Samburu – Bespoke Kenya Safari Itineraries

This arid northern area offers a wealth of animals, good game viewing, and a highly contrasting landscape from the forests of Meru, the rolling hills of Lewa, and the open plains of the Maasai Mara. Samburu is remote, off the main tourist route, and offers some great cultural interaction and experiences.

The Samburu National Reserve lies 200 miles north of Nairobi on the hot and arid fringes of the vast northern region of Kenya. This dramatic landscape is blanketed by the hot equatorial sun for most of the year. Relief comes from the cool waters of the Uaso Nyiro (“Brown”) River, which rises to the west on the foothills of the Aberdares and vanishes beyond Samburu in the soggy expanse known as the Lorian swamp. The scenery in Samburu is magnificent and the birdlife awesome.

Leopard perched on fallen dead tree, Samburu Kenya safari

Keeper bottle-feeding orphaned baby elephant, elephants research project Kenya

Samburu warriors wearing colorful beaded headdresses with feathers, Kenya

Why visit Samburu?

The Reserve is within the lands of the colorful Samburu people, close relatives of the Maasai, and is home to a number of wildlife species rarely found elsewhere in Kenya. These include the Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich, gerenuk, and Beisa oryx, which are found only north of the equator.

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The Reserve is within the lands of the colorful Samburu people, close relatives of the Maasai, and is home to a number of wildlife species rarely found elsewhere in Kenya. These include the Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich, gerenuk, and Beisa oryx, which are found only north of the equator.
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The world-renowned Save the Elephants Research Project station, founded by Ian Douglas-Hamilton, is in Samburu, and is a highlight for elephant lovers. All visitors staying in Samburu can visit the station but those staying at Elephant Watch Camp, owned by the Douglas-Hamilton family, have special access. Visitors to the area also have access to visiting hours at the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, a beloved project with wide-ranging support from Kenya’s top conservation entities.
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For those looking for other unique experiences, rhino tracking on foot is a fixture at Saruni Rhino in the Sera Conservancy. You might also take to the hills with a hike up the Samburu people’s sacred mountain, Ololokwe.

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Other areas to explore

A visit to Samburu puts you within easy reach of many other beautiful and fascinating parts of Kenya.

Elephants graze on the misty Mara as hot air balloons drift overhead, silhouettes fading into sunrise haze.

Maasai Mara

The Maasai Mara is Kenya’s most famous nature reserve. If you are dreaming about a safari, what you are seeing in your minds-eye is the Maasai Mara. It is classic savannah – grasslands where animals are plentiful and the vistas are spectacular.

Matthews Range

Rising dramatically from Kenya's semi-desert, the Matthews Mountain Range is a chain of peaks draped in dense, dewy forest.

A traditional dhow sailboat is silhouetted against a vivid orange sunset over the Swahili Coast.

Kenyan Coast

Kenya’s coastline faces the warm blue water of the Indian Ocean and extends for 360 miles, from the border with Tanzania in the south to Somalia in the north.

A group of giraffes moves across open savanna at golden hour with Mount Kilimanjaro beyond.

Amboseli National Park

Sitting at the Kenyan border with Tanzania, the snow-capped peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro rises above a saucer of clouds and dominates every aspect of Amboseli National Park.