Nyiri Desert

Nyiri Desert, also called The Nyika, Taru Desert, or Taru Plain, is a semi-arid desert in south-central Kenya. It lies approximately 80 kilometres (50 miles) east of Lake Magadi and near the northern border of Tanzania, situated between Amboseli, Tsavo West and Nairobi national parks. The desert encompasses Amboseli National Park, including the northern half of Lake Amboseli. A high proportion of Kajiado County's land area is covered by the Nyiri Desert. Its aridity is primarily caused by the rain shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro. The name Nyiri (sometimes rendered as Nyika) derives from a Swahili term broadly meaning bushland or wilderness. The older name Taru is of indigenous origin, historically applied by coastal and interior communities to the semi-arid belt separating the Kenyan coast from the interior plateau.

Desert data from Wikidata (CC0).