenya. Its forests provide critical ecological benefits, to include, water storage, river regulation, flood mitigation, recharge of groundwater, reduction of soil erosion and siltation, water purification, conservation of biodiversity, and micro‐climate regulation, yet, over the last 15 years, it has lost over 1,070 km2 (or 25%) due to encroachment.
8. Longonot Earth Station
Unlike going to the zoo, going on safari odds-on entails adventure to booay and difficult to access places. The Mara is no exception! The 250 kms journey from Nairobi to Masai Mara National Reserve takes up to 6 hours. The first 150 kms, from Nairobi to Narok Town, is a smooth drive of absolutely beautiful scenes. About 30 kms from Nairobi City, as the road descends to the floor of the valley on the hair-raising winding road to Mai-Mahiu Town, one of the most dazzling view in Kenya unfolds before you. The knockout view of the Great Rift Valley. In the distance are Mount Suswa and the peculiar chain of ground satellites rising mysteriously in the middle of a bare and deserted plain. The ground satellites at Longonot Earth Station have aroused the imagination of many a traveller, with sundry suggestions of their existence. Commissioned in 1970, Longonot Earth Station was the first specialized terrestrial terminal in Kenya, primarily used to communicate with its opposite-number in-space satellites. In 1968, Kenya and her neighbours became members of Intelsat (Global Satellite Consortium) that granted rights to position earth stations to access Intelsat’s battery of satellites.
9. Olosho Curio Shop
Travellers aiming for Masai Mara National Reserve might find it useful to take a breather at Narok, to stretch and refresh ahead of the waxed lyrical about rough and bumpy ride from Narok to the Mara. An experience few forget. A stop here does also, by all means, serve as the universal hail into Masailand and a chance to pay homage to the Maasai. Narok Town is named after the Enkare Narok, or ‘the river that flows through Narok’. Aside from their remarkable proficiency in naming places, events and objects, the Maasai – part of the Nilotic Tribes who have their roots in Egypt – also display a kindred love and mastery for intricate and geometric beaded ornaments reminiscent of the ‘Ancient Egypt’. At Olosho Curio Shop, travellers can learn lots about the symbolic significance of each of the ornaments, in preparation for Mara. It’s also a convenient place to acquire the colophon traditional Maasai kikoy, a widely-adorned fleece by the residents of Narok Town that’s the biggest producer in Kenya of the iconic Maasai kikoys.
10. Narok Stadium
In an earnest bid to diversify its touring resources, Narok County has invested Sh. 316 Million towards the upgrade of Narok Stadium with an eye on attracting the Kenyan Football League fixtures as well as hosting other local and regional functions. Following the commissioning of its phase 1, in 2012, Narok Stadium, set just 80 kms from the world-famous Masai Mara Reserve, has hosted several successful events, hedging on its location to spruce-up sports tourism in Narok.
11. Narok Museum
One of the highly-recommended stopovers within Narok Town is at the rather modest, yet highly informational, Narok Museum. The pocket-sized museum, situated along the B3 Mai Mahiu-Narok-Mara-Kaplong Road, at the entrance of Narok Town, is appreciably easy to reach. It exhibits a photographic gallery and a shedload of artefacts, aiming to showcase the beauty of the rich traditional heritage of the Maasai, and other speakers of the Maasai lineage. Of particular interest at Narok Museum are the 24 reproductions of Joy Adamson’s artworks aptly limning the traditional life of the Maasai; also dubbed Masai or Maa. The collection is selected from her vast highly-praised ethnographical art collection featuring almost 6,000 pieces. “The Maasai are noble, aristocratic people with an impressive physical appearance and a technology appropriate to the harsh environmental conditions of their tropical savannah habitat” National Museum.
12. Narok Coffee House
The relaxed Narok Coffee House just a stone’s throw away from the main town, en route Mara and Bomet, serves good-eats and a perfectly-acceptable cup of a range of coffees: “Food was great and reasonably priced. Very clean with a very pleasant garden area” – Mike W on Tripadvisor. Open daily, till late, this serves as a popular jump-off place for trippers to the Mara and those heading further north. It is located 5 kms from Narok Town along Narok-Kaplong-Bomet Road.
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