Stereotypes and fears aside, the town is lively, welcoming and safe. It has an estimated population of 80,000, most of them living on its outskirts. The town is a cultural melting pot. Borana, Somali, Meru, Samburu, Turkana and Indians live side by side
You can visit this quiet town by road or by air. It is along the A2 Road that heads to Moyale. The road trip from Nairobi cuts through the lovely green plantations on the slopes of Mount Kenya and into the savannah grasslands off Nanyuki Town. The airport will also get a facelift as part of expansion plans to make this country a great place for tourists. Isiolo Airport is about 200km by air away from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.
Isiolo is famed for exuberant wildlife and an amazing landscape. From the Big Five, Isiolo has it all. The best places to watch the animals are Buffalo Spring and Shaba National Reserve, made famous by Joy Adamson and the lioness Elsa, subjects of the 1966 film Born Free. Isiolo game reserves that house The Sarova Lodge, Simba Lodge and Bisinadi Lodge are part of tourist circuit that spans Masai Mara, Samburu-Isiolo, Lewa and Mt Kenya.
Economic activities here include making jewellery from brass, copper and aluminium. This town enjoys a beautiful blend of cultures. It is home to cushites such as the rendile, Bantus like the Ameru as well as Nilotes such as the Samburu and Turkana. The population mostly lives out of the town, in a rural setup.
Nomadic pastoralist communities are very dominant in the country and contribute a large portion towards meeting the county’s demand for meat. Traditional jewellery making also contributes to the local tourism market. As the gateway into Northern Kenya, the county has a large market for cereals, fruits and vegetables.
Isiolo International Airport, which is among Kenya’s Vision 2030, is anticipated to help promote the economic growth of the region and would also unlock the economic potential of both regions as well as the neighboring pastoral’s region.
Meru County, Isiolo County, and Marsabit County are among the seven counties that are expected to benefit highly from this facility as they are would be exporting Khat (Miraa) and animal products. Others include the exporters of French beans and flowers from Meru, Timau, Nyeri and neighboring farms. This facility would as well help to improve tourism in these Counties as it would be in a position to handle both international and local flights. Furthermore, the Isiolo Airport will play an important role in linking the region to the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSET) transport corridor.
No comments:
Post a Comment