Destination Overview
This breathtaking desert reserve, covers 1132 square kilometers, is made up of strange anomalies such as a volcanic mass of a forested mountain that rises like a green oasis in the midst of a vast forbidding desert wilderness; a spectacular group of volcanic craters, the largest and most sensational of which is Gof Bongoli; rugged foothills; and a black lava desert. There is an impressive list of endemic and little-known birds here, but the major attractions are without a doubt are the huge tusked bull elephants, greater kudu, diverse birdlife and reptiles. This one-of-a-kind reserve was featured in early Martin and Osa Johnson films and writings, as well as Vivien de Wattville. Singing wells, where the Borana tribes people drive their camels for watering, are also well-known. There, three or four of their men work in a relay from a human ladder down the steep shafts to quickly lift up water for their animals, singing in chorus as they work.
