Protected Areas and Wildlife in Isiolo

Named wildlife reserves, conservancies, and biodiversity shape the natural landscape of Isiolo County. The three wildlife reserves are Shaba National Reserve, Buffalo Springs, and Bisanadi. The county plan for 2018–2022 also names five protected areas supported by NRT: Nakupratt-Gotu, Leparua, Biliqo-Bulesa, Nasulu, and Oldonyiro Community Conservancy. Thus, specific reserve names sit alongside a second group of areas referred to as conservancies.

The plan also describes the five conservancies as wildlife corridors and migration areas. This places the names of the protected areas and the role of conservancies in wildlife movement alongside each other as two distinct perspectives.

The county plan for 2018–2022 lists African wild dogs, elephants, and lions among the wildlife in Isiolo County; it also names more than 300 bird species. The species list comes from the period covered by the plan and is not a current estimate of animal populations. The plan describes the parks and wildlife reserves in the county as having flora and fauna that include endemic species. For mammals, the plan names individual examples, while for birds it gives a species count. These different details draw attention both to specific animals and to biodiversity; the endemic flora and fauna broaden the picture beyond wildlife.

For wildlife-themed trip planning, it helps to distinguish the three aspects: named reserves, the role of conservancies in wildlife movement, and the diversity of species mentioned for the county.

Kenya in a Wider Context

Other distinct nature themes feature across the wider destination of Kenya. The Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley is the world’s most important feeding site for lesser flamingos. About 1.5 million lesser flamingos move between the lakes. The system also provides the most important nesting and breeding areas for pink-backed pelicans in the Great Rift Valley. The Lake Turkana National Parks comprise Sibiloi National Park, as well as the national parks on South Island and Central Island. When comparing the bird-related themes, their different functions are key: for the flamingos, the focus is on the feeding site; for the pelicans, it is on the most important nesting and breeding areas.

One cultural highlight of the wider destination of Kenya is the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests. The ten separate forest sites extend for around 200 kilometers along the coast and contain the remains of fortified villages of the Mijikenda, known as kayas. The kayas were established from the 16th century onward and abandoned by the 1940s. They are regarded as sacred places and homes of the ancestors and are cared for by councils of elders. Two periods of time come together here: the kayas were abandoned as settlements, but they are still regarded as sacred places and cared for by councils of elders.

Discover more destinations: Korbesa, Kinna, Isiolo, Laikipia District, Siaya, Narok District, Vihiga, Kakamega District.

Go to the wider travel overview: Kenya.