Samburu National Reserve
The 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 kmē in size and 350 kilometers from Nairobi.
Geographically, it is located in Samburu District of the Rift
Valley Province. In the middle of the
reserve, the Ewaso Nyiro river flows through doum palm groves
and thick riverine forests that provides water without which the
game in the reserve could not survive in the arid country.
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 Samburu National Reserve
is also the home of Kamunyak, a lioness that was famous for
adopting oryx calves. Samburu National
Reserve can be entered via the Ngare Mare and Buffalo Springs
gates. Once inside the reserve, there are two mountains visible:
Koitogor and Ololokwe. Samburu National Reserve is very peaceful
and attracts animals because of Ewaso Nyiro River (meaning
"brown water" and pronounced U-aa-so-Nyee-ro) that runs through
it and the mixture of acacia, riverine forest, thorn trees and
grassland vegetation. The Ewaso Nyiro flows from the Kenyan
highlands and empties into the famous Lorian Swamp. The natural
serenity that is evident here is due to its distance from
industries and the inaccessibility of the reserve for many
years. There are wide variety of animal and
bird life seen at Samburu National Reserve. Several species are
considered unique to the region, including its ts unique
dry-country animal life: All three big cats, Lion, Cheetah and
Leopard, can be found here, as well as Elephants, Buffalos and
Hippos.
Other mammals frequently seen in the park include Gerenuk,
Grant's Gazelle, Kirk's Dik-dik, Impala, Waterbuck, Grevy's
Zebra, Beisa Oryx and Reticulated Giraffe. Rhinos are no longer
present in the park due to heavy poaching.
There are over 350 species of bird. These include Somali
Ostrich, Kingfisher, Sunbird, Bee-eater, Marabou Stork, Tawny
Eagle, Bateleur, Guinea fowl and Vultures.
The Ewaso Nyiro River contains large numbers of Nile crocodile.
Bongo Safari choice of Safari camps and Lodges in Samburu
National Reserve
|
