Plan your safari
Samburu National Reserve
Kenya

Samburu National Reserve Safaris

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

Plan your safari Highlights
Overview

North of Mount Kenya the land turns to acacia scrub and red earth, and the wildlife changes with it. 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.

Life gathers along the Ewaso Nyiro river: elephant digging for water, leopard in the riverine forest, and Samburu herders whose culture remains among the strongest in Kenya. 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. The Samburu people’s culture is as memorable as the wildlife.

Highlights

Highlights of Samburu National Reserve

The Special Five

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

The Ewaso Nyiro river

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

Samburu culture

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

Elephant research

Save the Elephants’ long-running study is based here — some camps arrange visits.

Where to stay

Where you’ll stay in Samburu National Reserve

Where you stay is selected privately around your journey. We recommend each camp, lodge or villa according to its location, season, guiding, privacy and suitability for the people traveling. Your carefully curated selection will be presented within your tailor-made itinerary.

Plan your private safari
Samburu woman wearing traditional beadwork, northern Kenya
Samburu beadwork — the people of Kenya’s northern rangelands
When to go

Best time to visit Samburu

Jun–Oct

Dry season — wildlife concentrates on the river.

Dec–Mar

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

Quieter seasons, considered

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

Good to know

Planning & cost

Safari cost

Fully tailor-made — priced privately to your camps, season and travel style. No fixed packages.

How we travel

Every journey is privately designed, 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.

Good to know

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.

Good to know

Samburu National Reserve FAQs

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

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

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.

Before you travel

Getting to Kenya — flights, visas and health

Current at the time of writing. We re-confirm every requirement for your exact routing before you travel — and we will 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 — 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

Let's design your Samburu National Reserve journey.

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

Tell us how you like to travel and start with a complimentary consultation. When you are ready, a $500 USD planning fee covers your personalized itinerary and revisions, and is deducted from your booking deposit when you book.

Inquire now