Marsabit National Park

Marsabit National Park is a forested oasis rising from the surrounding desert, centred around an extinct shield volcano in Kenya's vast northern frontier. The park encompasses three volcanic crater lakes — Lake Paradise, Sokorte Dika, and Sokorte Guda — shrouded in dense montane forest, creating an almost mythical landscape. Covering 1,554 square kilometres, Marsabit was once home to Ahmed, a legendary elephant with enormous tusks who was placed under presidential protection by Jomo Kenyatta. The park's forest supports elephant, buffalo, greater kudu, and abundant birdlife, while the surrounding plains are home to reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, and gerenuk. Getting to Marsabit is an adventure through the Chalbi Desert.