After making the day drive from Nairobi I was ecstatic to be back to the rugged familiarity of Kenya's northern landscapes.
The Reserve's pulse is found on the Ewaso Nyiro River, the 'brown' or 'muddy' river, eventually entering the Reserve from the western slopes of Mt Kenya before it moves north, then eastward, spreading its waters across the Lorian Swamp near Wajir. Following this river is a trip worthy of its own. Apart from a devastating drought in 2009, and some dire problems in 2022, the river's flow is (usually) constant.
There's one public campsite, marked on the map below (white dot, center on southern rim). No prior reservation required and I simply showed up. Naturally, I suppose, most of the lodges are along the river, but there are ample spots to wheel-up to its banks and gaze.
There are basically two spots on either side of the camp clearing, and a third some 50 meters up river through the thickets, all on the river's edge; I went for the one nearest the ranger post (red dot next to the white one), the north side of the site. It had everything: firepit and a fallen tree limb for a hammock.
Cat logic prevents them, ostensibly, from wandering too close to the ranger post, but for the less-sure, you can find a ranger to stick around through the night if desired, with a promotion of a few hundred shillings or so. They pass through the campsite often enough anyway, to seek some solace and seclusion from other rangers and chat on mobiles to girlfriends or whoever it is making them smile on the river's edge.
When the Ewaso Nyiro River is high there are crocs. A ranger simply advised not to roast meat, so I ate beans. The only hassle for a solo camper is the army of vervet monkeys arriving en masse as you fire up your cooking aparatus. Best to wait until the sun goes down when they scatter. There are some baboons, as well. More organized, if that's the word, they're seemingly content with just sitting on a log and airing out their junk. Leave your tent unattended and expect the vervets to destroy it.
It's a great camp spot, a perfect place after a game drive with a beer in hand and flip-flops. Lots of bird action... goshawks, red-billed hornbills, flycatchers, warblers, etc. Among the highlights was this beauty below, a Greater Kudu, lazily shuffling by in the early afternoon.
There's a toilet with a frog inside and running water a stone's throw away from the campsite, too.
From Samburu NR I drove north to Marsabit, a fabulous road and amazing landscapes. Highly recommended, both the quality of the road and Marsabit NP, both simply fantastic. Check out Marsabit here.
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