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The Samburu ecosystem is one of the most exciting in East Africa and is made of several national reserves, private ranches and communally-owned group ranches that are all interconnected. Famous for its large population of elephants and unique northern species of animals found only in this area of Kenya, Samburuland stands out as a unique, wildlife rich and diverse wilderness and its landscapes are considered among the most iconic of the Continent.
ENCOUNTER THE RARE SAMBURU FIVE FOUND ONLY IN THIS AREA
Guests have the remarkable opportunity to see the Samburu Five – five rare and endemic animals to the Samburu ecosystem. They are the Gerenuk, the Reticulated giraffe, the Somali ostrich, the Grevy’s zebra, the Beisa oryx. Sera Conservancy has an abundance of other rare species, like the leopard, the Striped hyena, the Civet cat and African Wild dog or Painted hunting dogs.
Sera Conservancy, in Northern Kenya, is home to many species of wildlife and birdlife, not only the endangered black rhino protected within the parameters of the 25,650 acres-large Rhino Sanctuary. Gerenuk, oryx, elephants, buffalo, greater & lesser kudu – to name but a few. But even the less enthusiastic birders amongst us can appreciate what simply has to be seen (and heard!) to be believed.
Visitors to Sera Conservancy are treated to a daily spectacular not seen easily elsewhere. Each day, before dawn and after dusk at various waterholes throughout the conservancy, you can watch with delight, thousands upon thousands, swarms upon swarms of the nomadic and mostly nocturnal Lichtenstein’s sandgrouse swoop in to take water and refresh themselves.
Move over Lewis Hamilton. The sound of thousands of flapping wings, the circling and re-circling above your head before landing quickly and taking off again, makes this experience more exciting than any F1 pit stop! But don’t just take our word for it. Recent visitor to Saruni Samburu & smaller Rhino camp, Simon Beck of Orbital Communications, captured the moment perfectly on video. Can’t see it for yourself soon? Simon shares his experience below. Let him take you there!
“After the thrill of tracking black rhino on foot and getting so close to them, seeing incredible Samburu cultural experiences up close and personal and watching elephants come in so regularly into the Saruni camp, I was continually amazed by all the different experiences in this special part of northern Kenya that so few tourists have ever ventured into.
Watching the wild sandgrouse was quite surreal. Every morning this natural phenomenon takes place. The silence is deafening as you wait at the waterhole at 07:30. At exactly the same time every morning you hear the chirping come, the skies fill with thousands and thousands of sandgrouse circling above you and then they start descending from the skies by the thousands to come and drink and collect water. This spectacle last 45 minutes and is fascinating to watch. Suddenly they all stop circling and begin to fly off, leaving the sky empty and the deafening silence.
Watching nature act so orderly and so beautifully is something I will always remember – all very remarkable and another incredible experience available at Saruni”
