Samburu Game Reserve, Kenya

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The Samburu Game Reserve lies 200 miles north of Nairobi in the hot and arid lowlands of the vast northern region of Kenya, just a few kilometres north of the equator, adjoining with Buffalo Springs and Shaba National Reserve. The Reserve was set up in the late 1960's, around the richest stretch of the Ewaso Ngiro River. During dry season plentiful wildlife come to the river to drink on the shaded banks, and during wet season you can see animals that don't wander in the region as much.

A lot of animals in this reserve are very rare and not found in other parts of Kenya. These include the reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, the Beisa oryx with its lovely long straight horns, all found only north of the equator, as well as the blue legged Somali ostrich, waterbuck, Grant's gazelles, dik dik, duiker, olive baboons, lions, spotted and striped hyenas and leopards. Particularly striking is the long-necked gerenuk, a graceful antelope that spends much of its time in a bipedal stance seeking the tenderest shoots in the sparse scrub that grows in this harsh terrain. In the river many crocodiles feed on the abundant wildlife.

The Samburu region encompasses not only the Samburu but also the Shaba National Reserves and Buffalo Springs, and includes the adjoining grasslands and thorn scrub of Loisaba, Laikipia and Lewa Downs extending to the foothills of Mount Kenya. With the magnificent Ewaso Ngiro River running through the region and with its characteristic African landscape of acacia forests, doub palms and distant hills, the Samburu region is more than just well worth a visit.