Plan your safari
Samburu warriors in red shukas performing a jumping dance, Kenya

Samburu National Reserve Safaris

Samburu: Kenya’s wild north, with rare species found nowhere else in the country.

Plan your safari Highlights

North of Mount Kenya the land turns to acacia scrub and red earth, and the wildlife changes accordingly. Samburu is home to the “Special Five”: Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich, beisa oryx and the gerenuk, an antelope that stands on its hind legs to browse.

In particular, life gathers along the Ewaso Ng’iro river: elephant digging for water, leopard in the riverine forest, and Samburu herders whose culture remains among the strongest in Kenya. In fact, it is a completely different safari from the Mara, which is exactly why we combine them.

Samburu is northern Kenya distilled: a dry, dramatic frontier where the Ewaso Ng’iro river draws elephant, leopard and the “Samburu Special Five” (Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich, gerenuk and beisa oryx), species you will not see in the Mara. Also, the Samburu people’s culture is as memorable as the wildlife.

Highlights of Samburu National Reserve

The Special Five

Five northern species you will not find in the Mara or Amboseli.

The Ewaso Ng’iro river

The lifeline of the reserve, with elephant, leopard and doum-palm shade.

Samburu culture

Visits led by Samburu warriors from the communities around the reserve.

Elephant research

In addition, Save the Elephants’ long-running study is based here, and some camps arrange visits.

Where you’ll stay in Samburu National Reserve

Meanwhile, we select where you stay privately around your journey. We recommend each camp, lodge or villa according to its location, season, guiding, privacy and suitability for the people traveling. Then you’ll see the places we suggest, and why, in your itinerary.

Plan your private safari

Practical details,
in one place

Money, health, connectivity and packing work the same way on every safari we plan, so they live in one place rather than on every page.

Samburu woman wearing traditional beadwork, northern Kenya
Samburu beadwork: the people of Kenya’s northern rangelands

Best time to visit Samburu

Jun–Oct

Dry season, when wildlife concentrates on the river.

Dec–Mar

Hot, dry and quiet, with excellent game and photographic light.

Quieter seasons, considered

However, in the green months rates ease at many of these camps, the plains empty of vehicles and the light turns dramatic. Finally, what each season gives, and what it trades, is set out in our Safari Planning Guide.

Planning & cost

Safari cost

Priced to your budget, and built around your camps, the season and how you like to travel. There are no fixed packages.

How we travel

Above all, we design every journey privately, with private guides and vehicles arranged where specified, the finest lodges, and a specialist on call throughout. At fly-in camps, game drives may be shared unless a private vehicle is reserved.

Samburu National Reserve FAQs

Yes. Indeed, it adds species and landscapes the south simply does not have, and its camps are intimate. Also, a 50-minute flight from the Mara or Nairobi gets you there.

A long-necked antelope that feeds standing upright on its hind legs. It is also one of the oddest and most photogenic animals in Africa, and a Samburu specialty.

In general, the reserve and its conservancies are well managed and long established on the safari circuit; you fly in directly and stay within protected areas with professional guides.

Getting to Kenya: flights, visas and health

Correct when we wrote it. Before you travel, we check every requirement for your exact route and tell you what to apply for and when.

AirportsJomo Kenyatta International, Nairobi (NBO) is the gateway; light aircraft to the Maasai Mara and the northern conservancies leave from Wilson Airport, a 30–45 minute drive across the city. Moi International, Mombasa (MBA) serves the coast.
Getting thereKenya Airways flies nonstop from New York JFK (about 14 hours). From other US cities, connect through JFK, Amsterdam, Doha, Istanbul or Addis Ababa.
Visa: US citizensUS citizens need an electronic travel authorization (eTA, about $30) before departure. This applies to everyone traveling, including infants and overnight transit passengers. Apply only at the official portal: etakenya.go.ke.
HealthYellow fever certificate required if arriving from a country with risk of transmission. Malaria prophylaxis is advised for the Mara, Samburu and the coast. Country guidance: CDC Travelers’ Health.
PassportSix months’ validity beyond your return date, with at least two blank pages. Travel insurance including medical evacuation is required on every journey we plan.
Full flight guidePlan your safari

Plan your Samburu safari.

A Samburu safari brings species you will not see further south.

Tell us how you like to travel and start with a complimentary consultation.

Plan your safari

For official visitor information, see Magical Kenya, the Kenya Tourism Board.