Tucked away in the far western corner of Kenya lies Thimlich Ohinga, hidden deep in the countryside. Although it’s been seven years since the site was inscribed on the World Heritage List, very few community members or tourists seem to make their way out here. A fun fact: Els visited just a week before us, and according to the visitor book, only seven people had been there in the meantime.

Unlike another reviewer, we approached the site from the Masai Mara via the Musiara Gate. After spending two nights in the park and enjoying a morning safari, we left the gate at 10 a.m. We had expected paved roads once we reached the main road — but we were far off the beaten track, and the road conditions were often very poor. The roads only began to improve after we entered Migori County. The final 14 kilometers to the site, coming from the south, were again on rough dirt roads — not in the best shape either. A high-clearance vehicle was definitely necessary. The 130-kilometer drive from Musiara Gate to the site took just over four hours. We arrived around 2:15 p.m. and were warmly welcomed at the entrance as the first visitors of the day.

The visit itself lasted about 1 to 1.5 hours. We paid 500 KES per person, and the same man who greeted us at the gate also served as our guide. We explored all four enclosures that make up the inscribed heritage site. The guide told us there are about 150 such enclosures in the area. The dry-stone walls and gates are in good condition, though they’ve been heavily restored over the past decades using original materials and traditional techniques. Inside the enclosures, however, there isn’t much to see apart from a few animal pens, grindstone and a bao game board.  The area is quite overgrown and could benefit from some clearing to enhance the visitor experience.

All in all, the trip was absolutely worth it — the effort to get there and the remote setting make this a unique and rewarding visit, far off the usual tourist path.

 
– Randi & Svein Elias