page_title: Eldoret
section_title: Surrounding Region
hierarchical_section_title: Eldoret / Economy / Services / Surrounding Region
caption_attribution_description: English: Photo of the Koitalel Arap Samoei Museum in Nandi Hills, kenya
context_page_description: Eldoret is a principal town in the Rift Valley region of Kenya and serves as the capital of Uasin Gishu County. The town is colloquially known as 'Chebarbar', a parody name from the Chebarbar River that lies about 7 kilometers from Kapsabet town, on the main highway to the town of Eldoret. As per the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census, Eldoret is the sixth most populated urban area in the country after Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Ruiru. Lying south of the Cherangani Hills, the local elevation varies from about 2100 metres at the airport to more than 2700 metres in nearby areas. The population was 289,380 in the 2009 census, and it is currently the fastest growing town in Kenya with 475,716 inhabitants according to 2019 national census.
context_section_description: The city and surrounding regions has also lately grown into a sports tourism destination thanks to a number of resident, renowned world runners and a high-altitude that makes the local area suitable for athletics training.
  Notable attractions within easy distance of Eldoret include the Nandi Hills area to the south, home of the Nandi, the fiercest early opponents to British rule. It is also the home of the Chemosit, a crypto-beast that is said to devour human brains. 
  To the north lies the town of Iten, capital of Elgeyo Marakwet county and the world's foremost source of elite-middle and long distance runners. It is a popular destination for foreigners looking to hone their athletics talent and time at its high altitude training centers form part of a number of elite athletes training regimens. Notably, altitude training here was a key element of Mo farah's preparations before his 5000m and 10000m gold medals at London 2012 and World Championships 2013.
  Elgeyo Marakwet is also increasingly gaining a global reputation as a paragliding destination. It has become the place to go to fly 100–200 km out-and-returns in January with world records across both distances having been set in the Kerio Valley in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
caption: Koitalel Arap Samoei Mausoleum and Museum in Nandi Hills; a historic monument located close to Eldoret
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