Samburu National Park

SAMBURU, BUFFALO SPRINGS AND SHABA NATIONAL RESERVES

Having a combined area of 440km², these three reserves adjoin the perennial Ewaso Nyiro River as it flows through a scrubby landscape littered with mighty termite mounds. The muddy river bisects the area with lush forest on the banks with Samburu lying on the northern side while Buffalo Springs lies to the south. The two are connected by a small bridge at Shaba.

The three reserves are somewhat similar in typography and vegetation. It is a semi-savanna area with some rocky outcrops. Samburu and Buffalo Springs are more frequently visited while Shaba rarely so; maybe because of its notoriety gained from the murder of Joy Adamson at her campsite on its eastern plains.

Wildlife present in the park include lion, leopard, hyena and elephant. There are also large numbers of buffalo, reticulated giraffe, several species of antelopes including the lesser kudu, as well as Grevy’s and Burchell’s zebra.  Beisa Oryx, Guenther’s dik-dik, hartebeest, waterbuck, bushbuck and hippo are also to be found in addition to vervet monkey and olive baboon. An unusual and localised resident is the gerenuk, an antelope species with a distended neck, small head and long legs enabling it to stand erect on its hind legs to nibble at leaves other species cannot reach.

Apart from the usual birdlife which is in abundance, some of the notable species are Somali ostrich, vulturine guineafowl, Abyssinian ground hornbill, Egyptian vulture and the giant kingfisher. The river banks provide good opportunities to see both water based and woodland birds including Fish eagle, storks and spoonbills.

Getting there:

By road- 4wd essential

What to do:

• Game drives

Best time:

All year round

Accommodation:

Few lodges; some luxury camps and some very basic public campsites; some campsites lack water facilities.