Arawale National Reserve

North Eastern Province of Kenya

(Arawale National Reserve is located 250 Kilometers North of Mombasa and 130 Kilometers North of Malindi. It lies in North Eastern Province of Kenya, 77 Kilometers South of the Town of Garissa)

Hirola Antelop at Arawale National Reserve, Kenya

Arawale National Reserve is located on the Northern shore of the Tana River

Arawale National Reserve

Arawale National Reserve; Arawale National Reserve cover an area of 533 kilometers squared or 206 square miles and is situated on the northern shore of the Tana River, 40 kilometers /25 miles upstream from Tana River Primate National Reserve in Eastern Kenya. It lies in Garrissa District of the North Eastern Province of Kenya close to the Somalia border.

Arawale National Reserve was established to protect the rare Hunter’s hartebeest (an antelope that is, despite its name, closer related to Topi than to hartebeest), also known as Hirola. The Hunter’s hartebeest (Damaliscus hunteri) is the world's most endangered antelope. The alarming decline, which makes it a very sad story indeed, has been attributed to poaching, drought, disease and human and livestock pressures. Arawale National Reserve is also home to many other wildlife species including Topi, Zebras, Elephants, Lesser Kudus, African Buffalos, Hippos and Crocodiles. The bird life is rich and varied.

Arawale National Reserve landscape is mostly a dry thorn-bush savannah and the reserve has no accommodations - lodges or tented camps. The nearest hotels are in Garissa, northward, and Garsen, southward, but both towns are quite far away from Arawale, so camping is the recommended option if one desires to include it in a Kenya African Spice Safari Package. Arawale National Reserve roads are close to non-existent, so four-wheel drive is advisable.