Samburu National Reserve offers what is arguably Kenya’s greatest - and least changed - encounter with the wild Africa of yesteryear. The best feature of Samburu is not the wildlife of the picturesque surroundings, but the fact that it is one of the lesser visited regions in Kenya.
The peaceful atmosphere and the authentic wilderness experience set it apart from the
better known wildlife reserves in Kenya, This harsh, savagely beautiful wilderness depends on the steady flow of the Uaso Nyiro River for its existence; the river waters a wide variety of animal species not found south of the Equator, including the majestic Beisa Oryx, the reticulated giraffe, the thin-striped Grevy’s zebra, and the ‘giraffe-necked’ gerenuk antelope, which stands on its hind legs to feed. Elephant, buffalo, lion and leopard can all be seen along the river, and the 400-plus species of birds are positively spectacular.
With 165 square
kilometers, the Samburu area is the most accessible of the North Eastern sanctuaries. Lying within the lands of the
colorful samburu pastoralists, relatives of the famed Maasai, it contains the rare Grevy Zebra and the shy long-necked Gerenuk. The latter spends most of its time standing on two legs nibbling at the upper section of withered thorn trees.