Lake Baringo Travel Guide

Lake Baringo is a big shallow freshwater lake north of Marigat. Once a productive lake for fish, it has been severely over-fished in recent years. There are still plenty of birds, however, and of course hippos and crocodiles in abundance and the many islands make it a nice place to visit. You can arrange boat trips to the islands through Robert’s Camp or Lake Baringo Club.

To get to Lake Baringo, take B4 north outside of Nakuru. Continue 15 km past Marigat and you’ll see a signpost for the village of Kampi ya Samaki and Lake Baringo Club. There is direct public transportation to the lake from Nakuru. However, it should be faster for you to first take a matatu to Marigat, the from there take another to the lake.

There are several places to stay on Lake Baringo. The most comfortable and pleasant place is Robert’s Camp. You can camp there for Ksh 350 per person, with access to clean showers and toilets. There are also a few double bandas (thatched huts) for KSh 1000 per person per night, and for groups of 4 or more, three luxury self contained cottages, which rent for 5000 per night. There’s a restaurant The Thirsty Goat with an excellent menu, and a fully stocked bar.

If Robert’s is full, try the Bahari Lodge where you can get abed for KSh 100.

If you’re looking for an upper-end hotel, there’s Block Hotel’s Lake Baringo Club, which has singles/doubles for US$ 39/78 in the low season and US$ 83/128 in the high season. The club has a badminton court, dart boards, a swimming pool, a library, and an excellent restaurant. Island Camp Baringo (# (071) 374069) is a nice tented lodge on Ol Kokwa Island. There are singles/doubles with full board for US$ 69/138 in the low season and US$ 141/187in the high season.