Banks of Lake Turkana in West of Lake Turkana

There are two spots on the western bank of Lake Turkana which are accessible. The first and most popular is the fishing village of Kalekol, a few km from the lake shore. Matatus sometimes run from Lodwar to Kalekol, but only if enough people want to go. The place to stay in town is the Safari Hotel.

From Kalekol it’s a 1.5 hour walk to Ferguson’s Gulf, the most accessible part of the lake. There are a lot of birds here, as well as crocodiles and hippos. The only lodge here was shut down for renovation and is probably still closed. If you want to stay the night, you’ll have to stay with some locals. If you don’t feel comfortable doing that, you’ll have to return to Kalekol for the night.

The second access to the lake is Eliye Springs. It’s a beautiful spot, but to get here you need your own 4WD vehicle. The turn-off is sign posted about halfway to Kalekol. There’s no hotel here either, so you’ll need to camp. The locals will help to set you up in a nice spot on the lake shaded by palm trees. They offer to sell you nice hammocks that they set up comfortably between trees. No matter if you want the hammocks or not, expect to pay about KSh 400 per night. Locals try to suck every shilling out of you because they don’t see tourists too often, but it’s worth it. Of the two and a half years I spent in Kenya, I never had a more genuine experience with natives. The Turkana will even perform a dance for you for a small fee. The women and girls will sell traditional Turkana baskets for insanely cheap prices. You’ll need your own food and water, although fish is readily available.