Samburu National Park

I've got to admit that I am bit delinquent on this post, but I didn't have time to get it up before I left Kenya. Throw in some time in Amsterdam (a post that will likely be even more tardy) and adjusting to being back in the States, and a post 3 weeks past due is what you get.

Anyways, I took advantage of my final weekend in Kenya - what luck that it corresponded with Columbus Day, giving me the luxury of 3 days to get out of Nairobi. After a lot of debate and asking around, I opted to go to Samburu National Reserve. The big debate was between Samburu and Amboseli National Park. Amboselli offered up views of Mount Kilimanjaro while Samburu offered animals that could be seen nowhere else in Kenya. Since clear weather was going to be necessary to get the full experience at Amboseli, I opted to take the more guaranteed option of seeing new animals in Samburu. Samburu was pretty awesome and I got see all five of the species that are there and not in any of the other parks and reserves in Kenya, so I'm really happy with my choice. I ended up going up to Samburu on my own. I tried my hardest to get someone to come with me, but the price or competing activities ultimately kept my friends away. I had a great time though and made a couple of new friends there (Jan and Ian), so I wasn't really alone.

The flight up fairly uneventful. We were in another 11-seater like the one I had returned from Lamu in and the runways we encountered along the way could have used a repave, but all in all it was good. I did make the mistake of waiting a bit too long to decide to get off the plane to go to the bathroom during our stop in Nanyuki along the way and almost got left behind. Luckily, when your plane is only supposed to have four passengers, it is really easy to notice that someone is missing. When we landed at the airstrip in Samburu, our transport to the lodge was there to meet us. Our lodge was only about 5km from the airstrip, but the bridge between the airstrip and the lodge had been washed out during heavy rains the previous February, so we had to take a different route that would take 1.5 hours. It ended up being a bit of an extra game drive, so I was pretty happy for the detour.

It is pretty hot in Samburu, so the safari there was set up quite differently than my safari in the Masai Mara. In addition to our airstrip transport "game drive," we had evening game drives and morning game drives. During the day, when all of the animals were hanging out in the shade, we were to do the same at the lodge. I hadn't really come prepared for hanging out at the lodge most of the day, but at least I had a puzzle book. Jan and Ian kept me company as well, so my down time on my one full day in Samburu was pleasant and relaxing (despite how hot it was).

Scenes from Samburu National Reserve:

The view from Samburu Game Lodge

Occasionally there were animals hanging out across the river.

Impala

Crocodile and a waterbuck

There were a lot of weavers in Samburu and their nests made the trees look as though they were decorated for Christmas.

There are also a lot of termite mounds in Samburu

Samburu was surrounded by mountains, many of which are/were volcanoes.

Sunset in Samburu

Sunrise in Samburu

It rained a bit during our game ride on the second evening, but we were rewarded with a rainbow when it stopped.

My goals for this safari were to see the five species of animals only found in Samburu (in Kenya anyways) and to see a cheetah, the one big cat I hadn't seen yet. Apparently the five animals only in Samburu are called the "Super 5," or so our guide told us. I can't say I've seen them called that anywhere else - I'm guessing it is really just an effort to liken them to the "Big 5," which have gained a bit more notoriety. Anyways, the "Super 5" include two antelope, the Beisa oryx and the gerenuk, the blue-legged Somali ostrich, Grevy's zebra, and the reticulated giraffe. I'm happy to report that I had success on all counts.

Beisa oryx

Gerenuk

Gerenuk are interesting creatures, they have really long necks and stand up to reach the leaves in the trees.

Blue-legged Somali ostrich

Grevy's zebra - they are super stripy compared to the Masai zebra I've seen elsewhere.

Reticulated giraffe

Cheetah! I got to see one! It was dusk when we encountered it, so my photos aren't that great. This is the only one I have that is reasonably clear, so this is what you get. You can, at least, tell it is a cheetah and see that it is eating a Gray's gazelle, so it isn't too bad.

In addition to the "Super 5" and the cheetah, I saw lots of other animals as well.

We encountered two young male lions lounging around.

The second one was a bit harder to see.

We also saw three leopards on three separate occasions. This one is pretty young and was practicing hunting. It was stalking an elephant at first, and then a few giraffes. We watched him for about an hour. I think we would have watched longer, but he disappeared behind a large rock and we weren't able to find him again.

We came across this one later in the morning. It was out hunting as well, although I think a bit more seriously than the cub from earlier.

We came across this one on our evening game ride. The lighting was bad for photos again, but I have now learned that videos work well.

As usual, there were a lot of antelope.

This one is called a dik dik and is the smallest antelope. They are super cute.

Impala

The photo itself is not that great, but I caught this one mid-jump, so I had to share.

Waterbuck

Once again, I encountered a lot of birds - several of them I hadn't seen before.

Buff-crested bustard

Common bulbul bathing in a puddle

Eastern chanting goshawk

Northern double-collared sunbird

Red-billed hornbill - this one was out on my balcony. He alerted me to his presence by repeatedly flying into the window of my room. If my experience with him is any indication, this appears to be a daily ritual.

Southern white-faced owl

Steppe eagle

Vulterine guineafowl

White-backed vulture

White-browed sparrow weaver

Superb starling - this one's nest must have been nearby because she started acting like she had a broken wing when I approached.

They look pretty funny when they get all puffed up to bathe.

I encountered a lot of wildlife just wandering around at the lodge.

Dragon flies

Lizard - this wasn't the only one I saw. There were several this size, some itty-bitty ones, and I even caught a glimpse of a giant lizard. I'm glad it was just runny quickly across the sidewalk and not at me.

There were vervet monkeys running around all over the place at the lodge. They were such a problem in the dining room, that they had to hire people who's sole job was to guard the dining room, which was completely open to the outside, from the monkeys. They weren't always successful. One stole Jan's role right off of her plate and another was able to infiltrate far enough to steal bread off of a table way in the back. It ran up and hid in the eaves to consume it.

Despite them being a nuisance, they were still pretty cute.

There were also baboons on the property

These guys weren't at the lodge. We encountered them throwing fruit down to others waiting on the ground during one of our game drives.

As on my other safaris, we came across some warthogs. We found these ones right as the rain was starting.

I also got to see some camels. We came across them on the way back to the airstrip.

While the "Super 5" and the big cats were cool, I think the elephants were my favorite part of Samburu, which is why I've saved them for last. We saw so many of them and got so close to them. I could have watched them for hours.

I couldn't help taking some super close-ups. We really were so incredibly close to them.

Mom and baby fresh from a mud bath

Another momma and baby. Our guide said this one was only 1.5 months old. It was sooo cute. It was still really clumsy, so watching it totter around provided great entertainment.

At sunset the first night, we saw a group of 14 crossing the river. It was pretty amazing.