There are plenty of shops in Narok town, as well as one big supermarket where one can buy food. Most shops are owned by local people and are extremely friendly. The shops are open from 8:00Am to 6:00PM with a few shops open until 8:00PM. Specialty items, such as yogurt, cheese, herbs, muesli, pasta sauce, specialist tea, dental floss, raisins, nuts (apart from peanuts), seeds, macaroni and cheese, pesto, pine kernels, capers, and maple syrup, may be difficult to find. Some of the basic items that are easy to find include sugar, flour, jam, peanut butter, margarine, olive oil, bread, eggs, long life milk, biscuits, beer and a small selection of wine, hard liquor, juices, bottled water, soda, baked beans, tinned corn, tinned soup, dried soup, dried beans, rice, pasta, spices, tomato paste, cleaning detergents, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soaps, and laundry powder. Meat and poultry are available in local butcheries fresh on a daily basis.
Market
Fruit Stand in Narok Open Market
Like any other small city in Kenya, Narok has a very busy market, which is open daily from 6:30 AM until 8:00 PM. Fresh fruit and vegetables are readily available. Choices are a bit limited, but the produce is fresh off the land. However, due to the weather conditions, certain times during the year there are" shortages" of different staples. At these times, the prices rise significantly but are still relatively cheap compared to larger cities.
Hotel and Restaurants
Spear Hotel Narok
Volunteers having lunch with MED IS staff
Narok town has many restaurants offering good food for reasonable prices; most of them offer typical Kenyan fare. Some of the local hotels and restaurants include, Seasons Hotels and Restaurants, a new “three star hotel” with a swimming pool and very good guest rooms with TV and satellite TV in Each room. Seasons is the most expensive hotel in town but still very cheap compared to similar hotels in Nairobi. For a night at Seasons expect to pay between $25 and $50. Season’s restaurant is also very good. The chef at seasons prepares very good dishes buffet style. The food at Spear Hotel is very delicious. The local favorite at Spear is nyama choma tayaria (roast meat) ready when you need it for as little as 200KSh. Tourist frequent Kobil and Kenol gas stations for a cookie, ice cream and candy as well as high end Chinese and Indian foods respectively.
Medical aid in Narok and Kenya
There is one public hospital in Narok. It is about a 15 min walk from MED. There are women’s, men’s and children’s ward as well as a large number of drop-in- clinics. There are a few private clinics in town. Dr. Chula has an office in the nice high-rise a few doors down from MED on the second floor. Emergency services are where you will notice the largest difference from the West. There is an emergency line number at 999 that puts you in touch with your nearest police station.
