Kenya
Samburu Game Reserve
A captivating safari destination known for its unique wildlife, striking landscapes, and the vibrant culture of the Samburu people.
It's part of a larger ecosystem that also includes Buffalo Springs and Shaba National Reserves.
Introducing: Samburu Game Reserve
Despite being one of the lesser-known parks in Kenya, the Samburu National Reserve is a must for discerning safari-goers, seeking a more off-the-beaten-track destination that offers unique experiences. It is less crowded than Kenya’s more popular parks like Amboseli and the Maasai Mara, but still provides excellent game viewing, and a unique opportunity to spot some rare northern specialist species, found nowhere else in the country. It is a vast expanse of truly pristine wilderness, home to the Samburu people, and features Kenya’s biggest river – the Ewaso Ng’iro.
This vast expanse of remote pristine wilderness measures 165 square kilometers in area and borders the Ewaso Ng'iro River to the south, which separates it from the Buffalo Springs National Reserve. Samburu Reserve is a unique wildlife conservation haven famous for an abundance of rare species of animals such as the Grevy Zebra, Somali Ostrich, Reticulated Giraffe, Gerenuk and the Beisa Oryx. The reserve is also home to a population of close to 900 Elephants. Large predators such as the Lion, Leopard and Cheetah are an important attraction (Kamunyak the famous Lioness that adapted a baby Oryx is a resident in the reserve). Samburu is infact one of the better locations in Kenya to spot Leopard. Wild dog sightings are also a common attraction to this unique protected area and Birdlife is abundant with over 450 recorded species.
Experience the Samburu Game Reserve
The Samburu National Reserve is an excellent option if you’ve been to Kenya before or are looking for more of an off-the-beaten-path destination that still has plenty of creature comforts. It's a very rewarding safari destination that offers unique experiences and excellent game viewing. There are direct flights from Nairobi’s domestic Wilson Airport and if you are coming from Lewa or Laikipia, then it is possible to do a road transfer (although it is fairly lengthy). Flying between destinations gives you more time on safari (tracking animals) and is also far less tiring than being driven.
Known for more than just its big herds of elephant, prides of lion and leopard, Samburuland has its own ‘Special Five’ lurking in the dry bush: Grevy’s zebra, long-necked gerenuk, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich and Beisa oryx. Head out on a game drive in search of these unique creatures, some of which are found nowhere else in Africa, and explore the reserve.
Wild, rugged and enticingly empty (of tourists that is, not wildlife) Samburu National Reserve is a place of baked red earth, extraordinary vegetation and unsurpassed beauty. Cleaved in half by the Ewaso Nyiro river, there’s more water around than you might think, given the stark landscape, and the ribbons of green that hug the winding waterway attract elephant, buffalo and zebra. Look a little bit harder and you’ll find lion reposing in the shade of the golden tamarinds and leopard darting amongst the acacias. This is a desert wilderness that is absolutely worth discovering, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Grevy Zebras at the Samburu Game Reserve 
Reticulated Giraffe at the Samburu Game Reserve Locate the Samburu Game Reserve
Samburu Game Reserve Wildlife
The reserve is a haven for elephant and predators like lion, leopard and wild dog. The Samburu birdlife is abundant with over 450 recorded species like vulturine guineafowl, lesser kestrel and the taita falcon.
For animal and safari lovers, one of the biggest and most exciting reasons to visit Samburu are the quasi-endemic species found here that have adapted to the more arid and hillier conditions: - Gerenuk or giraffe gazelle, Somali ostrich, Grevy’s zebra, Reticulated giraffe and Beisa Oryx.
Samburu Game Reserve Birdlife
For bird-watching enthusiasts, Samburu National Reserve is the place to be. There are over 450 bird species recorded in the reserve. They include Abdim ‘s Stork, African Darter, African Grey Hornbill, African Fish Eagle, African Harrier Hawk, African Openbill Stork, African Spoonbill, African White Backed Vulture, Bateleur, Black Chested Snake, Black Headed Heron, Black-Winged Kite, Crested Francolin, Egyptian Goose, Fischer’s Sparrow, Green Wood Hoopoe, Grey Headed Kingfisher, Hamerkop, Hadeda Ibis, Kori Bustard, Lapped Faced Vulture, Lilac Breasted Roller, Marabou Stork, Martial Eagle, Common Ostrich, Somali Ostrich, Rufous Naped Lark, Ruppells’Vulture, Secretary Bird, Southern Ground Hornbill, Southern Masked Weaver, Speckled Mousebird, Spotted Thick Knee, Stripped Kingfisher, Superb Sterling, Vulturine Guineafowl.
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