Exploring Samburu National Park, Kenya

Samburu Sentrim Camp

Sizing up the prey: Leopard

  In the past week our whirlwind tour of Kenya's best National Parks and game reserves has taken us to Acacia Camp, Tsavo West, Tsavo East, Amboseli, Solio Ranch, Aberdare, and now across the equator to Samburu National Park. Samburu is again a huge change in environment. We left the lush moorlands of the Aberdares behind us and entered a dry, dusty shrubland with a mostly dry riverbed running through it. I remember 10 years ago this place being the spot where I first saw lions in the wild, so I was very eager to get back.

  Most of the group stayed at the uber fancy Larson's Tent Camp, while Lea and I 'made do' with a place 30km down the way called Sentrim Camp. Before we even got into the park we saw a new species, the Grevy Zebra, which I grew up with on St. Catherines Island. This island was the off-site breeding program for some of the Bronx Zoo's most endangered, yet prolific animals. Imagine a Jurassic Park with African animals instead of dinosaurs. Reticulated giraffe and Somali ostrich were seen shortly after entering the park which gave us two more species. Then the picture of the day, and of our Samburu stay occurred right around dusk. We saw a couple of safari vehicles gathered in one spot so we went over to check it out and I was delighted to see not just one of the best leopards ever casually looking around from its perch on a tree, but my dad, Kim, Toni, and Meg all there watching it. What a great way to initially get the group all together for the first time!

  The stunted trees provided ample food for elephants, geranuks, and giraffes at the tops, and then all other hoofstock down lower. Dik-diks seemed to be hiding behind every bush and big troops of baboons moved noisily through the undergrowth. There was a lot of space in between the bushes for animals to travel which gave us a lot more viewing chances than the impenetrable forest up in Aberdare National Park.

Conservation Photo Award Winner: Herd of Grevy Zebra

  The dry riverbed was also an avenue for large groups of animals. We often saw elephants digging into the riverbed in the evening. I assume they were getting deep enough for remaining ground water to bubble up. This is why some cow herders will follow groups of elephants through very dry parts of the year, letting them lead the way to underground water.
  We also saw a large group of camels walking down the banks of the riverbed as well as the largest herd of Grevy Zebra my dad and I had ever seen. This concentration of Grevy's was one of the best conservation success stories of the trip, along with the rhinos at Solio. The worldwide population is limited to specific protected areas in Kenya and Ethiopia and is down to around 3,000 individuals in the wild, compared to 15,000 before hunting took its toll. So to see a herd 200 zebra strong blew us away. 

Geranuk finding food

  During our stay in Samburu we did experience the first rains of the upcoming rainy season. It wasn't enough to fill the river, but little green shoots of grass almost magically appeared overnight. The dark clouds provided some fun backgrounds for sunsets and landscape shots. While the animals sightings continued with lions, geranuks, giraffes, zebras, and close encounters with elephants.

Lion backed by thorns in Samburu National Park

Masai Giraffe patterns from Southern Kenya

Grant's Zebra Stripe Pattern from S. Kenya

  The central highlands of Kenya act as a separating point for many species of animals. If you look closely at the patterns you can tell species apart.

Reticulated Giraffe patterns from N. Kenya

Grevy Zebra stripe pattern from N. Kenya

Once we crossed into the northern part of Kenya, past Aberdare and Mt. Kenya, the broad stripes of the plains zebra gave way to narrow stripes of the Grevy Zebra, while the irregular clover leafed splotches on the Masai giraffe gave way to the larger polygon splotches on the reticulated giraffe. Ostriches, baboons, waterbuck and other animals also changed into different species, showing us divergent evolution as their ancestors remained separated and isolated by the wall of mountains in Central Kenya.

Riding Jockey

Want to have this close encounter?