Off the Beaten Track: Visit Kenya's Northern Frontier

Now that the country is easing travel restrictions, your wanderlust might have you thinking of vacation spots. If you're from Nairobi, Mombasa and Naivasha probably rank high on your list of places to visit. Outside of the "top" destinations, however, there are other gems off the beaten track in Kenya that are totally worth a trip.

Consider visiting the Northern frontier of Kenya. It is expansive and painfully underrated. There's so much to experience and explore there. Here are some sites you can visit in Northern Kenya:

Wajir Museum

The Wajir Museum was officially opened on 19th April, 2011 and offers a glimpse of the rich cultural, historical and natural heritage of Northern Kenya and its interaction with the world. READ MORE

Malka Mari National Park

Malka Mari National Park in Mandera is situated along the Dawa River on the Kenya-Ethiopia border and is an International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN Category II park designated in 1989.

The park is home to Somali giraffes, crocodiles, hyenas, agama lizards, antelopes, vultures, dik-dik, Nile crocodiles, zebra and genet. A bird watcher's haven with over 20 species of birds, including the rare corvus ruficollis (desert crow). READ MORE

Koobi Fora

Situated along the Eastern shores of Lake Turkana is Koobi Fora Site and Museum, a World Heritage Site also popularly known as the Cradle of Mankind. On site are mainly extinct fossils like the crocodile, giraffe and tortoise at least four times larger than today's.

You can also relax at the Koobi Fora camp overlooking the lake away from city life, enjoy spectacular sunsets and teeming wildlife. Koobi Fora is a very important site for Hominid Fossils, famous internationally since Richard Leakey's discovery of '1470' a 2 million year old skull of Homo Habilis. READ MORE

Lake Paradise

What comes to mind when you hear Marsabit? Probably dry wasteland. Nothing flattering. Did you know that far to the North of Kenya, in Marsabit County, lies a densely forested mountain? This is home to the scenic Marsabit National Park.

The park is a haven for a variety of bird life, mammals and reptiles. It's a refuge for giant tusked bull elephants known for having the longest recorded tusks in Africa, most famously Ahmed the King of Marsabit whose life-sized replica is displayed at the Kenya National Museum.

Formed by volcanic activity, the park hosts three craters. In one of the craters, lies the spectacular Lake Paradise. Camping right by the lake is the ultimate bucket list adventure and KWS can arrange that for you. Relax and watch animals come to sip from the lake. READ MORE

Ku Raaxayso!