The Remote Shaba National Park
The Remote Shaba National Park
An erroneously overlooked area for a safari in Kenya is the Shaba National Park. In the depths of Kenya Shaba offers a starkly different landscape and therefore a different type of safari experience that is not found in the other national parks of Kenya. Shaba has a hot and arid climate which has created a parched dusty landscape of hills and plains.
Shaba’s dry landscape is quenched by the Ewaso Nyiro river which is flanked by plenty of trees which provide shade and therefore attract good numbers of wildlife like elephant, lion, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and zebra from the surrounding savannah plains. Leopards are also regularly spotted sitting lazily in the trees after a satisfactory lunch. A major benefit of the Shaba National Park is that it is stunningly beautiful, with superb game viewing opportunities yet it is not often visited which makes it a very exclusive experience in deed.
The park has an abundant species of birds and can turn even the most reluctant guest with the flick of a coloured wing into an avid bird watcher. It is considered by Ornithologists a paradise for bird viewing.
For those looking to understand and experience Kenya’s rich culture the reserve is also home to the colourful Samburu tribe who will provide an intimate glimpse into tribal culture in Eastern Africa. The Samburu are semi-nomadic pastoralists. They survive on the products of their cattle, as well as sheep, goats and camels, which are fundamentally important to the Samburu culture and their way of life. The Samburu diet consists mostly of milk and sometimes blood from their cows.
It would be fair to say that a visit to Shaba National Park isn’t just about good game viewing. A stay in Shaba is a real experience whether you fly in by chartering a light aircraft (just a 45 minute flight from Nairobi) or drive through Archer’s Post your arrival in the park is an adventure in itself. Shaba is a total escape from 21st century life and is Kenya’s answer to those wishing to avoid the more touristic experiences in some of it’s more well known parks.
There are seventeen springs in Shaba national park where much of the game is drawn in the dry season in order to drink and cool off in the blistering heat. In Shaba whilst out on safari (and often from your camp or lodge) you are likely to see, Reticulated giraffe, Buffalo, Somalia ostrich, Baboon, African Bush Baby, Bushbuck, Caracal, Dik-dik, Kirk’s Duiker, Bush, Eland, Elephant, Grant’s Giraffe, Reticulated Klipspringer, Mongoose, Monkey, Beisa, Warthog and Waterbuck. Although the animals in Shaba are plentiful in number no trip to the park would be complete without a visit to the monument placed in memory of Joy Adamson, the author of ‘Born Free’ who was murdered nearly thirty years ago. There is a fabulous luxury safari camp in Shaba National Park, close to this monument called Joy’s camp, which we would suggest as your accommodation whilst on safari in this part of Kenya.
A luxury safari in Shaba National Park is easily combined with a trip to the infamous Masai Mara National Park home of the Great Migration, the Meru and Rift Valley lakes.
If going on a luxury safari is something you’ve always dreamed of, why not pay us a visit at http://www.opulentafrica.com. We can tailor make the perfect African safari vacation to make your dreams come true!
