VISITE PARMI LA COMMUNAUTÉ EL MOLO

The emblematic people of the Turkana region, the El Molo are Kenya's smallest ethnic group. There are around 300 of them, with intermarriage with other tribes and the abandonment of a nomadic lifestyle contributing to their decline. Like the Samburu, they wear bracelets and necklaces made from coloured beads, with only the elders dressing in traditional fashion. Lake fishing remains central to their lives, with fish being their main source of nourishment. Their way of life is light years ahead of the Western world, but their community has adapted to tourism. Two villages remain, 6 km and 12 km north of Loiyangalani. It's usually the second one that you can visit, prepared to receive visitors. The money goes back to the whole community. You can ask all the questions you like, take photos, visit a hut... You'll see part of the "cemetery" on the path leading to the viewpoint over the lake. Then you'll understand why the village had to move recently. Due to evaporation, the lake is no longer adequately supplied with water from its Ethiopian source. Some of this water has been diverted to irrigate a vast area of arable land in the south of the country. As a result, Lake Turkana is gradually becoming salinized, and its water level is dropping to the point where it has split in two at this very spot!

Community support. A visit fee of Ksh 2,000 per person is required. Contact Julius (✆ +254 713 252 523 - [email protected]) so that he can accompany you and help you communicate with the locals. Perfectly English-speaking, he will explain the history of his community, its way of life, its beliefs, its customs... The visit remains authentic, insofar as the community continues its activities and doesn't seem to be disguising anything to show itself to the visitor. At the end of the tour (which takes a good 2 hours), the women of the village will certainly present you with the fruits of their handicraft production, in the hope that you won't leave empty-handed. Passing travelers are a clearly identified source of income, and it's hard to blame them. Especially when so few of them pass through... And leaving with a souvenir is yet another way of supporting the community and thanking it for its welcome.