Buffalo springs national reserve is situated in the Eastern province at isiolo district of Kenya, south of Samburu national reserve covering an area of about 131 kilometers squared on vast plains at the backdrop of Mount Kenya. The reserve is bordered by Shaba national reserve to the north east and Samburu national reserve to north.
Buffalo springs national reserve got its name from the clear water springs running through the park and they never run dry even when there’s no rain. Buffalo springs national park is renowned for its leopard sightings and other big animals and re recorded over365 species of birds.
Buffalo springs national reserve was established as part of the isiolo Samburu game reserve in 1948 but was later separated on it’s own to be a game reserve in 1985, the reserve has got rich diversity ranging from golden Savannah vegetation, springs, acacia woodlands, shrubs, Ewaso Ng’iro river, thorny bushes, lava terraces and riparian forests.
Activities at Buffalo springs game reserve
Game viewing
There are various animal species to be seen roaming around the plains for example: Grevis zebra, Fringe eared Oryx, Dik Dik, giraffe, gazelles, African elephant, cheetahs, gerenuk, African wild dog, warthog, impala, water buck, lion, hippos, spotted hyena and giraffes among the rest.
Bird watching
Bird enthuasts can make buffalo springs reserve their destination in a travel list to Kenya, the reserve is blessed with over 365 bird species some of the examples can be seen as; Somali ostriches, vulturine guinea fowl, Taita falcons, yellow billed ox peckers, great egrets, sand grouse, verreaux eagle, martial eagles, yellow billed hornbills, grey headed kingfisher, secretary bird, pygmy falcons, lilac breasted rollersand African darters.
Cultural experience
Tourists can enjoy cultural experience from the local Samburu community living around the park with their unique nomadic lifestyle; they can get entertained in the evenings with local traditional dances from the traditional dancing groups. There are also various craft shops where you can acquire souvenirs to take back home.
Nature guided walks
Tourists can take guided nature walks at the banks of the Ewaso Ng’iro river and experience a lot of nature and wildlife. This is normally done by a Samburu armed guide who will show you how to interpret animal tracks and also show you a lot of plant species they normally use for their traditional medicines and a lot more.
Swimming
Tourists can engage in this recreational activity at the magnificent Ewaso Ng’iroriver, they are normally advised to carry their swimming gears and their lots of fish species to be caught and aquatic birds to be seen.
Visit the singing wells
The singing wells is a unique place where you witness typical African culture, the Samburu pastoralists bring their livestock to the wells and draw water from the deep for them to drink this place can be crowdie as there’s scarcity of water everyone struggles to have their animals drink.
How to get there
Buffalo springs national reserve can be accessed from Nairobi or any other Kenyan city by road, two airstrips serve the park daily; the drive from Nairobi is about 4-5 hours depending on the jam the flight takes about one hour and twenty minutes
Best time to visit
The parks climate is favorable to make it visited all year round but the very best months are from July to December when the grass is shorter and vegetation is not thick making it easy to view wildlife. The water springs are also always flooded with wildlife for water during this period.
Where to stay
There are a number of places where to stay depending on tourists budget and choice some of the accommodation units include; Samburu Simba lodge, Ash nil Samburu camp, camping.