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To the north of Mount Kenya and Laikipia lies Samburu, an arid land of red soil, isolated hills and the muddy, palm fringed waters of the Ewaso Nyiro River. With its contrasting scenery and different species such as reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, Somali ostrich, Grevy’s zebra and the long necked gazelle the gerenuk, Samburu is the perfect place to combine with a southern park such as the Masai Mara. The area is most well-known for its elephants that are the subject of a number of research studies and lion, leopard, buffalo and cheetah can also be seen. As well as the Samburu National Reserve adjacent reserves include Shaba, home to Joy’s Camp and the Kalama conservancy where guests of Saruni Samburu can enjoy an exclusive safari away from other camps in the company of local Samburu guides.
To the east of Samburu, Meru National Park is famous as the place where the lioness Elsa of Born Free fame was released. A contrast to Samburu, the park is criss-crossed by rivers with lush grasses, doum palms and dense forests of fig and mahogany trees. There are very few camps here, the pick of them is the hilltop Elsa’s Kopje, so visitors can explore the park with relative exclusivity. In addition to prolific birdlife, animals found in Meru include the northern specialities seen in Samburu as well as elephants, large herds of buffalo and, in a specially protected part of the reserve, rhinos are thriving.
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At birth, baby rhinos weigh between 88-140 pounds
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African Buffalos have a symbiotic relationship with many African birds such as the Oxpecker
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African elephants can currently be found in 37 African countries
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Ostriches can sprint at over 70 km/hr
Lions spend 16-20 hours of the day sleeping or resting
Leopards can see seven times better in the dark than humans
The fastest land animal in the world, a cheetah can reach 70 miles per hour in 3 seconds
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Chris joined Africa Travel directly from university in 1992 and knows both the company and Africa extremely well.
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Julia’s love for travel began at a young age. Born in Cape Town, she spent many a holiday exploring Southern Africa with her family before starting her career in travel.
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Felicity, who joined Africa Travel in 2004, has worked in the travel industry for over 30 years and originally comes from South Africa's KwaZulu Natal province
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Christine fell in love with Africa over 30 years ago, and has been managing the Cape Town office since 2008, and is looking forward to exploring Namibia more.
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Shaun joined the travel industry just over 10 years ago, working first for an online travel booking portal and an ecotourism company, specialising in sustainable travel in Southern and East Africa.
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Debbie joined Africa Travel in May 2009 and has been in the travel industry for over 20 years, enjoying a number of roles, from airline ticketing to accounting.
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Christine first came to Africa as a young woman and immediately felt a connection which has never allowed her to leave. She lived in Johannesburg and in Knysna on the Garden Route, but came to Cape Town 22 years ago and realised it was where she wanted to be!
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Alyson grew up in Zimbabwe and it was her parents who influenced her a great love of the African bush. It was not just a love of the wildlife but the plant and bird life and everything that is associated in the wild spaces of Africa.
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