Shaba Game Reserve, Kenya

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Elephant and her calf at Shaba Game Reserve

The Shaba Game Reserve is a rugged wilderness featuring bubbling hot springs, rolling savannah, miles of scrub & desert and the Ewaso Ngiro River which supports a diversity of wildlife. The subject of Joy Adamson's final (unfinished) book, and indeed home to her monument, it's easy to see how this rich and diverse landscape could be so inspiring.

Shaba is part of three small adjoining National Reserves that lie on either side of the Northern Ewaso Ngiro River (the other two being Samburu and Buffalo Springs), lying about 340 kilometres north/north east of Nairobi. These reserves 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 kilometres east of Buffalo Springs National Reserve, from which it is separated by the main road from Isiolo to Marsabit. Its Northern section includes a 34 kilometre stretch of the Ewaso Ngiro river; here and elsewhere in the reserve are numerous springs and swampy areas, although some have bitter tasting water. Still, Shaba's various sources of water provide relief for many animals, including Grevy's zebra, the reticulated giraffe and the Somalian ostrich. The scenic landscapes of permanent springs, green riverine forest set against thorny bush, and doum palms lining the river amidst the arid terrain are an attraction for safari-goers as well as the wildlife.