North to Samburu

Paul Thomson May 8, 2008

About the Author

Paul Thomson worked with African Wildlife Foundation in Nairobi for a year before moving to Washington D.C. Paul has worked at the Madrid Aquarium and at the Marine Mammal Center in the Marin Headlands outside San Francisco. He was born in New Zealand but grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. Paul… More

Today I leave Nairobi and head to Samburu Heartland. I was seized by a shock of anxiety when I looked at my gear: laptop, camcorder and mic, SLR camera with an assortment of lenses, tripod, my clothes and boots, binoculars, field guides, GPS unit, and of course the small arsenal of cables, batteries and blank tapes. I hate not traveling lightly, but this small roving media center is critical to the success of my story-telling mission.

I’ll be joining Fiesta and the Heartland team at Shaba National Reserve, a place in the arid Isiolo district north of Mt Kenya. I’m traveling with a large group in a van that will make the journey north in about 5 hours. Goodbye Nairobi, hello bush!