Samburu National Park Kenya

Samburu national park Kenya – Samburu National Reserve is situated at the south-eastern corner of Samburu District in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya It is bordered to the south by Ewaso Nyiro River, which separates it from the Buffalo Springs National Reserve.

Samburu National park Kenya is the home of a very large number of birds. Resident birds, migrating birds, over 400 different species have been recorded in the reserve and its surroundings some of the most searched birds are The Somali ostrich. They may be common and gangly but they have great personalities and fascinating bird species include White-headed mousebirds, D’Arnaud’s barbet, Somali bee-eater, Golden pipit, Donaldson’s Smith sparrow-weaver, Golden-breasted starling, Rosy-patched bush-shrike.

The reserve is reached in wildlife with fame for abundance in rare northern specialist species such as the Gravy Zebra, Somali Ostrich, Reticulated Giraffe, Gerenuk, and the Beisa Oryx (Also referred to as Samburu Special). The reserve is also popular with a minimum of 900 elephants. Large predators such as the Lion, Leopard, and Cheetah are important attractions (Kamunyak the Miracle Lioness that adapted the baby Oryx is a resident in the reserve). Wild dog sightings are also a common attraction to this unique protected area. Birdlife is abundant with over 450 species recorded. Birds of the arid northern bush country are augmented by a number of riverine forest species. Lesser Kestrel and the Taita Falcon are species of global conservation concern and they both utilize the reserve. Five species categorized as vulnerable have recorded in the reserve. These are African Darter, Great Egret, White-headed Vulture, Martial Eagle, and the Yellow-billed Ox-pecker. Critically endangered species under cities – Pancake tortoise is found in the reserve.

Size of Samburu national park

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.

Location of Samburu national park

Samburu National Reserve is one of the smallest national parks in Kenya located in the south-eastern corner of Samburu district in the rift valley province of Kenya

How to get to Samburu national park

The reserve covers an area of 165 Km² and is located around 345Km from Nairobi.

Samburu is generally a fly-in destination with a choice of several excellent lodges, from family-friendly lodges to remote honeymoon hideaways. Some also offer unique safari experiences like tracking big cats on foot, camel-back safaris, and guided bush walks.

Things to do in Samburu national park

Game drives

Guests have the remarkable opportunity to see the Samburu Five – five rare and endemic animals to the Samburu ecosystem. These include the reticulated giraffe, the Somali ostrich, the gerenuk, the Beisa oryx, and the Grevy’s zebra.

Visit the Samburu tribe

You can visit the Samburu Tribe who, like the Masai, are nomadic pastoralists, moving from one place to another following patterns of rainfall in search of fresh pasture and water for their livestock. The Samburu Tribe are easily identified as they wear bright and colorful attire and the women adorn themselves in beaded necklaces and jewelry.

Photographic safaris

The park’s landscape is very photogenic. The river Ewaso Ngiro is the heart of the park and contrasts against the dry and arid desert-like soil that shines bright red under the African sun.

Night drives in the conservancies

If you stay outside the national reserve, such as Saruni Samburu in the Kalama Conservancy, you can partake in a diversity of activities that are available exclusively to conservancies. These include night game drives, guided bush walks, trekking excursions, visiting the local Samburu caves full of historical rock art, cultural village visits, and warriors academy.

Stay at the Beautiful camps

There are some truly beautiful camps in Samburu. Inside the national reserve, Elephant bedroom camp is the perfect choice for those looking for an authentic tented camp in the heart of the game (named so because herds of elephants like to come and browse around the unfenced camp). Outside the park, Sasaab and Samburu offer ultimate luxury in unique and untouched landscapes.

When to visit Samburu national park Kenya

By and large, the nights are cool and the days are hot and dry. The best seasons for game viewing are from December through to March and from June to October. There are effectively two rainy seasons from late March until May, and again in November.

The Reserve lies within ecological zone V- which is classified as arid and semi-arid with a moisture index of 42 to 57, which indicates that evaporate-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 a large concentration of wildlife is found in the reserve due to the availability of lush vegetation along the Ewaso Nyiro River, the main source of water to the Reserve and the nearby communities.