Samburu National Reserve

Samburu National Park, located in the Northern part of Kenya, is famous due to the richness of flora and fauna and lies on the flood plains in the Great Rift Valley. See Kenya accommodation below in the Samburu National Park. Set alongside the Ewaso Nyiro River, Kenya's biggest northern river, Samburu has the lion's share of wildlife. Besides big cats and African wild dogs, you're likely to see some of the rare northern species such as Grevy's zebra, the Somali ostrich, reticulated giraffe, the long-necked gerenuk, Guenther's dik-dik, and the beisa oryx, known as the Samburu Special Six.

Climate

The annual mean temperatures range between 18ºC and 30ºC, while the mean annual rainfall is 354mm with peaks in November and April. The dry season starts in late May and goes up to early October during when a large concentration of wildlife is found in the reserve due to the availability of lush vegetation along the Ewaso Nyiro River, the main source of water to the Reserve and the nearby communities.

Getting there

By Road: Use your own vehicle, take public transport, or book an open-topped minibus or safari van tour with a tour guide. It is 156km northwest of Nairobi to the main gate and 4km from Nakuru town. There are also gates - the Lanet gate from the Nairobi-Nakuru road and the Nderit Gate if traveling from Maasai Mara or Elementaita.

By Air: Chartered light aircraft may land at Naishi airstrip.