With 165 square kilometers, the Samburu area is the most accessible of the North Eastern sanctuaries. Lying within the lands of the colorful samburu pastoralists, relatives of the famed Maasai, it contains the rare Grevy Zebra and the shy long-necked Gerenuk. The latter spends most of its time standing on two legs nibbling at the upper section of withered thorn trees.
Relief from the harsh equatorial sun is provided by wide swathe of the Ewaso Nyiro river which is at its best in the reserve where it is broad, often sluggish, with a large population of crocodile and hippo. Elephant roam the nearby hills and scrubland, coming in to drink the shallow waters of the river where their herds can often be seen. Over 100 species of colorful birdlife can easily be encountered in a days viewing.
At the nearby Buffalo Springs Game Reserve, with its pools and streams of fresh water, literally thousands of sand grouse and doves together with a galaxy of smaller birds can be seen. The name is taken from an oasis of liquid crystal clear water.
The adjacent Shaba National Reserve is where the late Joy Adamson wrote her books on the rehabilitation of a leopard. The reserve’s northern border is marked by the wide sauntering flow of the Ewaso Nyiro on its way to disappear in the Lorian swamp. This trio is a worthy introduction indeed to this most colorful part of Kenya.
