Shanga
Shanga means beads.
Samburu protects northern Kenya's "Special Five" and runs Africa's first community-owned elephant sanctuary.
Samburu stretches north from the Ewaso Ng'iro River toward Lake Turkana, mixing savanna, forested ranges and sacred mountains. It is the homeland of the semi-nomadic Samburu, close kin of the Maasai.
Samburu protects northern Kenya's "Special Five" and runs Africa's first community-owned elephant sanctuary. Its strong Maa culture makes it a cultural-tourism leader.
Pastoralism is central, with wildlife tourism and community conservancies growing fast.
Elephants along the Ewaso Ng'iro, plus Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, Beisa oryx and Somali ostrich.
Rescues and rewilds orphaned elephant calves in the Mathews Range.
A sacred flat-topped mountain with a 3–5 hour summit hike.
A viewpoint over the Suguta Valley near Maralal.
The bungalow where Jomo Kenyatta was held before independence.
Guided walks among plains game near town.
Herders sing as they draw water for cattle from riverbed wells.
Communities with a historic home in Samburu. Today people from every part of Kenya live and work here.
Samburu men perform a high-jumping circle dance, and beaded jewellery signals status. The diet is mainly milk, with meat for ceremonies. The Maralal International Camel Derby, held around August–September, draws riders from many countries.
June to October, when wildlife gathers along the river, with the Camel Derby as a bonus.
Samburu and its neighbours. Tap a county or a place to read about it.
Hover a county or a dot. Click to open it. Locations are approximate.
June to October, when wildlife gathers along the river, with the Camel Derby as a bonus.
Samburu protects northern Kenya's "Special Five" and runs Africa's first community-owned elephant sanctuary. Its strong Maa culture makes it a cultural-tourism leader.
Samburu stretches north from the Ewaso Ng'iro River toward Lake Turkana, mixing savanna, forested ranges and sacred mountains. It is the homeland of the semi-nomadic Samburu, close kin of the Maasai. The county capital is Maralal, and the 2019 census counted 310,327 people across about 20,183 square kilometres.
ChemchemiBaringo CountyLake Bogoria is part of the UNESCO-listed Kenya Lake System and hosts vast flamingo flocks. The Tugen Hills hold important fossil sites.
KimbiaElgeyo-Marakwet CountyIten holds a World Athletics Heritage Plaque as a global training base. Its ancient Marakwet irrigation furrows are on UNESCO's Tentative List.
MabingwaUasin Gishu CountyEldoret is famed worldwide as the "Home of Champions" for distance running.
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