Explore Ondiri Swamp

Explore Ondiri Swamp : Many who have visited Ondiri Swamp regard it as a natural wonder. Walking around the swamp gives you the impression that you are falling into mother earth’s embrace because of its shaky texture.

The earth beneath your feet seems to shift curiously, and every step you take here gives you the awful feeling that, in no time, you will be swallowed into Ondiri’s bosom only you never do. It’s a really weird and strange safari experience that you probably won’t forget anytime soon.

As you can imagine, Ondiri Swamp is so steeped in myth and mystery that it can be challenging to distinguish fact from fantasy when listening to the locals speak. Strange tales of persons disappearing into swamps and having their bodies found in Mombasa, Naivasha, or Nakuru have been told, but they are merely tales.

Strange tales of people drowning in Ondiri Swamp and having their bodies found in Mombasa, Naivasha, or Nakuru have been told, but those are only tales, you know.

This story may have some validity because the waters of the Ondiri Swamp, which feed numerous rivers, including the Nyongara River that empties into the Nairobi River, are known to share a bed with Lake Nakuru. As a result, the swamp receives its water from below rather than from Feeder Rivers. Therefore, it’s plausible that those poor folks travelled the same route and ended up in these other distant locations.

There is a brighter side to Ondiri Swamp despite all of its mystery. According to local legend, the swamp used to be an open lake. It is reported that when European explorers “discovered” it, they dubbed it the “Old Lake.” Because they couldn’t pronounce it, the locals changed it to Ondiri, which led to the creation of Ondiri Swamp.

In addition to its ability to change shape, Ondiri Swamp the only quaking bog in the nation offers a peaceful setting in which you may relax and gather your thoughts while taking in a breathtaking, as-yet-unexplored nature route along the 30 HA of land that make up the 10 KM course.

What is left of the flora at Ondiri Swamp?

The location draws regular pilgrimages from traditional religious groups that come here to bathe in the waters while they pray because of rumours that its waters have therapeutic properties.

Should fortune favor you, you could even get to catch a glimpse of the remnants of an erstwhile diverse array of abundant flora and fauna, which included uncommon bird species such as the yellow bishop, red-throated wryneck, and crested crane. In the past, a few daring tourists have stopped for a picnic and even had a cookout in the untamed forest.

There is an improvised bridge constructed by the locals out of logs where the water emerges from the wetland to join the Kikuyu springs and then the Nairobi River. This bridge is like playing Russian roulette with your life when it rains, so I’ve been told.

Locals utilize the log bridge in Ondiri Swamp to traverse to the other side.

Ondiri is actually rather deep, so exercise extreme caution when visiting as it is the second-deepest wetland in Africa after Doula in Cameroon. I would estimate the depth of the area surrounding the temporary bridge to be between 2-3 M (7-10 FT).

However, you had better move quickly because the invasion of humans is placing a great deal of strain on this ecosystem, which is causing soil erosion and siltation to accelerate.