Hippos taking a swim in Lake Baringo.

The area is little affected by tourism and is situated at the southern end of a region of Kenya inhabited largely by pastoralist ethnic groups including Chamus, Rendille, Turkana and Kalenjin.

Fish stocks in the lake are now low and water levels have been reduced by droughts and over-irrigation. The lake has several small islands, by far the largest being Ol Kokwe Island. The main town on its shore is Loruk, while smaller settlements include Kampi ya Samaki.