Attractions in Narok County
32. South Ewaso Nyiro River
Not to be confused with the more popular Ewaso Nyiro River which rises on the west side of Mount Kenya and flows north, east and south-east before draining into the Lorian Swamp, the South Ewaso Nyiro River rises in the Mau Highland some 52 kms north of Narok, flowing south-eastwards along a narrow channel cut along the edge of the Nguruman Escarpment (part of the western wall of the Great Rift Valley) which it hugs as far as Oloibortoto. There, South Ewaso Nyiro River turns slightly eastwards and eventually spreads out into the morasses of Shompole Swamp lying just north of Lake Natron. As it flows, the South Ewaso Nyiro is fed by several wide tributaries notably of the Liarok and Siyabei Rivers.
The South Ewaso Nyiro River once flowed directly into Lake Natorn but, in recent times, it has been dammed by a horst beside the Shompole Hill. This has caused the waters to spread out into the steadily expanding Engare Ng’iro Swamp, where the Ewaso River deposits its sediment.
33. Mara River
The much-vaunted Mara River has its source in Napuiyapui Swamp on the Mau Highland. Its principal tributaries are the Amala and Nyangoris Rivers. Other seasonal tributaries are Oltorotua which rises on the edge of Loita Plains near Lemek, and the Sand River rising in Loita Hills and flowing westwards along the southern foot of the Sianna Hills until it reaches the Mara River nearby the Tanzania border. From Mau Highlands, Mara River flows south-westwards as far as its meet with Nyangoris River, a permanent stream rising in Chepalungu in Trans Mara, after which it follows the contours of Siria Escarpment aiming for the Mara Bridge. From here, it swings south-eastwards to demarcate Mara Triangle, which lies between it and Siria Escarpment, to as far as the Tanzania boundary. At the border, the Mara River is joined by the semi-permanent Sand River and from where it swings westerly, eventually draining into Lake Victoria.
34. Siria Escarpment
Siria Escarpment, oft-times cited the Oloololo or Ol Donyio Escarpment, rising 6,000 feet high and sloping westwards with the Mara River at its eastern foot, forms a break roughly down the western side of Masai Mara National Reserve and Narok County. It rises 1,000 feet over the surrounding flat plains, breaking the unvarying and unrelenting grassland monotony, to form one of the Mara’s most distinguished features said to be especially wondrous when sighted at the Angama Mara Lodge raised on Siria Escarpment’s edge. Near Mwita, the Siria reaches its highest elevation of about 6,500 feet, where the ridges forming the northern extension of the Karri Highlands occur. West of Siria Escarpment, the surface slopes towards Lake Victoria (3,500 feet) at about 35 feet per kilometre.
35. Trans Mara Conservation Area
Trans Mara, or the area beyond the Mara, commences northwest of Masai Mara National Reserve along the outer margin of the Siria Escarpment, beyond which the land rises to over 6,500 ft., covered by a mosaic of semi-deciduous and dry-deciduous forest and acacia savanna woodlands. The Trans Mara Conservation Area forms a vital dispersal area for Maasai Mara National Reserve. Nyakweri Forest, covering 500 km2, is its largest remaining forest. Patches of Nyakweri Forest still remain intact within group ranches like Kimintet and Oloirien which directly butt up against Mara Triangle that are designated as protected wildlife areas. Moreover, the area has plenty of wildlife and is a time-honoured nursery for herds of elephants. It is also recorded to have more than 100 floral varieties and almost 300 bird species. The rate of destruction, for charcoal burning and wood, has been quite alarming: “unchecked clearing of the forest will continue to shrink habitats, not only for the elephants, but also for the rare giant hogs, as well as, birds species not found anywhere else” – A report by Anne Kent Fund.
After land sub-division, local landowners who are mainly from the Maasai community invite outsiders to provide labor in cutting down trees to clear land for agriculture. In turn, these laborers receive their payment from the sale of charcoal that they make while the owner gets 25% of sales.
36. Intona Ranch
The controversial 27 km2 Intona Ranch close to Lolgarian in Trans Mara has been the subject of mind-blowing villainy and double-dealings since the death of its owner, Former Vice President Joseph K. Murumbi. In its heydays, this working cattle ranch, with its beautiful if rather outlandish 34-rooms stately mansion, was the epicenter for pedigree cattle-breeding. Murumbi, an avid-farmer himself, and a well-known art enthusiast, often hosted Maasai farmers as well as passionate breeders from the world over to trade-off new skill with indigenous know-hows, with the aim to enriching both traditional and modern farmers. Sadly, after his death in 1990, the Intona Ranch became the focus of endless ‘ownership-woes’ leading to its complete run-down to a derelict and vandalized farm. To begin with, the Maasai wanted to reclaim the land which they had given to Murumbi as a gift. More recently, Kenya’s incumbent Deputy President, W. Ruto, “is alleged to have acquired the Intona Ranch land after paying off a loan owed to the Agricultural Finance Corporation by J. Murumbi”.
Joe loved his cattle and he experienced great joy in going to the kraal in the evening to see them coming in. Sheila, conversely, did not care about cattle much. She loved plants and was a keen gardener. She kept a lovely greenhouse, which housed a collection of the orchids found at Intona. They both shared an incredible passion for culture and art and the house was a true museum of African art – carvings, masks, antiques and paintings – A Bushnob Out of Africa.
37. Kilimapesa Gold
Narok County is endowed with ample minerals among them gold deposit in the Lolgorian region of Transmara West. Gold mining and processing activity in Narok is mainly done at Lolgoriian, at the Kilimapesa Hill, and is carried out by Kilimapesa Gold Ltd. A new plant was commissioned in February 2017 close by Kilimapesa Hill with shaft mines running through the gold-bearing quartz veins with a designed scope of 200 tonnes daily. Goldplat, which operates the mines, now owns 100% of Kilimapesa Gold and all Lolgorien gold enterprise. Kilimapesa is part the Migori Archaean Greenstone Belt of south-west Kenya. The Kilimapesa Gold mining project came into production in January of 2009.
Abiri Kenya 