Tent Camping Samburu Style

350 km north of Nairobi, on our first day out on the trail takes us to the Samburu National Reserve. This would really be our first day on safari. However, entering the game park was after a unique lunch experience at a tree house restaurant featuring a menu focusing on fresh trout. The restaurant also doubled as a trout farm. The beer was stored in a bucket and raised from the cool waters feeding the fish ponds. Now if that couldn’t entice you then the fish certainly would. How fresh can it get? It was all cooked to perfection on a charcoal fire, oven top grill. Simply not to be repeated anywhere else. Perfection plus.

The “carpeted road” came to an abrupt end upon entering the park. It was only another 22 km until reaching the “tented accommodation” but it still took us another 2 hours to get there. It was all well worth it despite the bumpy ride as we had our first encounter with the local wild life. Our first sightings were gazelles and the onyx but it wasn’t too soon afterwards, when we saw our first African elephants and then giraffes.

The campsite was located on the banks of the Ewaso River which our “tent” looked out over. This is my kind of camping. Flush toilets with hot water shower and electricity to charge up our devices. The bed was surrounded by mesh to keep out the mosquitoes but frankly I think we are more inclined to encounter an alligator than a potentially malaria infested mosquito at this time of year. Breakfast on the restaurant terrace was a unique experience because right on cue an elephant took its place on the opposite river bank. The lighting was serene and the temperature was extremely comfortable. It will get warmer later but the breezes and dry heat make it very comfortable.

Our morning game drive was exceptional. We saw everything promised and then some. Samburu is known for its own Samburu five. The mix is made up of the gazelle giraffe, the male ostrich, the Oryx, the articular giraffe and the zebra. We saw them all before our mid morning break. A big surprise was when we came across a lioness, lazy and fat, lying in the shade of a bush because it was apparent she had been feasting on an unsuspecting zebra she must have killed the previous day. I’d never seen that before and the lioness was only too accommodating to let us stop and stare despite the stench of the rotting corpse.

Later in the morning we visited the local Samburu village. Primitive and difficult to understand how people live this way but I suppose if it is the only way of life you know, then you adapt accordingly. I challenge anyone to drink cow’s blood and milk for nourishment, have your two middle lower teeth pulled at the age of five to identify you as Samburu and be circumcised at the age of 15 to be recognized as a man. I suppose each to his own.

The afternoon game drive had not been as eventful as the morning one but Shirley said “It’s not over yet”. 15 minutes later came a crackling from the safari jeep radio and an excited Swahili jibberish from our guide and a quick u turn. Racing back down the road, David told us that a leopard had been spotted. One of the most elusive animals, it turned out that today was to be our lucky day. Even David was excited as we approached the bush and clearing the spotted cat had been seen. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. It was truly a dramatic and exciting scene and one to be remembered as a highlight of the trip. Jambo from Samburu!!