Lake Turkana

Turkana lies in a desert basin in Kenya's far north, close to 290 kilometres long and coloured an opaque jade by the algae in it, which is why it is known as the Jade Sea. Nothing flows out of it, so it is saline, and its level rises and falls with the flow of the Omo River, which brings most of its water. The shores are black lava and wind-scoured sand, and the wind is close to constant. This is also the single most productive landscape on earth for hominin fossils: Koobi Fora on the eastern shore has produced skulls and skeletons that rewrote the human family tree, including the Turkana Boy found near the western side. The lake holds one of the largest Nile crocodile populations in Africa, and Central Island is a volcanic cone with crater lakes where they breed.

The landscape

• Koobi Fora - the fossil beds and small museum on the eastern shore in Sibiloi National Park.
• Central Island - a volcanic island of crater lakes and crocodiles, reached by boat.
• Loiyangalani - the lakeside settlement and base, with a Turkana and El Molo cultural festival.
• The Chalbi desert - the salt flats crossed on the overland route north.

When to go

June to September is marginally cooler; the rest of the year is punishing. The Lake Turkana Festival at Loiyangalani, usually held mid-year, brings together the region's communities and is the best time to be there.

Before you go

This is one of the hardest trips in Kenya. The overland drive is multiple days on rough roads with real logistics, fuel and water planning, and most visitors fly instead at considerable cost. Heat, wind and dust are relentless. Facilities are minimal. Boats on the lake need care, since the wind can rise fast and crocodiles are not a theoretical concern.

Nearby

Marsabit and the Chalbi desert lie on the eastern route; South Horr and the Samburu highlands to the south.

Key facts