Destination Details

Samburu National Reserve, Kenya

🏞️ Overview

• Location: Samburu County, Kenya; 350 km north of Nairobi.

• Size: 165 km².

• Established: 1985.

• Elevation: 800–1,230 meters.

• Key Feature: Ewaso Ng'iro River flows through the reserve, supporting lush vegetation and wildlife.

🌿 Habitat

• Diverse landscape including:

  • Acacia woodlands

  • Riverine forests

  • Thorn trees

  • Grasslands

• Contains two mountains: Koitogor and Ololokwe.

• Remote and serene due to historical inaccessibility and distance from industrial areas.

🐾 Wildlife

• Unique species: Gerenuk, Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, oryx.

• Big cats: Lion, cheetah, African leopard.

• Other mammals: Elephant, Cape buffalo, hippopotamus, olive baboon, warthog, impala, dik-dik, waterbuck.

• Conservation: Black rhinos reintroduced after 25 years; part of a Lion Conservation Unit since 2005.

• Birdlife: Over 350 species including lilac-breasted roller, secretary bird, various vultures, and hornbills.

• River life: Nile crocodiles are common in the Ewaso Ng'iro.

🌟 Notable History

• George and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness here, inspiring the book and film Born Free.

• Kamunyak, a lioness known for adopting oryx calves, lived in the reserve.

• Home to Elephant Watch Camp, directed by Saba Douglas-Hamilton.