Samburu
Game Reserve, 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
Game Reserve, Kenya
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Samburu
Game Reserve, Kenya
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Elephants
in Samburu, Kenya |
Samburu
Game Reserve, Kenya
Samburu
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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.
Buffalo
Springs National Reserve
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.
Samburu,
Buffalo Springs, Shaba Game Reserve Lodges & Camps
Samburu
Serena Safari Lodge |
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Elephant
Watch Camp Samburu |
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Samburu
National Reserve Accommodation |
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Buffalo
Springs Lodge Samburu |
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Booking
& Reservations for Samburu Game Reserve Safari,
Hotels, Lodges and accommodation Contact:
Booking
Office Tel: + 254 (0) 20 2437871
Mobile
: 0721242711 (Safaricom) - Kenya
Email:
info@africanspicesafaris.com
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