Samburu National Reserve

Overview

Samburu National Reserve is one of Kenya's most compelling wildlife destinations — a remote, dramatic wilderness in the arid north where the Ewaso Ng'iro River cuts through a landscape of doum palms, acacia scrub and dramatic rocky escarpments to create an unexpected oasis of extraordinary biodiversity. What makes Samburu genuinely unique in East Africa is its collection of five wildlife species found nowhere else in the region — collectively known as the Samburu Special Five: the reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, Somali ostrich, beisa oryx and gerenuk. These northern dry-country specialists occur only in Kenya's arid northern frontier, making Samburu an essential destination for any serious wildlife enthusiast. The Ewaso Ng'iro River is Samburu's lifeblood — a permanent waterway attracting enormous concentrations of wildlife in an otherwise stark landscape. Game drives along the river reveal elephant drinking in the morning light, crocodile basking on the banks, leopard resting in the riverside trees, and a constant parade of dry-country specialists. The river is also the cultural heartland of the Samburu people — a Nilo-Cushitic community closely related to the Maasai, whose distinctive beaded jewellery, warrior traditions and semi-nomadic cattle culture add rich dimensions to the wilderness experience.