We spent 3 nights in Samburu National Park. We helped retrieve another vehicle which was stuck fast in a very boggy patch which didnt improve our tyres or clutch but we couldnt leave him there! We were very fortunate as Samburu is very dry but we still saw a lot of wildlife. In particular a pride of 14 lions including two cubs and a very battle-scarred male. The monkeys and baboons were a pest at the campsite but otherwise it was a very pleasant site by the river. It even had a shower! There are also other interesting animals in the Park like Gerenuk (like an Impala but with a long thick neck) which browse Acacia on their hind legs. The reticulated Giraffe and Grevy’s Zebra are also rather different to the other species seen elsewhere. Unfortunately Samburu is too crowded for comfort especially with microbuses which does detract from both the experience and indeed from conservation. Amazingly we had to explain to an Abercrombie & Kent driver who asked what we were looking at that there were 11 lions immediately opposite across the river. We are getting rather good at this animal tracking and spotting! We saw our eighth Leopard of the trip here (although we can’t claim to have spotted this one!).
We had our second police escort of the trip as there had been bandits shooting at vehicles along the main road from Samburu North towards Marsabit. However the police escort vehicle drove so fast that nobody could keep up with it which I think left the convoy more exposed! This apparently is typical, we have heard this from other overlanders. However when we got to Marsabit we heard that a vehicle had been held up and robbed shortly before the town. This road the A2 is known as the “worst road in Africa” and is in terrible condition with massive corrugations. The World Bank has given funds for this road to be repaired and tarred twice (it goes all the way from Egypt to South Africa) but the money has gone missing!! This is Africa! We even saw a compound full of yellow construction vehicles that had just been canibalised rather than used for the road repair! As a result of the condition of the road we had our third puncture of the trip but also the welds on the brackets that hold on the second spare tyre and sand ladders gave out. Luckily there was no one behind us when I saw the spare tyre bounce off (25 feet in the air!) so we could retrieve it. We had the type repaired (the inner tube had several holes!) and the brackets welded in Marsabit when we arrived.
There is drought in this part of Kenya causing famine so people are desperate. When we joined the convoy in a small town it was full of refugees from further North who had abandonned their homes when their livestock had died. Many people along the road asked for food and/or water. We stopped and gave some water to a Samburu man and two women (in traditional dress) but generally you feel powerless to help.
On the way to the border on the worst road in Africa we got a 2nd puncture, this time a 5 inch nail! Unfortunately it also damaged the side wall of the tyre as it suddenly deflated. The person to stamp the Carnet was absent when we got to the border but we waited around and the customs guys arranged great Ethiopian coffee! They told us there was no need for a stamp but I didn’t want to risk it!