Set on the wild and rugged shores of Lake Turkana, the cradle of humankind that is this park is home to important archaeological sites including Koobi Fora where the fossil remains have contributed more to the understanding of human evolution than any other site in the continent. It is one of the world’s greatest treasures where proof of man’s origins were discovered.
Four particular treasures are: the shell of a giant tortoise dating back 3 million years, a set of jaws over 5ft long from a crocodile believed to have been over 45ft in length and the extinct behemoth, forebear of the elephant with massive tusks, both dating back 1.5 million years and the hominid (early man) finds.
The park is characterized by a desert habitat and open plains flanked by volcanic formations including Mount Sibiloi, where the remains of the petrified forest can be seen, casts of elephants, giant tortoise, Koobi Fora museum, Turkana Basin Institute museum.
Lake Turkana is the most saline of Africa’s large lakes, the largest of the chain of Rift Valley lakes in Kenya and the world’s largest permanent desert and alkaline lake. Sibiloi is a haven for 84 water bird species, while serving as a stopover for 34 Palearctic. 23 species breed here, including Ardea goliath, and up to 50 pairs of the regionally threatened Rynchops flavirostris have that bred on Central Island.
