Samburu National Reserve

The most famous and most visited attraction of Samburu Land is Samburu National Reserve on the northern banks of Ewaso Nyiro river, a unique natural gem covering 165 sqkm, which makes it neither Kenya’s nor the County’s largest nature reserve. But wildlife variety and density is amongst the highest in the country, possibly second only to the Masai Mara. It is especially known for high elephant numbers and the rare dryland fauna of northern Kenya, the ‘Samburu Five’ comprising of Beisa oryx, Somali ostrich, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and Grevy’s zebra. All in all, there are 50 species of larger mammals identified in Samburu National Reserve, amongst them the great cats lion, leopard and cheetah, as well as impala, greater and lesser kudu and a prolific birdlife, of which hornbill, vulturine Guinea fowl, weaver birds and various birds of prey are the most conspicuous. Samburu National Reserve’s scenic landscape is an experience in its own, combining undulating landscapes of doum palm fringed river banks, bold rocky outcrops and vast grassland savannah with acacia trees.
Within the Reserve and at its fringes, there are wonderfully set lodges and safari camps. Not surprisingly, Samburu National Reserve boasts the best tourist infrastructure of all conservation areas in northern Kenya and guarantees its visitors an unforgettable safari experience.

Access
The road network inside Samburu National Reserve is in good to decent condition. On the major route through the park, washboard ripples and speeding are an issue.
There are five gates to enter Samburu National Reserve: Archer’s Gate, which is the main gate near Archer’s Post, just a few kilometres off the Marsabit highway; West Gate at the western border of the reserve with West Gate Community Conservancy; Kalama Gate in the north at the border with Kalama Community Conservancy; and Waso Bridge Gate, which is used when crossing the Ewaso Nyiro bridge coming from Buffalo Springs National Reserve, that lies opposite Samburu National Reserve on the southern banks of Ewaso Nyiro river in Isiolo County. When arriving by air, you find gate services at the central air strip. The airstrip is served daily to/from Nairobi by Air Kenya and Safarilink.
Accommodation
The most prominent and comfortable accommodation inside Samburu National Reserve offer Samburu Game Lodge, Larsen’s Camp, Samburu Sopa Lodge, Samburu Intrepids, Elephant Bedroom Camp, Elephant Watch Safaris Camp and Miiba Mingi Tented Lodge.
Those preferring to use own tents find a wide range of public campsites (near Samburu Game Lodge, Butterfly, Vervet and Jua kali campsite) and special campsites (Kimpla Geo, Aardvark and Grant campsite) inside of Samburu National Reserve.