There has been an eight-month-long drought and the Samburu village, survive on the money guests pay for these visits
Shaba National Reserve in Isiolo is one of the few Kenyan national parks I had not yet visited, along with the adjacent Buffalo Springs National Reserve. When the opportunity for a visit arose as part of the Magical Kenya Travel Expo 2022, I have never packed faster. It took us seven hours to get to the Natorbi Ogura gate, with two stops along the way including at Cedars Mall in Nanyuki which has a Java Cafe for coffee and pastry lovers.
We encountered a herd of buffaloes grazing right by the main gate, with yellow-necked spurfowl and buffalo weavers in tow. We were also greeted by Grevy’s zebra, a species only found north of the equator. Shaba is semi-arid, and the temperatures reflect that; I could practically feel my flesh sizzling under the heat. The landscape is also so white that it is blinding. Be sure to bring your sunglasses. The roads are rough so a car with good suspension would be ideal, and be ready for the passing cars that bathe you in a cloud of dust in their wake. And yet, the park is dotted with doum palm trees, which, when near a stream, looks like a little oasis. Season 3 of the Survivor TV show was shot here, apparently, and I cannot fathom how anyone could walk in the middle of the day without passing out.
