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Jade Sea: The alluring beauty of Lake Turkana

Friday July 20 2018
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The Jade Sea, so-called for its green waters is an alluring attraction for the intrepid traveller. It supports both human and wildlife that live in its harsh surrounding terrain. PHOTO | LIZ NG'ANG'A | NMG

By LIZ NG'ANG'A

One element that perfects the rather attractively shaped map of Kenya is the broken dogleg-shaped water body near the right hand corner representing Lake Turkana.

Of course it is rather flippant to reduce the world’s largest permanent desert lake, covering 6,450 square kilometres, to a mere aesthetic in Kenya’s cartographic depiction.

The so-termed discovery of the lake in 1888, shimmering like a mirage in an otherwise seemingly inhospitable land, awed world geographers and continues to attract intrepid travellers to date.

The Hungarian explorer, Count Samuel Teleki de Szek, and his Austrian second-in-command, Ludwig Ritter von Höhnel, are historically said to have been the first Europeans to see the lake, which they christened Lake Rudolf in honour of the Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria.

In 1975, the government of Kenya renamed the lake after the Turkana people, one of the communities that has lived on its shores for centuries.

I have often imagined my education to be incomplete without a visit to Lake Turkana. But I have always been discouraged from visiting by the unfavourable stories that abound about Kenya’s ‘‘northern frontier,’’ which hosts the lake.

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News of bloody cattle rustling and inter community conflicts; almost annual reports of drought accompanied by explicit images of dying women and children; and tales of a remote and near impossible place to visit due to impassable terrain — the result of poor transport infrastructure and general common lawlessness.

In effect, a journey to Lake Turkana has often struck me as one to be attempted only by the bold and daring. Which I am not.

As such, when friends who had recently visited the lake recommended it as a holiday getaway, I instinctively asked, “How do I get there and how many days will it take? Where will I stay?” I only stopped short of asking the rather ridiculous, but somewhat justified, “What will I eat?”

As it turns out, travelling to Lake Turkana has become easier, with a number of airlines flying from Nairobi to Lodwar, the headquarters of Turkana County, daily.

It took a mere six hours door-to-door from my house to the Eliye Springs Resort, 50 kilometres east of Lodwar, where I was booked to stay.

Panorama

My senses are outwitted by the suddenness of my arrival. Driving into the resort, down a slight hill amidst scattered villages strewn among acacia trees, I am unprepared for the panoramic view of Lake Turkana; its greenish-blue waters, which have earned it the moniker “Jade Sea,” gleaming in the sun.

I am not expecting to see sandy beaches or even the beautiful doum palms lining the lake shore.

And because of the recent rains, the landscape is lush green, a far cry from the dry, scorched and dark common look.

Aware that the northern region is one of the hottest in Kenya, I rightly expect some discomfort. But my essence, perhaps weakened by urban hustle and bustle, is totally overwhelmed by the weather condition.

Within minutes of my arrival, I am drenched in sweat and I have to retreat to my accommodation. Thanks to the cool, traditional Turkana grass thatched banda-style rooms at Eliye Springs, I bounce back quickly, eat a light dinner and head straight to bed, far too early.

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The accommodation at Eliye Spring Resort on the shores of Lake Turkana. PHOTO | LIZ NG'ANG'A | NMG

Quiet storm

I am awakened in the middle of the night by what sounds like a mighty pounding storm headed towards my banda.

I cautiously peek outside, only to come face to face with the unfamiliar phenomenon of a raging lake, the result of the notorious strong desert winds of which Lake Turkana is famous.

I am drawn to this spectacle, and I sit on the verandah of my banda to watch.

For one precious hour it is just the lake, in all its turbulent glory, and me — ironically, a time of total bliss.

I am up at the crack of dawn, refreshed and excited by the view of the lake from my bed, but uncertain of the day ahead in this strange land.

I decide to take a boat ride across the lake, although I had been warned that the winds or sudden violent storms could make sailing impossible or hazardous.

I am fortunate that the lake calms down by around 11am, allowing us to make the trip to the Central Island with a unique cluster of three volcanic crater lakes — Crocodile, Flamingo and Tilapia — famous for rich birdlife, including species that migrate between Africa and Europe.

Having taken many boat rides in different water bodies, it is difficult to explain why this particular one has a positive impact on me. Perhaps because the crew from Eliye Springs Resort is non-intrusive, only providing information when asked.

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The writer Liz Ng’ang’a on a sundowner boat ride in Crocodile Crater, one of the three crater lakes on Central Island in Lake Turkana. PHOTO | LIZ NG'ANG'A | NMG

Maybe because, against the hot, dry weather, the splash of the lake water feels refreshing and reviving. Or probably I am spellbound by the way the lake appears to change colour every so many metres.

In any event, the boat ride prepares me for the 10 or so minutes hike up the rocky, grass and shrubs path, ultimately finding myself at the top of a sand dune, staring into the Flamingo Lake Crater, an amazing wondrous circular waterbody, with its extremely green water; a beautiful site and reminder of the stormy volcanic history of the Islands.

But it is Crocodile Crater, the breeding ground of the worlds biggest population of Nile crocodiles, with an estimated 12,000 reptiles, that resonates most with me.

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The Crocodile Crater one of the three crater lakes on Lake Turkana’s Central Island. PHOTO | LIZ NG'ANG'A | NMG

The tranquillity of this lake is enough to quiet any soul, and my colleagues and I are inescapably lured to sit on its bank for a good half hour.

Almost in a trance, we watch as a crocodile makes its way around the lake, while on the opposite bank a group of birds appear to be having a seemingly heated discussion over prey — the Grey Heron being the most vocal on the issue, its ‘‘go-go-go’’ cluckings, and rapid ‘‘frawnk’’ squawks echoing all around.

I spend the rest of my time in Lake Turkana unwinding at Eliye Springs Resort, one of the most laid back settings I have experienced in a long time.

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The accommodation at Eliye Spring Resort. PHOTO | LIZ NG'ANG'A | NMG

With ingredients sourced from Lodwar town, the meals are simple and skillfully prepared, a testament to what can be done with little.

The taste of beautifully caramelised onion on toast, chased down with a glass of merlot, is one that will stay with me for a long time. Entertainment is simple; rather random choices of documentaries and TV series projected, open air, on a large screen, a great way to bring guests together.

On my final evening, I am packed off with a picnic basket to watch the sunset from the middle of the lake; a magical experience.

And indeed, Lake Turkana is certainly a land of glorious sunsets and sunrises, a completely different world, and I am aware that I barely scratched the surface of a destination that has rightly earned reference as the cradle of mankind.

I intend to visit again, this time going for the full experience befitting of this amazing destination by braving the long and arduous, two or three-day road trip. My education has only just begun.

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