Loiyangalani- Travel Tips

What to See, How to Plan & Tours

Loiyangalani sits on the jade‑green southeastern shoreline of Lake Turkana, about 275 air miles north of Nairobi. Its Samburu name—"place of many trees"—recalls the freshwater spring that drew Rendille and El Molo families to settle here in the 1960s. Today roughly 5,100 residents—including Turkana, Luo, Meru, and Somali communities—earn livelihoods from Nile‑perch fishing, small‑scale gold panning, and steadily growing desert tourism. The single‑runway Loiyangalani Airstrip (LOY) allows charter flights, while a desert road links the town to Laisamis on the A2 highway. Culture is Loiyangalani's main attraction. Each June the Lake Turkana Cultural Festival (Tobong'u Lore) brings more than a dozen northern Kenyan ethnic groups together for song, dance, and craft markets—a peace‑building event that began in 2008 and now draws international visitors. Just 50 km east, the UNESCO‑designated Mount Kulal Biosphere Reserve offers cooler forest trails and panoramic views of the Turkana Basin. Literary travelers will recognize Loiyangalani from John le Carré's The Constant Gardener, whose film adaptation used local settings. Oasis Lodge, Palmshade Camp, Mosaretu Women's Group Lodge, and Sailo Bandas provide simple lakeside accommodation, making the town a practical base for exploring Kenya's dramatic northern frontier.