ACCOMODATION »Samburu, Shaba and Laikipia Region«

SAMBURU, BUFFALO SPRINGS & SHABA NATIONAL

Samburu National Reserve lies 325 kms (205 miles) from Nairobi in the hot and arid fringes of the vast northern region of Kenya. The Reserve is within the lands of the colourful Samburu pastoralist, relatives of the famed Maasai, and contains a number of wildlife species rarely found elsewhere in any numbers, including Grevy's zebra and the shy long necked gerenuk, a remarkable antelope which spends much of its time on its hind legs searching for succulence among the withered scrub trees which dot this sparse and moistless terrain.

For most of the year Samburu bakes under the harsh equatorial sun but relief comes from the wide swathe of the Ewaso Ngiro river which rises some hundreds of kilometres to the west in the Aberdares and vanishes beyond Samburu in the recesses of the Lorian Swamp.

The river is at its best in the reserve, broad and often sluggish with a large population of crocodile and hippo, seen frequently at almost every meandering bend; the crocodile basking in the sun and the hippo breaking surface at regular periods to suck in air noisily before submerging again.

Elephant roam the gaunt hills which punctuate the scrubland and where occasional clusters of the vividly coloured desert rose break the dusty aridity. These elephant seek solace and contentment in the shallow waters of the river and from time to time a visitor finds herds drinking and bathing in a spectacle of uncontrived satisfaction.

Along the Ewaso Ngiro's banks clusters of doum palm and reverine forest add shade and contrast to the surrounding countryside and provide a habitat for many varieties of primates.

The Reserve is immediately adjacent to the smaller but equally attractive Buffalo Springs National Reserve, established some time later. With a similar environment, Buffalo Springs takes its name from an oasis of limpid crystal clear water and plays host to similar species of game and aquatic life and the rarer avifauna which find sustenance in this harsh but splendid landscape.

These two reserves, with Shaba National Reserve which lies to the east on the opposite side of the Great North Road from Isiolo to Moyale, form a trio of unusual and attractive game sanctuaries very different from the others in Kenya.

The Reserve takes its name from a cone of volcanic rock and evidence of the intensity of its upheaval is demonstrated by the formidable lava flow which the traveller has to cross to reach this remote and isolated wilderness. The Reserve's northern border is marked by the wide, sauntering flow of the Ewaso Ngiro on its way to the Lorian Swamp; the tall trees of the riverine forest in sharp contrast to the rugged and pitted tracts which make up much of the sanctuary. Many small hills diversify Shaba and with four springs Shaba is better watered than its neighbors.

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