What is the hottest desert in Kenya?

What is the hottest desert in Kenya? Kenya is a East African country known for its great safari tours. It is considered the best place to visit for safari tours .The best safari in kenya destination to visit is Maasai Mara National Reserve with its main attraction being the Great Migration, the highlight being the Mara river crossing . Kenya too has diverse landscapes with several desert areas such as;

Chalbi Desert

Chalbi desert is the largest desert located in northern Kenya which covers an estimated area of 100,000 square kilometers. It’s made up of a combination of rocky terrain, sand dunes, and some oases. Chalbi desert is found east of Lake Turkana and it is characterised by its vast expanses of barren land, salt flats, and sand dunes.

The Chalbi Desert is found in one of the hottest and driest regions in Kenya, sometimes the temperatures here are often exceeding 40°C during the day and dropping below freezing at night. There are wildlife despite the harsh climatic conditions of the area with some notable wildlife found in the area are camels, gazelles, and ostriches.

The local community comprise mainly the Gabra and Borana who are pastoralist communities, they have lived and adapted to the desert environment. Their main source of livelihood here is herding of camels, sheep, and goats. They deeply depend on the seasonal short rains to support their livelihoods and they have a deep cultural attachment to the desert terrain.

Kenya safari tourists visit the Chalbi Desert to experience its different unique environment, great natural beauty and its weather. Some of the popular kenya safari activities in the area are ; camel safaris, sandboarding, and the only desert in the world Lake Turkana.

Nyiri Desert

This desert is found in the south-eastern part of Kenya, and it is estimated to be approximately 10,000 hectares in size. The Nyiri desert landscape is characterized by rocky hills, sand dunes, and occasional shrubs. The Nyiri Desert is found in the northern region between the Great Rift Valley and Lake Turkana. The entire region is a semi-arid region and it is characterized by vast expanses of sand, rocky outcrops, and thorny bushes. The climate in the Nyiri Desert is hot and dry, with temperatures often exceeding 40°C during the day and dropping to below freezing point sometimes during the night.

Despite it having  harsh climatic conditions, the Desert can sometimes host a variety of wildlife, including some zebras, giraffes, springhare and numerous species of antelope. The desert is lived by several nomadic communities of kenya, such as the Samburu and the Rendille people, who have become used to the challenging environment over many generations.

The Nyiri Desert has a great attractive and beautiful landscape, but the ecosystem can be vulnerable to the effects of climate change and human activity. A lot of measures have been put in place to protect the area and its inhabitants such as initiatives to promote sustainable tourism and conservation efforts to preserve the natural habitat of the wildlife that are adapted and can withstand the Nyiri Desert climate.

Kaisut Desert

This desert is found in the north-western part of Kenya, and it is estimated to covers an area of approximately over 23,000 hectares. The landscape same as in other deserts in Kenya is characterized by rocky terrain, sand dunes, and occasional shrubs. The Kaisut Desert is found in Turkana County one of the 47 counties in Kenya, found in the  northern part of the country.

The Kaisut Desert is sometimes also known as the Suguta Valley. The valley is a remote and arid region that covers an area of approximately 17,000 square kilometers (6,560 square miles) northern part of Kenya which extends to the border near Ethiopia. The Kaisut Desert which is known for its unique landscape, which is made up of sand dunes, rocky outcrops, and dry riverbeds. It is also home to some of the common randomly spotted wildlife such as camels, gazelles, and desert foxes.

For a very long time the desert has been known to have harsh environment, the Kaisut Desert has been inhabited by various communities of people for many of years. The region is home to several nomadic communities such as the Rendille, who have become used  to the desert’s extreme weather condition.

Turkana Desert

Turkana desert same as the Kaisut desert is found in the north-western part of Kenya, and it estimated to have an area of approximately over 70,000 hectares. The landscape of Turkana desert is characterized by rocky hills, sand dunes, and occasional oases.

The Turkana Desert is always hot because of it being in the arid region of northern Kenya. The Turkana Desert is considered to be one of the harshest environments in Kenya  due to its extreme temperatures, limited water sources, and scarce vegetation.

The Turkana people, who are the main community who have inhabited the region for thousands of years, have adapted to the harsh conditions by relying on traditional methods of livestock herding, fishing, and hunting. Despite its difficult conditions, the Turkana Desert is rich in natural resources, including oil, natural gas, and geothermal energy.

The Turkana region which  is also known for its paleontological discoveries, with some of the oldest hominid fossils ever discovered, including those of Homo erectus and Homo habilis have been discovered in the region. The area is also home to several national parks and reserves, including Lake Turkana National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its unique geological and paleontological features. Central Island National Park, Sibiloi National Park and Turkana South National Park.

 Maralal Desert

This desert is located in the central part of Kenya, and it covers an estimated area of over 10,000 hectares. The landscape of Maralal desert is made up of rocky terrain, sand dunes, and occasional shrubs. Maralal Desert is not actually a desert, but a semi-arid region located in Samburu County, northern Kenya. Maralal Desert is at a region of about 1,960 meters in altitude. The climate of the area is hot and dry with temperatures sometimes ranging from 20°C to 35°C during the day and dropping to 10°C to 15°C at night. The region receives very little rainfall throughout the year, with annual rainfall averaging between 200mm and 400mm.

Maralal Desert is home to a variety of wildlife despite it being in an arid region with some of the common animals here being the African bush elephants, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, and predators such as lions and leopards. The region is also known for its unique Samburu cultures offering cultural diversity, the main tribes living in the area are the Samburu people who are known to be pastoralists.

Maralal is a great town known for tourism in Kenya with safari tour visits to the nearby Samburu National Reserve, where visitors come to experience the unique cultures and wildlife of the area. The main annual attraction of the region is the Maralal Camel Derby, which is held in August , the popular event attracts participants and from all over the world.