Attraction sites, in isiolo

Attraction Sites Isiolo trust land has three reserves that offer unique vistas of rounded, rugged hills and undulating plains.

• Buffallo Springs national reserve

Herd of Buffaloes

Its name comes from the resrve's habour of buffaloes.Initially it was refered as the Marsabit game reserve.It covers 131 square kilometers.All the BIG FIVE except the Rhino can be found here.
Among the hotels and lodges within include:

• Samburu Serena Lodge
• Buffalo springs Hotel
• Ashnil samburu camp

The mix of wood and grassland with riverine forest and swamp is home to a wide variety of animal and birdlife, Buffalo Springs records more than 365 species of bird.

Game viewing and visibility is excellent: Reticulated Giraffe, Grevy's Zebra, elephant, oryx, Somali Ostrich, hippo, crocodile, gerenuk, buffalo, lion, leopard, cheetah and hyena.

• Shaba national reserve

Sarova Shaba

The sarova Shaba lodge is also situted in this reserve.Here you meet the colourful Samburu tribe or see unique game species during your born free safari only found in this area. Get to visit the crocodile infested Ewaso Nyiro River during your Kenya safari.

Shaba Scenery

The reserve was established in 1975.Its name is derived from a somali word 'shebelle' which means a leopard.It covers 269 square kilometers.The reserve has what film makers all round the world cant miss.Shaba National Park is dubbed ‘Kenya’s Hollywood’ having attracted numerous film-makers over the years. More than ten major films including To Walk With Lions and The White Maasai, as well as TV shows like Survivor Africa have been shot there. Shaba was also home to the world-famous lioness Elsa reared by Joy and George Adamson, the subjects of the movie Born free. Beautiful landsacpes and sceneries can be seen only from Shaba.Shaba National Reserve is enriched with extraordinary wildlife. Game drives will incorporate varied wildlife including gravy zebra, the Somali ostrich, generuk, reticulated giraffe, lesser kudu, leopards, plenty of lion and herds of elephants.Among the places you can miss is

 Joy’s Camp is situated in Shaba National Reserve, which is 314kms from Nairobi. Shaba National Reserve is a semi desert with a rugged hilly terrain, with great rocky kopjes (small hills) and a total of 14  springs supporting the abundant wildlife. The landscape is similar to nearby Samburu with riverine forests, acacias and doum palms.

Shaba National Reserve was made famous for its association with the world famous conservationists Joy and George Adamson and the film “ Born Free”.

• Bisanadi national reserve

Bisanadi Offsite Camp

The reserve borders Meru national park.It covers 606 square kilometers.the park is fed by Ewaso Nyiro,Isiolo and Tana rivers.Some of the camps found here include the Offsite Camp.The border between Meru and Bisanadi Parks is the traditional division between the Meru and Boran.

The Reserve was opened in September 1979 and occupies an area of 606 sq. km.

A true wilderness area without any accommodation, it is only accessible by 4WD vehicles. There is an airstrip at Korbessa.

The resort city

VISION 2030 AND THE PROMISE FOR RESORT; TIME WILL TELL

By Adan Mohamud
The future is looking up for Eastern and North Eastern provinces with a Kenyan firm expressing interest in setting up the proposed Isiolo Resort City. The plan is in line with the Isiolo District Development Plan 2002-2008, and the government’s Vision 2030 on housing.
Planners of the latter identified Isiolo town, which is strategically located at the edge of the vast ‘Northern Frontier District’, as the key to driving growth in the region. Consequently, the firm, Santiza Enterprises, has formally applied for 10,000 hectares of land from Isiolo County Council for the project.
Speaking to Home & Away, the company’s Chief Executive officer, Voltaire Kegode, said the Isiolo branch of Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry had commissioned his firm for the project that will be located west of Isiolo town.
Amenities for the proposed nucleus town (resort city) will comprise ultra modern residential housing facilities, a golf course, a hospital, schools, shopping malls, a police post, and a fertilizer processing plant among others.
Sourcing for the capital
Santiza Enterprises specializes in financial procurement and management, both locally and internationally. In a meeting held on May 22 between Isiolo County Council and officials of Santiza Enterprises, it was decided that the latter will source a staggering $2 billion dollars (approximately Sh130 billion) from development partners for this project. This amount is only Sh10 billion less than this year’s development budget (Sh140billion) for the entire country!
According to Santiza’s CEO, the plan was in its final stages and the concept would soon be presented to Francis Muthaura, the current chairman of the Isiolo Resort City and also secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service.
‘‘Muthaura will facilitate the necessary representations to the various arms of Government whom we hope to work with to achieve our objective,’’ said Kegodo.
Attracting investment partners
In a letter dated August 4, 2005, Muthaura stated that the government was keen on developing the town into a city resort.
"Isiolo is currently the leading tourist destination in the northern circuit and it has great potential to contribute to national development because of its strategic location," Muthaura was quoted in a letter.
According to Santiza, in order to ensure its successful completion, the project shall involve local communities. ‘‘To attract investment partners, there is need to present Isiolo as an attractive investment opportunity as reflected by the community’s willingness to participate,’’ stated Santiza in a document.
Citing the case of Dubai and Sun City in South Africa, the firm reaffirmed its commitment to set up peace building and conflict management centers to check cases of insecurity in the area.
Vision 2030 for Isiolo
Under the Vision 2030 plan of action launched in earlier in June by President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, tourism is the country’s leading flagship project. The plan for the resort city aims to put Kenya at par with Asia’s Tiger countries like Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea.
Isiolo’s Resort City is one of three resort cities that the government has planned to construct by the year 2012. The other two resort cities will be based at the Coast.

welcome all!!!

Let me take this opportunity to welcome you all this great one sop blog on issues of isiolo