Magadi

Following a night at the camp on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River we have developed a number of options so people can extend their time in this area or not. People can either be transported back to Nairobi, directly after breakfast, or they can cycle up past Oloika and on to the town of Magadi, before then being transferred to Nairobi, or they can stay the night at Magadi and then have another day cycling the 50 kilometres to the prehistoric site of Olorgesailie when, again, there is the option of staying the night or transferring to Nairobi.

The route north of Shompole, towards Lake Magadi, is relatively easy going although there are a few sections where thick dust, the consistency of talcum powder, can mean pedalling is very difficult. Lake Magadi is the most southerly of Kenya's Lakes and lies close to the Tanzanian border, just to the north of Lake Natron. Lake Magadi is shallow soda lake in a depression 1,000 metres lower than Nairobi and is one of the hottest places in the country.

Lake Magadi is the world's second largest source of soda and Kenya's most valuable mineral resource. This explains the presence of the Magadi Soda Company and the town that has been built to cater for its workers. When approached from the south the factory and town buildings appear as if from another world as they gradually emerge from the heat haze.

Away from the town this is a harsh and barren landscape that is dominated by wide, flat, slat pans and views of distant mountains. Close to the Nguruman Escarpment and along the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River there is some relief from the heat but for the most part it is a hostile place where a handful of native Maasai struggle to exist. The heat and lack of fresh water means the wildlife of the area tends to be limited to those species that are specifically adapted to surviving in dry country - animals like gerenuk and oryx can be found along with numbers of Grant's gazelle, and a scattering of wildebeest and zebra.

Even though Shompole and the area south of Lake Magadi is so close to Nairobi it receives few visitors. Despite it being a site of huge ornithological importance, with an abundance of bird species, particularly from October to March, when vast numbers of migrant European waders over-winter, very few people make the comparatively short journey from Nairobi. Occasionally people travel down to visit the Hot Springs and dip their toes in the water and have a picnic but normally there are very few other people around.

It is possible to camp in the hills above the Hot Springs, with splendid views all around and there is always some wildlife in the area as well as the prolific birdlife to occupy one's attention. At most times of the year it can be very hot down by the lakeshore so camping slightly higher up can help to catch any available breeze. Even though this is a public campsite the chances of bumping into anyone else is pretty remote.

The final option is to extent the safari for a further day and carry on travelling for another 50 kilometres north of Maagadi to arrive at the prehistoric site of Olorgesailie, an ancient lake bed where significant archaeological finds have been made that go back to the middle Pleistocene era. National Museums of Kenya have an established camp here with self-catering, self-contained bandas and a campsite with toilets and showers available for people to use. The Leakey family began investigating the site in the early 1940s and since then the site has produced huge numbers of stone age tools. There is a museum and it is possible to walk around the site and see where many of the discoveries have been unearthed.