Samburu
Landmark - it is also a landmark in Africa!
No wonder the UN headquarters of its environmental program (UNEP) placed in Nairobi, Kenya.
After all, the black continent is known primarily for its rich, diverse, unique nature and original peoples and nationalities inhabiting this vast territory.
Of course, the national parks of Africa are exactly the sights that attract travelers from all over the world.
I will tell you about one of these reserves - Samburu. Why Samburu? The fact is that those who are at least a little interested in Africa, of course, know about the Masai people. They are often shown on various TV channels, many who have been there write about them, and that is why these people have already become so “obturistic” that it is quite difficult to find some kind of originality there. They have been turned into a popular tourist attraction and, as a rule, all their settlements are somehow intended primarily for tourists.
But we were interested in peoples who still retained their identity, despite the globalization of the world.
We knew that Samburu was also famous for the fact that it was here that George and Joy Adamson raised the lioness Elsa and became famous thanks to their book "Born Free", which is still a bestseller today and is sold in almost all bookstores in Kenya, and based on this book was made into a film that was shown on all animalistic channels and received many awards.
The Samburu Reserve is located 325 km from Nairobi and covers an area of .165 square meters. km.
The reserve got its name thanks to the people of Samburu, who have long lived in these territories and are in somewhat tense relations with the peoples of the Maasai and the Turkana.
But in order.
From Nairobi towards Samburu there is a very (VERY! ) decent road, along which we moved to new adventures and new impressions. On the way to the reserve, there are a number of other sights that are worthy of attention. We were lucky and we saw the top of Mount Kenya, the second highest mountain in Africa. Often this peak is closed from observers by clouds, but fortune was favorable to us. We moved, or rather got out of the car and crossed the equator on foot, indicated by a sign next to the highway... but this was not our goal, but the accompanying bonuses!
So, finally we arrived at the reserve.
We settled in one of the bungalows of the hotel called "Samburu Sopa Lodge" and immediately, without unpacking things, moved deep into the reserve to study the natural diversity. I will not dwell on all the animals and birds that we managed to observe in this pure wild nature... I hope that those who wish will be able to see everything in the photos attached to this story. But I have never seen such richness of the animal world! We met not only lions and cheetahs, but even a secretive leopard. Many types of antelopes. The most striking of which was the graceful gerenuk, or giraffe antelope. And of course, I remember dikdik - the smallest antelope in the world with big wet eyes. The height at the withers is a little more than a spaniel!
Elephants! Elephants in Samburu in most cases have a red-brick color. This is due to the fact that the soil in the reserve is of such a shade, and taking the mud baths necessary for these noble animals to cool down and fight annoying parasites, they turn brick red.
Male reticulated giraffes have arranged a tournament among themselves right in front of our eyes! It is curious that giraffes do not fight with their short horns, but with their long and powerful necks!
The vulture guinea fowl, artistically painted by the Creator with rich ultramarine strokes, constantly crossed our path...
It is simply impossible to convey all our oohs and aahs during this trip.
But back to the hotel. The next morning my wife felt a little unwell. Perhaps the long flight and the subsequent road to the reserve affected, maybe just a change in the composition of the water, which often happens when traveling. Long story short, she didn't go to breakfast. The restaurant waitress politely asked us, where is another member of our group? We replied that she did not feel well and skipped breakfast.
Having gathered for the next excursion, we decided this time to spend it without my wife. The fact is that in the reserve it is strictly forbidden to get out of the car. Therefore, we decided not to risk it and went with a reduced composition. But when we returned, we heard a story about African service and healthcare.
Some time after we left, there was a gentle knock on my wife's room. She was surprised at the unexpected visit, but opened the door. On the threshold stood a hotel employee who brought a doctor with him. It turns out that after the waitress informed the administration about the indisposition of one of the travelers, the doctor was immediately called. The doctor carefully examined the patient, established a preliminary diagnosis and prescribed medication. It was surprising that the diagnosis completely coincided with that of my wife (this is her chronic disease, which sometimes gives exacerbations), and the prescribed medications turned out to be exactly the same as she took with her from home in case of an exacerbation! Here's Africa! To our general joy, nothing terrible happened, and the next day we could admire nature in full force.
But in fact, the life of all this biodiversity is quite tough, if not cruel. Somehow, returning to our bungalow, we found an "ordinary tragedy" characteristic of wildlife. A speckled sand snake dealt with its prey - an ordinary agama. Agam was sorry, but the snake also had to eat something...
But more than others, baboons struck with their cruelty. If you travel around Africa, then for sure in many hotels located in national parks, you will be able to see large ads, the meaning of which reads "THE BABOONS ARE FORBIDDEN!!! ". The fact is that, having a sufficiently high intelligence, these animals are also cruel predators. In front of our eyes, a large male baboon caught a young impala antelope and, tearing it apart, began to feast on fresh meat. Horror! But life is life! Therefore, hotel administrations prohibit attracting baboons with food, because. the behavior of these strong and intelligent animals can be unpredictable.
But now the moment has come when we can go to the Samburu tribe. The fact is that the tribe's village is inaccessible for more than 7 months a year. This is due to the fact that the only road that leads there passes through the river Iwaso Nyiro. You can get there only at the end of the dry season, and even then not every day, because. after the slightest rain, passage becomes impossible. Let's go…
We were lucky!! ! Having crossed a dilapidated bridge on which we met a flock of baboons of more than 30 heads, then after crossing the drying bed of the same river, which makes a steep squiggle here, we saw the first inhabitants of the tribe. And they did not come there in vain. When trying to cross the channel off-road, our car hopelessly “sat down” on the muddy bottom of the river! But the Samburians apparently already knew that this would be the case, and together they rushed to push the car out! Lucky again! Pushed out!
Here we are in the village. I wrote in the beginning that the people of Samburu are not as spoiled by visitors as the well-known Masai. Therefore, the first meeting was a little tense. The people of Samburu were somehow embarrassed to approach us, they tried to "get away" from the view of the lenses... But the sweets and beads they brought with them did their job! What kind of Samburian can resist new beads for their luxurious necklaces that they wear around their necks. And the kids loved the sweets too. The tension that appeared in the first minutes of the meeting gradually melted away and the girls began to behave in a completely natural way. The men, on the other hand, dignifiedly stood in groups to the side, sideways watching the guests. Samburu women's necklaces are not only decoration. By necklaces, for example, you can find out the status of its owner. But not having the knowledge and skills to read such a complex language of color, we were satisfied with simply admiring these highly artistic handicrafts of the craftswomen of a distant tribe.
Already at the end of our visit, the Samburians took souvenirs and decorations from their houses, offering us something to buy. And here again, the tourist unpretentiousness of these places manifested itself. No one has ever forced anything on anyone. You can just look. At the same time, barkers and "advertisers" characteristic of Asia and North Africa are absent. Moreover, when you look at something and ask the price, the owners of the products often do not even know how much to sell it for! They are afraid to name the price, because any amount is big for them. The struggle between the desire not to sell too cheap and at the same time not to scare off the buyer leads to the fact that “inventing” the price often leads the seller into a stupor.
I bought a bracelet woven from sky-blue beads from friendly Samburians and presented it to my daughter upon arrival home. My daughter loves bracelets very much, but she is just happy with this one!
And at the end of our visit, the Samburians agreed to a group photo of our entire group!
This is such an interesting African attraction!
P. S. If you have any questions about the trip, the Samburu Reserve itself or the attached photographs, please ask. I will answer with pleasure!
