Parks and reserves. Updated November 2026. 4 min read.
Cross the highway east of Archers Post and the land changes. Black lava boulders replace the red sand, a flat-topped mountain rises over the plain, and springs push clear water up through the rock under doum palms. This is Shaba, the quietest of the three northern reserves, and the place where Joy Adamson, the author of Born Free, spent her last years raising a leopard.
Shaba National Reserve covers 239 square kilometers (about 92 square miles) in Isiolo County, east of Samburu and Buffalo Springs, with the Ewaso Ng'iro along its northern side. It has the same Samburu Special Five, fewer vehicles, rougher and more dramatic scenery, and one main lodge. Our Samburu page covers the three reserves together. This page is for travelers deciding whether to add Shaba, or base themselves there, and for anyone who wants the Adamson story told accurately.
Joy Adamson in Shaba: the accurate version
The story gets mixed up, so here it is straight. Elsa, the lioness of Born Free, was raised by Joy and George Adamson and released in what is now Meru National Park, where her grave lies; that was in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and it has nothing to do with Shaba. Joy later raised Pippa, a cheetah, also in Meru. In the late 1970s she moved to Shaba to raise and release Penny, a leopard, the subject of her last book, Queen of Shaba. In January 1980 Joy Adamson was killed at her camp in Shaba; a former employee was convicted of her murder. Guides can point out the area of her camp, and our Meru page tells the Elsa story where it belongs.
The landscape
- Lava: much of Shaba is covered in volcanic rock, with lava hills and the bulk of Shaba hill above the plains
- Springs: fresh springs rise in several places, feeding palm groves and swampy patches that draw wildlife in the dry season
- The river: the Ewaso Ng'iro runs along the north, with riverine forest and doum palms
- Open semi-desert in between, with acacia, commiphora and long views to the northern mountains
The scenery is the reason photographers love Shaba. In 2001 it was also the setting for the American TV series Survivor: Africa.
Wildlife
Shaba has the full Samburu Special Five: Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, beisa oryx, Somali ostrich and gerenuk. Lions, leopards and cheetahs are present, and leopards like the rocky hills. Animals are more spread out than along Samburu's river, so you may drive longer between sightings, but you are often alone when you find them. Elephants come to the river and the springs, especially from July to October.
Shaba compared with its neighbors
| Samburu and Buffalo Springs | Shaba | |
|---|---|---|
| Scenery | Red earth, the river, doum palms | Black lava, springs, hills |
| Wildlife density | Higher, concentrated on the river | Lower, more spread out |
| Vehicles | Busy at big sightings in peak months | Few |
| Where to stay | Many camps on both banks | Sarova Shaba Game Lodge |
| Best as | Your main base | A quieter base or a full-day add-on |
Fees and the ticket
Shaba is run by Isiolo County, like Buffalo Springs. At the time of writing, the daily fee for a foreign adult in the northern reserves is in the region of $70 to $85, and tickets have often been honored across the reserves; whether one ticket covers Shaba as well as Samburu and Buffalo Springs depends on the current county arrangements, so we confirm it for every trip and include it in your quote.
Where to stay
Sarova Shaba Game Lodge sits beside the river, with springs running through its grounds, and is the main place to stay inside the reserve. A small tented camp has operated near the site of Joy Adamson's camp in the past; ask us whether it is open for your dates. Our where to stay in Samburu guide compares Shaba with the river camps and the community conservancies.
When to go and getting there
The dry seasons, roughly June to October and January to March, are best. It is hot all year, so drives run early and late. By road from Nairobi, allow about six hours through Nanyuki and Isiolo; Shaba's gate is a short drive east of Archers Post, off the highway to Marsabit. Flights from Wilson Airport reach the Samburu airstrips in about 1 hour 15 minutes, and Shaba is a drive from there.
How to fit Shaba in
For most travelers, two nights in Samburu or Buffalo Springs plus a full day in Shaba is the right mix. Return visitors and photographers can base in Shaba and drive across for the river. We are Kenyan-led, with two U.S. companies behind us; pay in full or monthly with no deposit.
