GUIDE ON SAMBURU NATIONAL RESERVE IN KENYA

Enjoy a quintessential Kenyan northern safari with unrestricted access to rugged East African wilderness by including Samburu National Reserve in your bush plans! The 165-square kilometers (64 square miles) reserve is located northeast of Laikipia and is home to some of Africa’s rarest flora and fauna. Samburu Reserve is a community-based wilderness that is preserved and operated by the resident Samburu communities under a centralized local council.

By finding successful strategies for balancing the needs of their people with wildlife protection, the Samburu have molded a wilderness that is home to some of the most threatened species in Kenya, Africa and the world. As you travel through Samburu wilderness with AfricanMecca (read more on where to stay), you will see how the diverse terrain transitions from rolling plains to volcanic remnants.



The vegetation is concentrated along the Ewaso Nyiro River, the primary source of water in the reserve. Although this mighty river normally courses through the reserve without impedance, the waters stop during the most extreme droughts. When this happens, the animals and communities depend on the Isiolo River that the reserve shares with neighboring Buffalo Springs National Reserve.

You may not expect to see wildlife in such a stark landscape, but Samburu is home to an abundance of animal species. The most notable and sought after are known as the Samburu Special Five – Somali ostrich, grevy’s zebra, gerenuk, reticulated giraffe and beisa oryx.More common mammals are grant’s gazelles, impalas, waterbucks, dik diks, olive baboons, elephants, warthogs, hippos and many others.

These prey animals support an active population of carnivores, including lions, cheetahs, crocodiles, leopards, to name a few, and you may even sight the powerful African wild dogs that have been recorded in the reserve. During your nature walk, ask your guide to help you locate signs of the critically endangered pancake tortoise.



Feathered creatures number over 450 species, including species from the riverine forests and northern bush. During your birding tour in Kenya with AfricanMecca, your Samburu guide will help you identify diverse sunbirds, bee-eaters, kingfishers, woodpeckers, hornbills and many other avi-fauna including birds of prey like palm-nut vulture, verreaux's eagle-owl, Egyptian vulture, lappet-faced vulture etc.

Imagine the excitement of sighting a vulnerable species, such as great egrets, African darters, white-headed vultures, yellow-billed ox-peckers and martial eagle. We recommend that you enjoy every aspect of Samburu Reserve with expertly guided game drives, nature walks and birdwatching trips. The Samburu people have worked diligently to ensure the success of the reserve, so we also recommend that you plan time to visit the local villages and interact with the community.