Remote, wild and beautiful, the Mathews Range of Northern Kenya is sometimes described as a ‘sky island’ because it rises out of the surrounding desert of the NFD (Northern Frontier District) and the Chalbi Desert as an island of lush forest surrounded by sky. Standing in stark contrast to its surroundings, the forests are watered by the rivers and springs that characterize the range. Famed for its birdlife and butterflies, the range also offers sanctuary to elephants, buffaloes, leopards, kudu, forest hog and other animals. This area was also one of the last places in northern Kenya to offer sanctuary to black rhinos. Rising to over 2300m, the range is punctuated by deep valley and ridges, cloaked in thick stands of cedar, juniper and cycads, many of the latter being endemic and found nowhere else on earth. Partly designated a wildlife sanctuary, the Matthews Range is home to the Samburu people, and is best explored on foot or on camel safaris. 

About the range

Technically, The Matthews (or Mathews) Range, also known as the Lenkiyio Hills, is a range of mountains about 150 km long, oriented north-south, in the Laikipia district of the Rift Valley Province in northern Kenya. The town of Wamba is located at the southeastern edge of the range and the district lies approximately 200km north of Isiolo. The highest point is Warges, at 2688 m above sea level, at the southern end of the range, separated by a valley from the rest of the range. The 2375 metres high Ol Doinyo Lenkiyo mountain is the highest peak of the middle of the range.

Where to stay

Only two small camps lie within this vast area, Kitich, nestled in amongst the lush vegetation along the banks of the Ngeng River and Sarara just north of Ol Lolokwe in the community wilderness area of Namunyak.

Location

The Mathews Range lies between Maralal and Isiolo in the Northern Frontier District of Kenya.