Lake Turkana National Parks, Desert lake national parks in northern Kenya.
Lake Turkana National Parks is a World Heritage Site made up of three protected areas around Africa's largest alkaline lake in northern Kenya, surrounded by volcanic rock and desert terrain. The parks cover lake shores, volcanic craters, and open plains where crocodiles, hippos, and many bird species live.
The area around the lake has been home to people for thousands of years, and fossil discoveries made from the 1960s onward turned it into one of the most important sites for understanding early human history. The findings pushed back the known timeline of human ancestors by hundreds of thousands of years.
The Turkana people who live along the shore fish and herd cattle using methods passed down over generations, adapted to the extreme dryness of the region. Their wooden boats, nets, and animal-skin shelters are visible along the water's edge.
Getting to the parks requires a sturdy, high-clearance vehicle and careful preparation, since roads in this part of northern Kenya are rough and services along the way are sparse. Visiting during the dry season makes travel easier, as tracks can become difficult to pass after rain.
The lake's water takes on a green color caused by a particular type of algae, which is why it is often called the Jade Sea. The color appears most clearly on calm days when the light hits the surface at a low angle.
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