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Buffalo Springs

Unusual Attractions in Isiolo

Buffalo Springs: Natural Spring or Bomb Well?

A visit to the Buffalo Springs National Reserve exposes you to a cornucopia of dramatic scenery, enigmatic wildlife, and charismatic cultures of northern Kenya. Among the key highlights at the reserve are the sparkling springs and natural pool from which the reserve gets its name. Shorty before taking the Samburu Game Lodge turnoff, you may be interested in visiting the unusual attraction of Buffalo Springs. The springs are on the left of the A2 Nanyuki-Marsabit-Moyale Road.

A centerpiece attraction for many decades now, the Buffalo Springs attract many, local and international travellers, either to marvel at the sizeable wildlife or swim at the secured natural pool. Year round, this beautiful oasis is a striking natural feature, in the arid region, contrasting between the scattered greenery at hand and the surrounding barren landscape. It is often breathtaking. Atypically, it is not skirted by a cluster of Doum palms to provide deep shade, but never dries out.

The heart of the Buffalo Springs is its water source, which is a natural spring. The water often emerges from an underground aquifer, providing a reliable source of hydration for plants, animals, and oft-times people. Believed to have medicinal quality that treats skin conditions, Buffalo Springs is, perhaps, the most attractive natural pool in the north, attracting many, most eager to take a leisurely dip if only to cool down. One tale of origin tells that it was created after a bomb set off here during the Second World War. Myth or not, Buffalo Springs are a visual appeal.


Around Kenya are a selection of natural landmarks, cultural shrines, architectural oddities, and technological installations that offer incredible, almost surreal experiences that can make you feel as if you’ve stepped into another world. Hauntingly beautiful to some, eerie sights for others, and still, for others, down right strange, these site provide unique experiences for adventurous travelers.


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Isiolo County, with its strategic location, rich cultural heritage, and potential for development, is a unique region in Kenya. It features a mix of semi-arid and arid landscapes, with some areas of savannah and bushland, and home to several wildlife reserves and conservancies, including the Buffalo Springs National Reserve, Shaba National Reserve and the famed Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.

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Isiolo is almost always hot and dry at most months of year, with a mean of 30oC, and two rainy seasons. The rainfall received is historically erratic, scarce and unreliable. That is to also say, arid and semi-arid climate – of hot temperatures and low, bimodal rainfall.