Samburu sits in Kenya's semi-arid north, where doum palms line the Ewaso Nyiro river and red laterite plains stretch to the Koitogor and Ololokwe massifs. The landscape alone distinguishes it from the green south.
The reserve is famous for the 'Samburu Special Five': Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, gerenuk and Somali ostrich — all dry-country species largely absent from the Mara and Amboseli.
Alongside neighbouring Buffalo Springs and Shaba, plus the community conservancies of the Northern Rangelands Trust, Samburu offers genuine wilderness with a fraction of the vehicle traffic further south.
Highlights
- Grevy's zebra and reticulated giraffe
- Leopards along the Ewaso Nyiro riverine forest
- Samburu warrior cultural visits
- Singing wells and camel treks