Area: 165 km2 (64 sq mi)
Established: 1985
Location: Kenya, Samburu County
How to get there: Samburu Game reserve is a gem located about 310 kms i.e.; 6 hrs from Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. Here are the two main ways to get to Samburu from Nairobi is either by air or by road.
What to do there: camel tracking safaris, nature walks or wildlife treks, glimpse into the unique way of life of these nomadic peoples, Horseback Safaris etc.
The Samburu National Reserve is a game reserve on the banks of the EwasoNg’iro river in Kenya. Other side of the river there is the Buffalo Springs National Reserve. The park is 165 km² in size and is situated 350 kilometres away from Nairobi. It ranges in altitude from 800 to 1230 m above the sea level. Geographically, it is located in Samburu County.
In the middle of the reserve, the EwasoNg’iro flows through doum palm groves and thick riverine forests. It provides water, which is very essential and without which the game in this arid region could not survive.
The Samburu National Reserve is also a home of Kamunyak, a lioness famous for adopting oryx calves. The Elephant Watch Camp, in which the great Saba Douglas-Hamilton is director, lies within the park.
There is a wide variety of animal and bird life seen at Samburu National Reserve. Several large game species common to Kenya’s northern plains are found in plenty here, including the dry-country fauna: gerenuk, Grevy’s zebra, oryx and reticulated giraffe. All the three big cats, the lion, cheetah and African leopard can also be found here, as well as the elephant, Cape buffalo and the hippopotamus. Other mammals are frequently seen in the park include olive baboon, warthogs, Grant’s gazelle, Kirk’s dik-dik, impala, and waterbuck. A black rhinoceros’ population has been re-introduced into the park after an absence of 25 years due to heavy poaching.
There are over 350 species of bird. These includes grey-headed kingfisher, sunbirds, bee-eaters, Marabou stork, tawny eagle, Verreaux’s eagle, bateleur, vulturine guineafowl, yellow-necked spurfowl, lilac-breasted roller, secretary bird, superb starling, northern red-billed hornbill, yellow-billed hornbill, and various vultures including the palm-nut vulture.
