by Leigh Kemp, 4 December 2007

As you turn your back on Mount Kenya and look north, the vastness of northern Kenya shows itself, stretching into the distant horizon.

Once known as the Northern Frontier District, the area today is generally not considered safe to travel through due to banditry and its sheer remoteness.

But there is a special side to it - Samburu National Reserve is one of the most dramatic wilderness areas in Africa.

A Sense of Unease

A sense of excitement gripped me as we descended the northern slopes of Mount Kenya - but today something was different. I couldn't figure out what it was.

The horizon was not clouded in dust and heat-haze, the sky was clear-blue and the air was crisp - and slowly it came to me ... the area was green and lush from the rains.

Recent rains had turned the area into a verdant plain. A tinge of disappointment swept over me. This was not the northern Kenya I knew.

I wanted the wild and arid north that I had come to know from previous trips.

My previous visits to Samburu had been in the dry season, a time when the dust cakes the skin and the air parches the throat - a time when the Ewaso Nyiro River draws wildlife to its life-giving waters.

I was a little concerned that the wildlife would have dispersed over the vast landscape. But Samburu was to show its magic again.

The game had dispersed but I quickly learned that there was another side to Samburu, just as enticing and as rewarding.

My initial disenchantment gave way to wonder and a deep appreciation that I was seeing another side of one of my most-loved game parks.

My favourite destination in Africa is wherever I am at the time, but occasionally some places stand out for unknown reasons and Samburu is one of those places.

Maybe it's the idea of a life-giving artery flowing through a seemingly barren environment, or merely the variety and uniqueness of the wildlife, but Samburu is special.

The River and Wildlife

The Ewaso Nyiro River is the lifeblood of the area, especially during the dry season when it draws wildlife to its waters.

On my recent stay there, in a lodge situated on the bank of the river, I whiled away an afternoon watching the water glide slowly by while birds and elephant passed the time away in song and celebration of the river.

I realised then that, despite it being the season of plenty, the Ewaso Nyiro was still the soul of Samburu.

In addition to the huge predator and elephant populations, it's in the the Samburu that you'll come across the wonderfully patterned Grevy's zebra and reticulated giraffe.

Strikingly different to the more commonly seen zebra and giraffe, these two species never fail to elicit reactions of wonder from visitors.

Samburu is also home to the long-necked gerenuk, an antelope that stands on its hind legs to reach the upper leaves of bushes.

These animals do occur in other parks but not in such numbers as at Samburu. Another interesting species is the beautiful, yet peculiar-looking, vulturine guineafowl, so named because of their vulture-like face.

The Samburu People

The Samburu National Reserve lies in the heartland of the Samburu people. The Samburu are Nilotic people of the Maa speaking group who moved south during the 1700s.

They share similar cultural ideals with the Maasai who settled in southern Kenya and Tanzania.

Although still semi-nomadic, the Samburu are being forced to lead a more sedentary lifestyle by the government authorities.

As with the Maasai, the Samburu are benefiting from tourism by sharing their culture with visitors to the area, although they are not as dependent on tourism as the Maasai.

Cattle play an important role in Samburu culture, as staple food and as wealth. Milk, sometimes mixed with cows' blood, is the staple diet of the Samburu people.

The Samburu, as with most Maa peoples, believe in a creator god who dwells in everything on earth.

Although traditional beliefs are still strong Christianity is making strides into the culture.

Islam, although prevalent in northern Kenya, is rejected by the Samburu as they see it as the religion of their enemies - the Boran and Somalis.

The government of Kenya is involved in a drive to limit the nomadic lifestyles of indigenous people in a move to develop more land for agriculture.

Although touched by westernisation, the Samburu people still keep, in great part, to their traditional way of life.

Epilogue

With exceptional wildlife and one of Africa's most fascinating cultures, Samburu National Reserve is a favourite of most visitors to Africa.

After experiencing the area during the wet season, I've realised that the attraction of Samburu goes beyond a life-giving river in dry times. Samburu is calling!

Article © Copyright 2007 Go2Africa.

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