SOUNDS OF SAMBURU'S WILD CALMS CAMPERS

We woke to a chilly Sunday morning. I was accompanying a group of French nationals on a five-day camping safari to the Samburu National Reserve and the Namunyak Wildlife Conservation Area.
To beat this damp weather, our driver, safari cook and I snuggled into fleece jumpers, but the tourists seemed comfortable in T-shirts and kept chiding us for not enjoying the warm African weather.
Isiolo town is the last major shopping centre on your way to Marsabit, hundreds of kilometres away, and the last place you will find banks, post offices and service stores. There are several police barriers barely a kilometre from Isiolo where all vehicles must declare their itinerary for security purposes.
Rough terrain
The road between Isiolo and Samburu National Reserve is rough and dusty. The temperatures were soaring but it was the captivating landscapes that momentarily helped us forget our discomfort. Occasionally, lorries loaded to capacity with people and animals zoomed past us leaving behind a cloud of dust. They are the only means of public transport beyond Isiolo.
We arrived at the Samburu National Reserve at dusk. To get to the public campsites, you have to traverse the Reserve. This gave us a chance to observe some wildlife, although the real pleasures were reserved for the following day where a full day of extensive game drives were scheduled.
The day began beautifully. We passed a herd of impalas and a pair of dik diks before we came face to face with a herd of elephants. Cameras began clicking away non-stop. To the tourists, this was a sight to behold.
On our way back to camp, the driver noticed some movement in the bushes. It was a lion and a lioness. We were very lucky because sightings of lions are very rare.
Fully booked campsites
There are several campsites along the Ewaso Nyiro River. Interestingly, every available space was filled. A ranger saw our desperation as we drove from one campsite to another and came to our rescue. He led us to a secluded space that he called ‘a very special and private campsite’. It turned out to be a clearing that was strewn with elephant dung and broken branches.
I immediately recalled the ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ of wilderness trekking. One was to never pitch tent near animal tracks, particularly elephants as they have an uncanny memory and tend to use the same route to and from the pastures and water points.
The ranger quickly allayed our fears saying that the elephants had been spotted a distance away and were unlikely to return soon. With the help of our vehicles’ headlights, we kicked the elephant dung aside to make room for our tents. Our safari cook prepared us delicious spaghetti bolognaise.
Later, we retreated for the night. It was calm save for an occasional laughter of hyenas, the barking of baboons, the hooting of an owl and the constant chirping of crickets. These sounds of the African night soothed us to sleep.
Elephants by the river
Tuesday morning, we were woken by sounds of breaking branches. The cook announced that a herd of elephants was grazing in a bush behind our campsite. Eager to see them, we crept stealthily for a glimpse of these pachyderms. There they stood a herd of about 10 elephants partly hidden by the tall bushes. In my many years of wilderness camping, I had never been so close to elephants while on foot.
One elephant suddenly broke away from the group and headed towards the river for a drink. It wallowed in the mud before returning to the park. After a while, the animals slowly retreated into the bushes and disappeared. It was hard to believe that we had slept barely metres away from the elephants with just a piece of canvas for protection.
After breakfast we went to discover the famous Samburu gems — species not found in parks south of Kenya. The first we saw was the grevy zebra. It grazed forlornly, its thin black and white stripes contrasting sharply with the brown parched vegetation. Grevy zebras differ from their cousins in the south by the thickness of their stripes. Next to the zebra was a herd of oryxes standing beautifully with their long straight horns. They reminded me of the famous lioness that adopted a baby Oryx in this same park a few years back.
Hunting mission
Suddenly, one of the tourists shouted: "Giraffe, giraffe!" We all turned. In the distance, the neck of a reticulated giraffe protruded from the canopies of acacia trees. As we approached it, we realised there were more hidden in the bushes.
The reticulated giraffe, with its chestnut geometric patterns, is unique to the Samburu reserve. They delicately pick and munch the acacia leaves with their dexterous tongues, and it is a constant marvel how they manage to do this without getting injured by the thorns.
We drove on, and then stopped when we noticed a long necked gazelle standing on its hind legs and browsing leaves from the top of a low acacia bush. Known as the gerenuk, this gazelle is also endemic to Samburu. Satisfied with its meal, it came down to its fours and disappeared into the bushes.
Further afield, the distressed chuckling of the vulturine guinea fowls aroused our curiosity. They were all looking in one direction. In the distance stood a furry antelope. It too, had its gaze focused in the same direction. Curious, we drove past the antelope to see for ourselves what the furore was all about, and discovered a couple of cheetahs crouching right in front of us. They were hunting the antelope.
One of the cheetahs crept forward stealthily towards a waterbuck. Twenty meters away, it broke into a sprint, but the waterbuck was too fast for it. A spectacular chase ensued. It was the most breathtaking 10 seconds of my life. Outwitted, the cheetahs abandoned their hunting mission and walked away. A few minutes later, they settled under a shade and caught their breath. This was a heavenly moment for us. Hunting scenes are very rare during game drives.
By this time, the sun was blazing and the animals were hiding in the bushes to escape the heat. We headed back to camp. On our way, we were lucky to see a group of impalas and buffaloes huddled in shaded areas.
That evening, we drove through the neighbouring Buffalo Springs Reserve on the other side of the Ewaso Nyiro River. The following day, we trekked with Samburu morans on Mount Ololokwe, which is the sacred mountain of the Samburu.
Courtesy Business daily Africa