Samburu National Reserve

Why go

Samburu feels like a different country from the Mara, because ecologically it is. This is arid northern Kenya: red earth, thorn scrub and doum palms strung along the Ewaso Ng’iro, the river that keeps everything alive. Animals concentrate on the water, which makes game viewing predictable in the dry months.

The draw is the so-called special five — Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, gerenuk and Somali ostrich — none of which you will find in the southern parks. Add elephant along the river, good leopard along the banks and a real chance of wild dog, and Samburu earns its place on a second-week itinerary.

Three reserves, one ecosystem

Samburu National Reserve sits on the north bank. Buffalo Springs is directly opposite on the south bank, and Shaba lies to the east. They are separately managed but share the river and the wildlife, and most camps can drive more than one.

Vehicle numbers here are a fraction of the Mara’s. You can spend a morning on a leopard sighting with nobody else in it.

Getting there is part of the decision

By air it is about an hour from Nairobi Wilson. By road it is five to six hours, much of it good tarmac past the flank of Mount Kenya, and the drive itself is interesting — you watch highland farmland turn into dryland scrub.

That drive also makes Samburu easy to combine with Ol Pejeta or Laikipia, both of which sit on the way. Mara to Samburu, however, is a flight; do not try to drive it.

Culture, done properly

Samburu communities live around the reserves and most camps offer village visits. Done well — arranged with a community that has agreed to it, with a fair fee, and without treating people as scenery — these can be the most memorable afternoon of a trip. Done badly they are uncomfortable for everyone.

If this matters to you, say so on the enquiry form and we will put you with camps that have a genuine, long-standing relationship with their neighbours rather than a coach-party arrangement.

What you will see

• Grevy’s zebra — narrow stripes, big round ears, globally endangered
• Reticulated giraffe — the sharply patterned northern giraffe
• Beisa oryx, gerenuk and Somali ostrich, the rest of the northern special five
• Elephant and leopard along the Ewaso Ng’iro
• Lion, cheetah and a genuine chance of African wild dog

Where to stay

• Riverside camps inside the reserves, where elephants walk through at midday and the river is your soundtrack.
• Community conservancy camps further north, remote and often the most interesting guiding in the region.

Getting there

• Fly: around an hour from Nairobi Wilson to Samburu or Kalama airstrip.
• Drive: five to six hours from Nairobi, easily combined with a night at Ol Pejeta or in Laikipia on the way.

Plan my Samburu safari