Beauty and culture for the tourist trail

The Kolol viewpoint on the Iten-Kabarnet road. Apart from its scenic grandeur, the county also offers cultural tourism. Photo/JARED NYATAYA

The landscape is breathtaking.

Waterfalls cascade over the gigantic escarpment and provide beautiful scenery viewed from roads that meander across the county, from Nyaru in Keiyo South to Tot in the far end of Marakwet East.

The lush canopy of acacia trees around the Kerio Valley, chirping birds, wildlife and three different weather patterns combines beauty with a rich agricultural and cultural heritage.

The climate ranges from the cold of Iten to heat of Marakwet and the moderate temperatures in the valley itself. Elgeyo-Marakwet is a major attraction that should keep tour operators busy throughout the year.

The weather around the valley can be cool and breezy in the mornings and evenings but often turns hot and windy for most of the afternoons.

Kerio Valley, one of the landmark features of the Great Rift, descends 4,000 ft, and is near the towns of Eldoret and Iten, about 500km from Nairobi.

The Cherangani Hills, the Kipteber meteorite historical mountain where the seven sub tribes of the Kalenjin originated, and the Cheploch Gorge are some of the wonderful tourist attractions.

Aesthetic beauty and sporting heritage have made the county a cut above the rest, said Marakwet East MP and assistant Minister for Cooperative Development Linah Kilimo.

“We have a very beautiful landscape and historical sites like the natural caves where the Marakwet used to hide during cattle rustling, beautiful camping sites, and athletic training sites because of the high altitude in Kapsait areas which are instant attractions for tourists,” said Mrs Kilimo.

She added: “And that’s not all. The rich agricultural potential with horticulture and other crops like potatoes, cabbages, tomatoes, mangoes, bananas, rice and dairy products makes the county self-sufficient and if tourism takes shape, it will provide a ready market for farmers in the area.”

Kerio Valley is where world class runners live and train, but it also attracts townspeople who go camping.

Because of the topography and altitude, tourists with a keen interest in sports have found the place ideal for bicycle racing, watching the safari rally and for paragliding.

As Kenya starts to look to areas other than the Coast where white sandy beaches, sunshine and warm temperatures are the main attractions, investors in tourism will have every reason to venture into the resource rich and striking county.

Mr Timothy Biwott, a banker from Marakwet, said the county had the best spots for paragliding in the world and if this were properly harnessed it would open up the area for tourism.

“We are sitting on a goldmine as far as tourism is concerned and the opportunities will become a reality if the new county government and its leadership take up the issue of infrastructure and marketing seriously,” he said.

Mr Biwott continued: “There is already an opportunity which is also being exploited superficially. Sports is a major source of revenue given the increasing interest that international athletes have exhibited in seeking training opportunities in the high altitude areas of the county.”

The windy weather between January and March make the region one of the world’s favourite paragliding zones.

Breezy gardens

Said paraglider Carolyne Dunn, “This region is conducive for the sport because the skies are clear and we do not have many aircraft flying over the valley, and gliders can ascend thousands of feet without a worry.”

Mr Jean Paul Fourier, director of the Kerio Valley View resort said tourism was increasing as the vigorous campaign to open up the Western Circuit yielded fruit.

Tourists lounging in the breezy gardens sit for hours watching paragliders take to the skies and try out some daring stunts.

Besides the valley’s scenic grandeur, the region also offers the cultural heritage of the Kalenjin sub tribes of the Keiyo and Marakwet.

Cultural tourists get a chance to taste traditional delicacies such as mursik (sour milk), boiled and peppered meat, and the community’s special honey beer.

Not very far from the valley’s escarpments lie the Cherengani Hills, that rise more than 11,000ft and provide romantic scenery at each setting of the sun.

Kipteber Mountain in Kapcherop is an independent attraction. According to folklore, it is where a meteorite fell on villagers, killing scores who did not heed the warning of a crow that there would be a disaster.

At the deserted mountain, the spirits of those buried alive are said to be heard conversing at night in low tones.

This is where elders go to ask for rain and it is said that within a few minutes of their supplications, rain would come with thunder and lightning.

For visitors, resorts such as Kerio View, Lelin Camp, Sego Lodge and AIC Cheptebo Conference Centre are serene places far from the polluted air of the towns.

At Kerio View resort, the wooden architecture sits on a tranquil landscape between jutting hills, gorges and escarpments from whose height the beauty of the valley in all its vastness can be admired.

A tour of the county would be incomplete without a visit to the Rimoi Game Reserve home to thousands of species of Rift Valley’s flora and fauna.

Gazetted in 1983, the reserve boasts a variety of animals including elephants, buffalos and dikdiks.

There are also impalas, monkeys, baboons, and different birds alongside crocodiles in the Kerio river.