Why Thomson Falls’ roar and majesty draws many

What you need to know:

  • While traversing the countryside between Naivasha and Lake Baringo, the Scotsman and his party stumbled upon the falls.
  • Thomson, who died in 1895, was the first European explorer to walk through the hitherto dangerous Maasai land.

They are named after Scottish geologist and explorer Joseph Thomson who undertook an incredible Royal Geographical Society expedition in 1883.

Thomson is famed for walking from Mombasa to Lake Victoria in early 1880.

While traversing the countryside between Naivasha and Lake Baringo, the Scotsman and his party stumbled upon the falls.

The nomadic Maasai who then roamed the area called it ‘naiurru-ur’ or Nyahururu - simply the water falls.

In keeping with contemporary custom, Thomson bestowed his own name upon the falls as the first European to see them.

When he later set eyes on the huge massif reaching into the sky, he promptly named it the Aberdares, in honour of the Royal Geographical Society.

The Thomson’s gazelle is also named after the same explorer.

In 1931, a colonial settler built a house near the falls. This later became a night stopover for settlers living nearby who wanted to catch the train to Gilgil and Nairobi.

The original name of the lodge was Baris Hotel, which later became Thomson’s Fall Lodge.

As was the case in those days, fire was lit in the rooms each night to ward off the cold.

SCENIC AREA
The scenic falls that drop some 74 metres is found along River Ewaso Nyiro, which drains from the Aberdare Ranges that soar to some 3,500 metres above sea level.

Visitors who are daring enough can walk down the steps, built in 1931, to the pool at the bottom of the falls.

Thomson, who died in 1895, was the first European explorer to walk through the hitherto dangerous Maasai land.

He was an incredible young man, who used comical ingenuity. He could remove his false teeth and make water fizz with Epsom salts to dazzle the natives he met.

The local Maasai were quite impressed with the man, thinking of him as a white ‘Laibon’ (Medicine man) and allowed him to pass through their land.

Along the river there is a pool of water, popularly known as “Manguo” - a local name for Hippos.

Here too is found the Goliath Heron - the largest heron in the world.

It saunters along majestically, occasionally jabbing it jabbing its long beak into the water, as it hunts for fish.

Also not left out of this paradise is the beautiful crested crane.