Buffalo Springs National Reserve

Buffalo Springs National Reserve is a small yet unrivalled Kenya safari reserve that offers a superb opportunity for those seeking a true adventure and unrestricted safari in Kenya’s bush country. This is one of the hidden landscapes with magnificent tranquil settings where you can escape into a large gorgeous environment filled with incredible flora and fauna. The reserve’s highlights include undulating grasslands, lava terraces, douma palms, woods, scrub brush, the Ewaso Nyiro River, and the distinctive springs that give the reserve its name. Buffalo Springs National Reserve is part of a broader ecosystem that includes Samburu National Reserve in the north and Shaba National Reserve in the northeast. The area provides superb wildlife watching with plentiful safari species and is well-known for its leopard sightings.

Furthermore, Buffalo Springs is an open protected land where a variety of animals can be seen on clear savannah grassland, including the rare northern species of reticulated giraffes, vulturine guinea fowls, Gravy’s zebras, Somali ostriches, beisa oryx, and gerenus, all of which are unique to the region. The reserve is one of the greatest birding Kenya destinations, with over 450 bird species reported, many of which may be easily spotted by tourists in the reserve’s rewardable spotting region, which includes northern bush terrain and riverine forests.Lesser Kestrels and Taita falcons are internationally threatened species that thrive on the reserve’s grounds.Birders can spot vulnerable species such as great egrets, martial eagles, African darters, and yellow-billed oxpeckers.Common species include yellow-billed hornbills, lilac-breasted rollers, bee-eaters, and grey-headed kingfishers, among others, making this a birding haven safari destination.

Buffalo Springs National Reserve is located on the southern side of the Ewaso Nyiro River. It is well-known for its animal richness and surprisingly low number of safari visitors, making it an ideal location for a game drive in this spectacular reserve. Amazingly, it provides amazing photo possibilities for guests, making it an off-the-beaten-track Kenyan safari experience.

Buffalo Springs’ access gates are Ngare Mara, Choka, and Uaso.

Attractions at Buffalo Springs National Reserve

The key tourist attractions that may be seen during a safari in Buffalo Springs are listed below:

Wildlife:

Buffalo Springs is home to the big four of the BIG FIVE; elephants are abundant, and leopards are highly trustworthy. Note that rhinos are absent from the park, and lion sightings are sporadic, but when it comes to rewarding game viewing, the northern Kenya arid areas get the majority of people. The park is a popular tourist attraction in Africa because of the unique animal species that can be seen during a visit, including the beisa oryx, smaller Kudu, reticulated giraffe, Gravy’s zebra, and gerenuk. Giraffes, hyenas, buffalo, hippos, cheetahs, and a large number of Nile crocodiles can all be observed in the Ewiso Nyiro River. As a result, we had an amazing bucket list tick of creatures in the African wilderness.

Bird species:

Buffalo Spring is a birder’s paradise with over 450 bird species to see, including the Abyssinian ground, Egyptian vulture, black-caped social weaver, vulturine guinea fowl, D’Anaurd’s barbet, black-faced sand grouse, and Somali ostrich, among others.

Activities to Do at Buffalo Springs National Reserve

The following are the tourist activities to engage in while on safari in Kenya Buffalo Springs National Reserve.

Game viewing:

This is one of the most popular African safari activities, and it can be done in Buffalo Springs National Reserve’s vast protected landscape, which is home to a diverse range of wildlife species. The ideal approach to experience animal adventure during your game safari watching is to use an open roof safari vehicle with 4×4 wheel drive. Elephants, gazelles, leopards, baboons, cheetahs, buffaloes, enormous herds of elephants, and Nile crocodiles are some of the animal species that can be seen on a game drive.

Guided Nature Walk:

A guided nature walk in Buffalo Springs is more rewarding along the Ewosa Nyiro River, where you may see a variety of animals and bird species. Tourists are recommended to always accompany a park ranger.

Cultural Tours:

This is an incredible experience since travellers get to engage with people living in the reserve and learn about their ways of life. These locals are Samburu pastoralists who live a semi-nomadic existence on the outside of the reserve; meeting these Samburu people and visiting their traditional homestead is an incredible experience.

The reserve’s scenery:The reserve includes semi-arid savannah flanked by the picturesque Ewaso Nyiro River, a water source that sustains a high number of the area’s wildlife species. The park’s ecosystem is distinguished by contrasting habitats of riverine forest around the water point and dry acacia scrub areas highlighted by termite mounds stretching out from the springs, after which the reserve was named. This water spring is a gorgeous feature that allows a variety of animals to satisfy their thirst.

Weather and Climate

Buffalo Springs’ temperature tends to dip slightly at night, but it stays hot. The climate becomes arid during the dry season, which lasts from June to September. Another dry spell occurs from January to February, when the temperature increases to a new level. The remaining two seasons are storms and showers, which run from October to December and March to May.

What should you bring with you?

They include a hat, sunscreen, camera, sunglasses, and a mineral water bottle as you prepare to be in amazement.

Best time for wildlife viewing

Buffalo Springs National Reserve is a semi-arid environment with dry plains, thus it does not receive much rain and can be a year-round game destination. However, the best wildlife watching occurs during the dry seasons, which go from June to October and December to March, and this is when the majority of people visit the park because the vegetation cover is sparse, allowing for clear sightings of animals near dependable water sources. May to April is the wet season, and wildlife can be more difficult to see, but it is also the finest period for bird watching because food is plentiful.

Accommodation in Buffalo Springs National Reserve.

Buffalo Springs provides appropriate lodgings ranging from luxury to affordable, as follows:

Luxury accommodations include Elephants Bedroom Camp, Ashnil Samburu Lodge, and Larsen Tented Camp.
Northern Galaxy, Josera Guest House, and Shamz Hotel are examples of mid-range accommodations.
Budget accommodations include the Isiola Bomen and Grande hotels.

Accessibility of the Reserve

To reach Isiola from Nairobi, take a tarmac route through Nanyuki and travel 285 kilometres to Murram route.

By Air: Buffalo Springs Airstrip is accessible by daily scheduled flights from Nairobi Wilson Airport.

Experience a warm climate, magnificent terrain, diversity of wildlife, and unique African culture ”the Samburu people”, providing an authentic environment for an adventure tour in Kenyan national reserve. ‘The Buffalo Springs National Reserve’