Samburu National Reserve

The Samburu National Reserve is a game reserve on the banks of the Ewaso Ng'iro river in Kenya. On the other side of the river is the Buffalo Springs National Reserve. The park is 165 km² in size and is situated 350 kilometers from Nairobi. It ranges in altitude from 800 to 1230m above sea level. Geographically, it is located in Samburu County.

In the middle of the reserve, the Ewaso Ng'iro flows through doum palm groves and thick riverine forests. It provides water, without which the game in this arid region could not survive.

The Samburu National Reserve was one of the two areas in which conservationists George and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness, made famous in the best-selling book and award-winning movie Born Free. The Elephant Watch Camp, of which Saba Douglas-Hamilton is director, lies within the park. The Samburu National Reserve is also the home of Kamunyak, a lioness famous for adopting oryx calves.

The Reserve lies within ecological zone V- which is classified as arid and semi- arid with moisture index of 42 to 57, which indicate that evapo-transpiration is greater than available moisture. The days are extremely hot while the nights are cool. The annual mean temperatures range between 18ºC and 30ºC, while the mean annual rainfall is 354mm with peaks in November and April. The dry season starts in late May, and goes up to early October during when large concentration of wildlife is found in the reserve due to availability of lush vegetation along the Ewaso Nyiro River, the main source of water to the Reserve and the nearby communities.

Climate: Arid, dry and desert-like are terms to describe the climate here. Average temperatures are around 30oC (85oF). The rainy season runs from March through May with a shorter wet season in November and December.

There is a wide variety of animal and bird life seen at Samburu National Reserve. Several large game species common to Kenya's northern plains can be found in abundance here, including the following dry-country fauna: gerenuk, Grevy's zebra, oryx and reticulated giraffe. All three big cats, the lion, cheetah and African leopard can also be found here, as well as the elephant, Cape buffalo and hippopotamus.Other mammals frequently seen in the park include olive baboon, warthogs, Grant's gazelle, Kirk's dik-dik, impala, and waterbuck. The rhinoceros population is no longer present in the park due to heavy poaching. There are over 350 species of bird. These include grey-headed kingfisher, sunbirds, bee-eaters, Marabou stork, tawny eagle, Verreaux's eagle, bateleur, vulturine guineafowl, yellow-necked spurfowl, lilac-breasted roller, secretary bird, superb starling, northern red-billed hornbill, yellow-billed hornbill, and various vultures including the palm-nut vulture. The Ewaso Ng'iro river contains large numbers of Nile crocodile basks.

During the migration (July to November) huge numbers of wildebeest move in.

From the main entrance of Archer’s Gate, the reserve is 345 km (214 mi) from Nairobi, about a 5 hours’ drive. Samburu is located in the Rift Valley Province. The Ewaso Ng’iro River borders the park to the south, separating it from the Buffalo Springs National Reserve.

Getting there: By road – you can book a tour with Natural World Kenya Safaris from Nairobi.

By air – There are daily flights from Nairobi to the Oryx Samburu airstrip.

When to go: The park is open year-round and always accessible.

Best time to visit: December through March and July through October are the driest months and the best for visiting, but Samburu is also enjoyable in the wetter seasons.

The reserve houses a number of visitor facilities including: LODGES : Samburu Game Lodge, Samburu Larsens’ Camp, Samburu Sopa, Sasaab – The Safari Collection, Saruni Samburu Lodge, Samburu Intrepids => Tented Camps => Samburu Intrepids, Elephant Watch Camp, Elephant Bedroom

PERMANENT CAMPSITES : Game trackers, Lion king Safari,

SPECIAL CAMPSITES: Doom Palm campsite, Von derdecken (hornbill) campsite, Grevy campsite, Impala Campsite

PUBLIC CAMPSITES: Vervet Monkey, Butterfly, Kigelia, Kingfisher

Game viewing & bird watching – The geography and climate of Samburu guarantees lots of wildlife viewing, especially during the dry season. It’s a bird lover’s paradise.

River rafting – Take an easy river safari in an inflatable raft on the Ewaso Ng’iro.

Visit the Samburu People – The Samburu are a nomadic, herding people similar and related to the Maasai. They also dress in the same manner with blankets and beads. Visit a local Samburu village, meet the people, learn about their lifestyle and perhaps purchase some souvenirs of your experience.