The Ewaso Ng'iro
A lifeline in a dry land.
Daniel Case — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Daniel Case — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Weldon Kennedy from London, UK — CC BY 2.0 · Tanishakagiri — CC BY-SA 4.0
Samburu National Reserve lies on the banks of the Ewaso Ng'iro River in northern Kenya, 350 km from Nairobi, covering 165 square kilometres. It is fairly small and remote, but its dry landscape and doum palms along the river set it apart from the parks of the south. The Samburu County Government runs it, and its elevation ranges from 800 to 1,230 m. It is one of two areas where George and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness, made famous by the book and film Born Free. It is also known for Kamunyak, a lioness famous for adopting oryx calves. The river, whose name means «brown water», flows through the middle among doum palm groves and forest, bringing water to wildlife in a dry land. Mountains such as Koitogor and Ololokwe stand nearby, along with twisted acacias and grassland. Sunset behind the palms makes one of the finest pictures of a trip. Its distance from the cities means transport takes planning, either a long drive or a domestic flight. It is 88 km in a straight line from Mount Kenya National Park, so the two can be combined. It is hot, so keep game drives to early morning and evening, stay in the vehicle and bring water, a hat and sun protection.
A lifeline in a dry land.
Sunset behind the trees.
The lioness of Born Free.
Samburu County, northern Kenya
By a long drive from Nairobi, or a domestic flight.
Doum palms on the river, and the story of Elsa from Born Free.