Lake Magadi Olorgesailie Pre-historic Site 1 Day Tour
Our one-day tour from Nairobi to Olorgesailie Prehistoric Site and Lake Magadi offers a mix of ancient history, unique geology, and natural therapeutic experiences.
The journey typically takes 1.5 to 2 hours (approximately 110km) south of Nairobi via Magadi Road.
Lake Magadi Olorgesailie Prehistoric Site 1 Day Tour Itinerary
0700 Hours: Departure from Nairobi. Start your drive towards the Ngong Hills, descending into the Great Rift Valley.
0830 Hours – 1000 Hours: Olorgesailie Prehistoric Site. Explore the “factory of stone tools” with a guided tour of the museum and the excavated site, which features human activity dating back 1.2 million years.
1100 Hours – 1500 Hours: Lake Magadi & Hot Springs. Arrive at the pink alkaline lake and visit the Magadi Soda Factory area. Continue to the natural hot springs for a therapeutic dip believed to aid skin ailments. Enjoy a picnic lunch.
1530 Hours: Return Journey. Depart for Nairobi, arriving back at approximately 1900 Hours
Lake Magadi Olorgesailie Prehistoric Site 1 Day Tour Activities
Archaeology: View excellently preserved fossils of extinct elephants and hippos at Olorgesailie
Photography: Capture the “otherworldly” landscape of white salt crusts and shimmering heat hazes
Therapeutic Spa: Wade in the hot, alkaline springs; the mineral-rich water leaves skin soft and smooth
Bird Watching: See thousands of lesser and greater flamingos and other migratory birds at the lake’s edge
Practical Information
Opening Hours: Daily 0830 Hours – 1730 Hours
What to Carry: Plenty of drinking water (it is extremely hot and dry), sunscreen, a hat, a swimming costume, and sandals for the hot springs
The Lake Magadi Olorgesailie Pre-historic Site 1 Day Tour combines a visit to two interesting places: the Olorgesailie Pre-historic site and Lake Magadi. Olorgesailie Prehistoric site is located along Magadi road, an hour’s drive (70 km) away from Nairobi. Some 30 km south of Olorgesailie, at the base of the Rift Valley, is Lake Magadi.
The Olorgesailie Prehistoric site is Kenya’s largest geological site. It is world-renowned as the “factory of stone tools” and has excellent preserved biological and cultural evidence of human evolution.
On this tour, we visit the Museum and Site. As we walk to see the actual site, a museum interpreter talks about the prehistoric site and the discoveries made here. Later we then proceed to Lake Magadi (30 km) located further south of Olorgesailie. Lake Magadi is a sodium carbonate alkaline lake located near the Kenya/ Tanzania border.
The lake has saline hot springs that reach around 80 degrees Celsius and is home to plenty of wading birds, including flamingos. Magadi Township lies on the lake’s east shore and is home to the Magadi Soda Factory, the major local employer.
Lake Magadi is also featured in the film “The Constant Gardener,” although the film reports the lake as being Lake Turkana in Kenya’s far north. Highlights of the 1-day Olorgesailie Prehistoric Site tour include visiting the Olorgesailie prehistoric site and Lake Magadi.
Other activities include swimming, bird-watching, bubbling hot springs, learning about the rich culture of the Maasai people, and enjoying the scenery of Nguruman and Lomita hills.
Lake Magadi Olorgesailie Pre-historic Site 1 Day Tour Itinerary
1-day tour from Nairobi to Olorgesailie Prehistoric Site & Lake Magadi Highlights
✓ Rift Valley
✓ Lake Magadi
✓ Birdlife, Culture
✓ Semi-arid Landscape
✓Archaeology and History
0730 Hours: Our tour departs from Nairobi after breakfast at your hotel/ residence. You drive south towards the Ngong Hills (made famous by Karen Blixen’s movie “Out of Africa”). Just before we descend over the escarpment, we stop for photos and views of the Great Rift Valley. Descending over the Ngong Hills, we continue south into a semi-arid landscape.
1000 Hours: Mid-morning, we arrive at the Olorgesailie Prehistoric Site. Located along Magadi Road, an hour’s drive and 70 km from Nairobi, Olorgesailie’s prehistoric site is world-renowned as the “factory of stone tools” and the only place in the world with the largest number of hand axes, representing some of the earliest camping sites of early man.
The site shows evidence of human activity consistently between 1.2 million years and 400,000 years before the present. This is evidence that the human species had a tropical origin, and a higher primate group was confined to this part of the world.
Researchers Dr. and Mrs. Leakey began investigations at the site in 1942, where they found important evidence concerning the habits and activities of early prehistoric peoples of the Acheulean, or “Hand ax” culture. Olorgesailie has excellently preserved biological and cultural evidence of human evolution. We learn about the area’s previous inhabitants.
1200 Hours: We continue onto Lake Magadi, approaching it from the eastern side via Magadi town and past the Magadi Soda factory. We enter the Lake Magadi Reserve area and continue to the hot springs.
1300 Hours: We stop for lunch and wade in the springs (if the weather is not too hot). We may meet the local Maasai who use the lake daily for swimming. Animals around Magadi include zebra, gazelle, impala, and warthog.
1500 Hours: Depart mid-afternoon, returning to Nairobi.
1800 Hours: We arrive back in Nairobi and transfer you to your hotel/ residence.
Lake Magadi Olorgesailie Pre-historic Site 1 Day Tour Prices
Lake Magadi Olorgesailie Pre-historic Site 1 Day Tour From Nairobi Includes:
✓ Park entry fees
✓ Picnic Lunch Boxes
✓ Services of our professional driver guide
✓ A bottle of water while on the day trip safari
✓ Return road transport from Nairobi to Olorgesailie Prehistoric Site, Lake Magadi, and back in our customized vehicle with a pop-up roof
| Dates From | Dates To | Price Per Person | Children Aged 3 to 12 Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st January 2026 | 31st December 2026 | Request for rates | Request for rates |
Notes
* Kindly bring along with you a bottle of drinking water, comfortable walking shoes, tracks or jeans, shorts, a T-shirt, a sweater, sun cream, cameras, a sunhat, and swimwear
Lake Magadi Olorgesailie Pre-historic Site 1 Day Tour From Nairobi Excludes:
* Swimming fee
* Tips or gratuities
* Drinks, Extra Meals
* Visa and any related fees
* Medical cover and travel personal insurance
* Any other item not mentioned in the inclusive
Olorgesailie Pre-historic Site Activities
* Picnic site
* Campsite – affordable camping facilities available
* Baboon camp – a congregation of baboons in the evening, 1 km from the campsite
* Bird watching – the site is a bird watcher’s paradise, with the highest number of migratory bird species in Kenya
* Museum and site- the museum interprets the prehistoric site. One can then take a walk to see the actual site and the discoveries made here
* Mountain climbing – Mt. Olorgesailie was named after a renowned Maasai elder who used to meditate and hold meetings with village elders up the mountain. On average, it takes 3 hours to ascend and the same to descend best climbed from 5:00 am
Booking & Reservations, Lake Magadi Olorgesailie Pre-historic Site 1 Day Tour, Contact
WhatsApp: +254-721-242-711
Reservations: +254 718-179-967
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://africanspicesafaris.com