Samburu National Reserve | Samburu National Kenya

(Samburu National Reserve is located on the banks of the Ewaso Ng'iro river in Kenya; on the other side of the river is the Buffalo Springs National Reserve in Northern Kenya. It is 165 km² in size and 350 kilometers from Nairobi and ranges in altitude from 800 to 1230m above sea level)

Samburu National Reserve is situated on the banks of the Ewaso Ngiro River in the dry northern reaches of Kenya. It is a hot and arid area characterized by a parched landscape of hills and plains.

The presence, however, of the river - and its shady trees - attracts plenty of wildlife. Giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck and zebra (including the endangered Grevy's zebra) from the surrounding savannah plains trek to the water.

Lion, leopard and cheetah are also quite easy to spot, thanks in part to the lack of grass cover. Samburu is also home to large herds of elephants, and the reserve is well known for providing the opportunity to see wildlife that only lives in the dry north of Kenya.

Be on the look out for gerenuks - these odd, yet distinguished looking, gazelle have long necks, and stand on their hind legs to feed.

For the birders, around 365 species have been recorded and the river area is particularly rewarding. Across the river is the Buffalo Springs National Reserve. A bridge connects the two, and they are often grouped together by tour companies. Nearby is the swampy wilderness of the Shaba National Reserve.

There is a good selection of safari lodges and luxury tented camps in the Samburu Region. Samburu Intrepids and Samburu Lodge are just two of them.

The Samburu National Reserve was one of the two areas in which conservationists George Adamson and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness made famous in the best selling book and award winning movie Born Free.

The Buffalo Springs Reserve, forms part of a large complex of reserves- the other two is Samburu and Shaba. Buffalo and Samburu are adjacent to one another and are only separated by a river. The reserve boasts of a wide mix of animal and plant life, most of which rely on the Ewaso Ngiro River for survival.

Wildlife found includes buffalos, cheetahs, eland, elephant, gazelles, gerenuk, hippos, leopards, lions, oryx. Four of the 'big five' can be seen with the exception of the rhino. A huge number of bird species (365) have been observed in the reserve including the heaviest flying bird; the Somali ostrich and the kori bustard.

The reserve is on gentle lowland plain and has a main feature in the form of an ancient lava- terrace that forms the Champagne Ride in the Southeast. The Ewaso Ngiso is the main source of water and is replaced by the Isiolo River when it runs dry-which is a rare occurrence.

The Buffalo springs on the other hand are a permanent source of drinking water for the wildlife. The vegetation in the reserve is mainly riverine forest, grasslands and woodlands.

Shaba National Reserve
The Shaba National Reserve is a rugged wilderness featuring bubbling hot springs, rolling savannah, miles of scrub & desert and the Ewaso Nyiro River which supports a diversity of wildlife.

Shaba is part of three small adjoining savannah National Reserves that lie on either side of the Northern Ewaso Ngiro River, 340km North, North East of Nairobi (Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba).

They were established in 1948 as the Samburu Isiolo Game Reserve. Now they are managed by their respective county councils, Samburu and Isiolo. The reserve consists of a low lying, semi arid plain on the southern bank of the Northern Ewaso Ngiro river.

It lies 9 km east of buffalo springs national reserve, from which it is separated by the main road from isiolo to Marsabit. Its Northern section includes a 34km stretch of the Ewaso Nyiro River; here and elsewhere in the reserve are numerous springs and swampy areas, although some have bitter tasting water.

Major attractions are Scenic landscape and riverine forest, Permanent Springs. Shaba has 17 springs at which animals congregate during the dry season, Reticulated giraffe, Somalia ostrich, Grevy's zebra, Joy Adamson's monument.