10 TOP REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT SAMBURU NATIONAL PARK IN KENYA
SAMBURU NATIONAL PARK
Samburu National Park provides game drive experience to the travelers visiting the park, as you drive across the plains of the park you view very number of animals which are occupiers to the park. Samburu National Park is located in Samburu district in the rift valley in the Northern Kenya. Samburu is a village situated in Kwale County. This park is designated along the Ewaso Nyiro river and this river is where many wild life species merge around the water points and the predators such as lions take this chance to kill their prey. Samburu National Park cloaks an area of 21000km in the North of Kenya where the Turkana, Samburu and other tribes lives.
In the Samburu National Park, there is a number of animals and the reserve is so valued for its abundance of the Samburu special five that is to say Somali ostrich, beisa oryx, and the Gravy’s zebra, these animals are unique to this area of Kenya and can only be identified in Samburu National Park.. There also a number of mammals which is about 75 species and also many more birds.
The reasons as to why you should visit Samburu National Park are as follows;
- SINGING WELL
The singing well experience occurs often first thing in the early morning, apart from the rest of the day open for surveying the Namanyak area. Camel treks, game drives and game drives are all in the area, and the nearest water hole and secret hide mere moments from camp. When you are not surveying, take a dip in the natural rock pool that is fed by a mountain spring, and cast back on your view over Northern Kenya’s mountain landscape.
Namunyak is the place on this earth that can witness the local Samburu traditions at the singing wells. Almost daily, the dry riverbed near sarara Camp is mined for water by the Samburu.
- SAMBURU PEOPLE
The Samburu people are the some of the friendliest in Kenya. Samburu are a sub tribe of the Maasai and do speak their own dialect of Maa language. They are known for their traditionalist lifestyle that is to say rituals, religious beliefs and tribal clothing.
The Samburu believed in only one God thought to reside in nature, making offerings and also prayers which is important for rainfall and livestock. They come from the Nirotic group who settled in the North of Mount Kenya and south of lake Turkana.
- GAME VIEWING
The favorable time for game viewing in Samburu National Game Park is from December through to March and from June to October. There are two rainy seasons from late March until May and again in November.
- UNIQUE WILDLIFE
The best and favorable time of year for watching wildlife is in the dry season that is to say from June to October. The wettest month is April, and rains at this time can make wildlife watching more challenging.
It does not rain too much in Samburu so it can be visited in any month. Samburu provide great wildlife viewing and good densities means that most safari animals can be watched within a couple of days.
- CULTURAL VISITS
The Samburu people are well known for their many unique cultural practices as well as traditions. Some of these originate from their nomadic way of life.
Many tourists are willing to know how much it costs to visit Samburu village. The price for a village visit which includes a contribution towards the village in form of a fee as well as return road transfers from your camp in Samburu to the village. The price is usually lower when you are on the road safari with your own Driver Guide who is responsible for paying the fee upon entry.
- CAMPING
Camping is described as the action of sleeping and staying in an outside place for more than one nights or days mostly in a tent.
- GAME DRIVE
A game drive refers to the highlight of any trip providing the chance to experience the natural beauty of Africa and view the wildlife. Game drive can be carried out with own cars mostly in the National Parks or it can be a guided tour in specially for that purpose adapted off road vehicles led by professional safari guide. In most cases game drive is carried out in the early morning, late afternoon or in the evening, this is because most of the animals are more active in the cooler times.
- NATURE WALKS
This activity refers to a walk on a nature trail mostly with an experienced guide. Samburu offers two types of nature walks that is to say; nature walks around the camp and outside the wildlife reserve. The time for walks around the camp is approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour while nature walks outside the wildlife is approximately 2 to 3 hours.
- BIRD WATCHING
Samburu National Park is known to be with more than 390 bird species recorded and Buffalo springs national reserves. The park offers birding opportunities and it known as an important birding area in Kenya.
- ANIMALS
The park is rich in wildlife with an abundance of rare northern specials like the Gravy’s zebra, giraffe, Somali ostrich, and gerenuk. These are referred to as the Samburu special five. Other mammal species mostly viewed include; waterbucks, olive baboons and impalas.
ACCOMMODATION
Lodes within Samburu National park are as follows;
- Saruni Samburu lodge. This lodge offers Facilities and services that is to say restaurants that provide delicious types of meals both international and local meals that reach guests appetite, breakfast in the garden, lunch and different coursers of dinner in the main building served by well staff.
- Samburu game lodge. Samburu lodge is known to be the oldest lodge in the park and is set amongst gardens and old cedar trees in a scenic riverside location. This lodge comprises of 65 cottages built in local styles with grass thatched roofs that are well fashioned and furnished with mosquito nets and wooden balconies.
- Elephant bedroom. This camp is set near the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River and shaded by palms and other trees that make up the green belt of riverine forest in national reserve.
CONCLUSION
Samburu National Park is my best choice; there are many specials on the birding front as well like the beautiful vulturine guinea fowl and the Somali ostrich. At Samburu you will have the chance to analyze this vast, arid region when on foot as well as by mountain bike.
There are good looking camps in Samburu National Park that is to say Elephant Bed room camp which is perfect choice for those looking for genuine tented camp in the heart of the game.