Sibiloi National Park
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CAMPING Public campsites: Turkana Campsite (latrines only-no water) and Koobi Fora Campsite (latrines only- no water) Sunset Strip Camp: this popular campsite at Loiyangalani offers a communal dining area, water, showers and lavatories. Contact: Tel (Nairobi) +254 (O)20 891348· Email: [email protected] WHAT TO TAKE WITH YOU: Allsupplies: especially fuel (the last fuel stations are in Marsabit or Maralal), food and water. Also useful are: camping equipment, breakdown equipment and medical kit as well as a camera, binoculars, hat, sunglasses and guidebooks PLEASE RESPECTTHE WILDLIFE CODE Respect the privacy of the wildlife, this is their habitat. Beware of the animals, they are wild and can be unpredictable. Don't crowd the animals or make sudden noises or movements. Don't feed the animals, it upsets their diet and leads to human dependence. Keep quiet, noise disturbs the wildlife and may antagonize your fellow visitors. Stay in your vehicle at all times, except at designated picnic or walking areas. Keep below the maximum speed limit (40kph/25mph). Never drive off-road, this severely damages the habitat. When viewing wildlife keep to a minimum distance of 20 meters and pull to the side of the road so as to allow others to pass. KENYA WILDLIFE SERVICE PARKS AND RESERVES Leave no litter and never leave fires unattended or discard burning objects. • ABERDARE NATIONAL PARK. AMBOSEU NATIONAL PARK. ARABUKO SOKOKE NATIONAL RESERVE. Respect the cultural heritage of Kenya, never take pictures of the local people or their • CENTRAL" SOUTHERN ISLAND NATIONAL PARK. CHYULU HILLS NATIONAL PARK • habitat without asking their permission, respect the cultural traditions of Kenya and • HELLS CATE NATIONAL PARK. KAKAMECA FOREST NATIONAL RESERVE. KISITE MpUNCUTI MARINE PARK. always dress with decorum. • KISUMU IMPALA SANCTUARY. KIUNCA NATIONAL MARINE RESERVE. KORA NATIONAL PARK. Stay over or leave before dusk, visitors must vacate the Park between 7.00pm - • LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK. MAUNDI MARINE NATIONAL PARK. • MARSAIIT NATIONAL PARK" RESERVE. MERU NATIONAL PARK. MOMBASA MARINE NATIONAL PARK. 6.00am unless they are camping overnight. Night game driving is not allowed. • MOMIASA MARINE RESERVE. MOUNT ELCON NATIONAL PARK • • MT. KENYA NATIONAL PARK. MT. lONCONOT NATIONAL PARK. MWEA NATIONAL RESERVE. HOW TO GETTH ERE • NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK. NAIROBI SAFARI WALK" ORPHANACE. NDERE ISLAND NATIONAL PARK. Roads: • OL DONYO SABUK NATIONAL PARK. RUMA NATIONAL PARK. SAIWA SWAMP NATIONAL PARK. The lake is a three day drive from Nairobi via Marsabit and North Horr, or Maralal and south • SHIMBA HILLS NATIONAL RESERVE. SIBILOI NATIONAL PARK. TANA RIVER PRIMATE RESERVE • Horr. Alternatively travel by road from Nairobi to Kalokol on the lake's western shores, via • TSAVO EAST NATIONAL PARK. TSAVO WEST NATIONAL PARK. WATAMU MARINE NATIONAL RESERVE. Kitale and Lodwar. From Kalokol boat hire services are available across the lake to AIIiaBay. Airstrips: access to Lake Turkana is usually by air and there are two all-weather airstrips. KtNYA WlLOlln Open: stIMCE n Daily 6.00am - 6.00pm. Note: No entry is allowed on foot, and visitors will not be allowed Marketing & Business Development into the Park after 6.15pm. P.O.Box40241 - 00100 Nairobi Kenya. Current entry dlarges: Tel: +254 (020) 6000800, 6002345 Fax: +254 (020) 6007024 Current entry charges: Obtainable via KWSHQ:Tel: +254(20}6000800, 602345 ISDN:+254 (020) 3992000 Fax: 6007024 • Email: [email protected] Telkom Wireless: '·$afarl Card' reqiJlrtdl +254 (020) 2379407/8/9, 2379410/1/3/4/5/6 At present the park does not operate on the safari card system. Entry is by cash only (KShs orUS S). Mobile Numbers: Th Warden: +254 (0) 726610508/9,735 663 421, 736 663 400 P.O.Box 219, LowdarJel: +254 (054) 21223 Email: [email protected] The Koobi Fora Museum, Allia Bay Although all KoobiFora's human fossils are now housed Nairobi's National Museum, you can still view the fossils a 3 million year old giant tortoise, an ancient species of crocodile and a 1.5 million year old behemoth on site. Note: please do not remove any fossils remains from the sites as they may compromise the future research The tempestuous 'Jade Sea" The largest permanent desert lake in the world, lake Turkana isan isolated chloro-carbon -carbonate alkine giant covering 6,400 sq Km.lts mercurial blue-green colour has earned it the title 'The Jade Sea: Crocodile Kingdom Survivors of an epoch long before mankind, lake Turkana's estimated 12,000 crocodiles have not changed in 130 million years. Despite their monstrous size and formidable appearance they are generally inoffensive creatures living in perfect harmony with their environment and feeding on the lake's prolificfish. Petrified forests The largest areas of petrified wood lying around Sibiloi are the remains of a once-great cedar forest, which covered the lake's shores 7 million years ago. "CRADLEOF MANKIND, GARDENOF EDEN" Prolific birdlife Shimmering like a mirage in the harshly beautiful desert landscape of northern Kenya Sibiloi'savain highlights include: Somali ostrich, Koriand Heuglin's bustard, northern lie the blue-green waters of lake Turkana. On its shores lies one of the world's greatest WHERE TO STAY carmine and Somali bee-eater, chestnut-bellied sand grouse and fox kestrel. The Park is Lodges and Tented Camps treasures, the 3 million year old KoobiFora palaeontological site. First discovered by Dr also famous for the European migrants that sweep across its skies between March-May. Oasis lodge: located towards the southern end of the lake, there are 15 luxury bungalows Richard leaky and his team in 1972, Sibiloi is now universally recognized as the 'Cradle (with private bath and electricity), two spring-fed swimming pools, car and boat hire. of Mankind' and the most likely biblical Garden of Eden. WHEN TO GO Contact: Tel;(Nairobi) +254 (20) 503267 • Email:[email protected] The park isaccessible all year round. The Shimba hills are a dissected plateau that ascends steeply from the coastal plains, 30 lobolo Tented Camp: located on the western shore of the lake this hosted camp offers 6 km south west of Mombasa and just south of Kwaletown. The surrounding escarpment luxury tents and full board. rises from around 120m to 300m across the bulk of the plateau and as high as 450m at Contact: Bush Homes EA.Tel(Nairobi) +254 (0) 20 350703, 571661. Marere and Pengo hills. Allhills have views points, which offer splendid views of the Email: [email protected]· Website: www.bush-honies.co.ke hilly and forested countryside and far as the Indian Ocean and Chale Island to the East and the Tsavoplains and Taita hills to the West. Self-catering Accommodation AIIiaBayGuesthouse: this well equipped KWS-managed lakeshore guesthouse offers 3 WHAT TO SEE double bedrooms (mosquito nets and mattresses provided - take your own bedding, linen 'Sku1l1470~Homo habilis and towels). Solar generated electricity is provided. There is a furnished indoor sitting and Known as the 'Cradle of Mankind'Sibiloi National Park was created to protect the sites of dining area, one bathroom and an indoor kitchen (including a gas stove, cooking utensils, the many remarkable hominid fossils finds revealed by its searing winds. The park cutlery, crockery and glasses).Contact: KWSHQ,Nairobi. yielded its most striking treasure in 1972 when a 2 million year old fossilized skull was discovered by eminent paleontologist DrRichard leaky and his team. The almost National Museums of Kenya, Koobi fora complete skull (labeled '1470' by the National Museum of Kenya) confirmed the Thissite has simple chalets with a communal dining area, Water, showers and lavatories. existence of a sophisticated evolutionary hominid named Homo habilis, the direct There isalso a campsite. ancestor of Homo sapiens. Evidence of Homo erectus was also unearthed along with Contact: NMK.Tel:(Nairobi) +254 (0) 20 891348.· Email: [email protected] some 160 additional finds relating to the early hominids..