Buffalo Springs National Reserve Entry Fees

This article focuses on Buffalo Springs National Reserve Entry Fees. Buffalo Springs National Reserve is a protected area in Isiolo County in northern Kenya. The reserve was established in 1948 as part of the Samburu – Isiolo Game Reserve and the present boundaries were established in 1985. Buffalo Springs, Samburu and Shaba are a trio of similar, adjoining reserves. Buffalo Springs offers good wildlife viewing and is one of the more reliable places in Kenya for leopard sightings.

The springs, after which the reserve is named, are a perennial marsh fed by underground water – that attracts plenty of wildlife in the dry season. The reserve is home to a variety of wildlife species, including the “Samburu Five” which are the reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich, gerenuk, Grevy’s zebra, and Beisa oryx. Other animals found in the reserve include elephants, lions, leopards, cheetahs, buffaloes, and baboons, among others.

Buffalo Springs National Reserve is a great alternate choice for guests who desire a discerning and unfettered safari trip in northern Kenya’s bush country. As one of the several hidden landscapes, the reserve offers a serene setting where you escape into a vast landscape of remarkable flora and fauna.

For bird-watching guests, Buffalo Springs is a mecca of avifauna with more than 450 species recorded that includes birds that are found in the northern bush country and riverine forests. The lesser kestrels and Taita falcons have globally threatened species that thrive under the protection of the reserve. Other vulnerable species include great egrets, martial eagles, African darters and yellow-billed oxpeckers. Common species include bee-eaters, yellow-billed hornbills, lilac-breasted rollers, grey-headed kingfishers and many more. The vegetation at Buffalo Springs is dominated by Acacia woodlands and bushland containing Commiphora. Also favoured in the reserve by the elephants are the Toothbrush trees.

Samburu pastoralists live a semi-nomadic lifestyle on the peripheries of the reserve and a visit to a traditional homestead is a must.

Activities At Buffalo Springs National Reserve

1. Game Drives

Game Drives are the best way to see a large variety of wildlife. In most game reserves the best time to go on a game drive is either early morning or late afternoon, but in Buffalo Springs a drive through the riverine forest area should yield good sightings of wildlife including the 5 rather special animals that are found in the park and are not found in the other southern parks and reserves that is Grevy’s Zebra, Beisa Oryx, Reticulated Giraffe, Somali Ostrich, Gerenuk. In addition to these “Special Five”, most of the Big Five, except Rhino, are present in the reserve. Get ready to spot the following; Lion, Leopard Hyena Monkeys and Baboons, Eland, Greater and Lesser Kudu, Impala, Warthogs, Dik-diks, Buffalo, Hippos – large pods reside in the river and Crocodiles – likewise.

2. Guided Nature Walks

Game walks, escorted by an armed Samburu guide, are probably the best way to see all the smaller creatures that you would probably miss on a game drive. Your guide will point out the various plants that can be used for traditional, teach you how to interpret tracks and droppings and point out all the hiding spots of the shyer animals.

3. Bird Watching

There is a large variety of bird species with over 240 species of Bird recorded including Secretary Bird – plentiful!StorksSand Grouse, Red-billed and Von der Decken’s Hornbills, Pygmy Falcons, Martial Eagles and Verreaux’s Eagle to be spotted in Buffalo Springs National Reserve. The vast majority of birds will be seen in the riverine forested areas near the river banks, or in the vicinity of the freshwater springs and pools that lend their name to the reserve. Large flocks of Helmeted Guinea Fowl descend on the sandy river banks at sunset to quench their thirst.

4. Cultural Visits

The Samburu tribesmen are very happy to share their culture and traditions with visitors. Visit one of the nearby villages to completely immerse yourself in their ancient culture and find out what life is like as a pastoralist in northern Kenya.

5. Visits to the Singing Wells

A visit to the famous Singing Wells in Samburu will let you witness a daily event that is unique to this area of the country. Every morning the local pastoralists bring their family herds of goats and cattle to the “singing wells”. Because this is an arid land and water is extremely scarce, the young herdsmen have to draw water from deep wells for their domestic animals to drink. As the young herdsmen descend into the wells, some of which can be up to 10m deep, they sing traditional songs in unison, as they pass the collected water to the surface for their livestock.

6. Swimming

Tourists can engage in this recreational activity at the magnificent Ewaso Ng’iro River, they are normally advised to carry their swimming gear and their lots of fish species to be caught and aquatic birds to be seen.