The Arawale National Reserve was set up with the primary motive of protecting the world’s most rare antelope species called; the Hirola or the Hunter’s hartebeest, unique to this region.
The reserve is located in the Garissa district in the North-Eastern Province 77 kilometers south of Garissa town and about 5 kilometers away from the left shores of Tana River and 250 kilometers north of Mombasa town, famously known for residing various white-sand beaches overlooking the Indian Ocean.
The reserve covers an area of approximately 533 square kilometers (206 square miles) and it is a designated conservation area managed by the Garissa County in assistance with the Kenya Wildlife Service.
The reserve was established in 1974 basically as the only in-situ conservation site for the critically endangered Hirola population endemic to North-eastern Kenya and South-west Somalia.
The reserve is a critical refuge for a wide range of wildlife species including four globally threatened species: Hunter’s hartebeests, Grevy’s zebras, East African wild dogs and East African cheetah.
The reserve is also claimed to inhabit some numbers of African bush elephants and thus fortunately visitors to it may have some chances of spotting elephants though chances are somehow low.
Other sightings may include; Lesser Kudus, African buffaloes, Topis, hippos and crocodiles among other species and birdlife is rich and varied. Arawale National Reserve landscape is mostly a dry thorn-bush savannah and offers a great experience to the visitors who always visit it.
