Samburu

Samburu is small, at about 165 square kilometres on the northern bank of the Ewaso Nyiro, but the County Government of Samburu ranks its wildlife variety and density among the highest in Kenya, possibly second only to the Maasai Mara. It is especially known for high elephant numbers and for the dry-country animals of the north, the “Samburu Five”: Beisa oryx, Somali ostrich, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and Grevy’s zebra.

In all, the county counts about 50 species of larger mammals in the reserve. Lion, leopard and cheetah are present, with impala and greater and lesser kudu, and the birdlife is prolific, with hornbills, vulturine guineafowl, weavers and birds of prey the most conspicuous. The county describes the reserve as Samburu’s most visited attraction, with the best tourist infrastructure of any conservation area in northern Kenya.

Kenya Wildlife Service describes the north of Kenya as hot and dry, and gives July to March as the main season for wildlife viewing across Kenya’s parks, with April to June as the low season of the long rains. The Kenya Meteorological Department adds a second rainy season from October to December. In a dry reserve like Samburu, the Ewaso Nyiro, which forms the reserve’s southern edge, is its lifeline, with doum palms along its banks.

The main entrance is Archer’s Gate near Archer’s Post, just off the Marsabit highway. Other gates are West Gate on the border with West Gate Community Conservancy, Kalama Gate in the north and Waso Bridge Gate, used when crossing the Ewaso Nyiro from Buffalo Springs. The central airstrip, where gate services are available, has scheduled daily flights to and from Nairobi, and the road network inside the reserve is in good to decent condition.