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Kenya has been the Home of the Safari for decades: adventurous and back-to-basics, relaxed and luxurious, as family or honeymooner – Kenya knows how to safari. And in a country as experienced in the safari realm as Kenya, we believe it’s time to look beyond Masai Mara, Amboseli, and Tsavo.
There’s so much more to Kenya than the classics! One of our favourite places to experience a magical Kenya safari: the Samburu National Reserve.
The Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya is a remote and strikingly beautiful wildlife haven. Located along the Ewaso Ng’iro River, it features rugged hills, doum palm groves, and arid savannah.
The reserve is home to rare northern species known as the Samburu Special Five: Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich, beisa oryx, and gerenuk. Visitors can also spot elephants, big cats, and over 350 bird species. Samburu offers an authentic, uncrowded safari experience rich in culture and nature.
The Samburu Culture
The Samburu people are a semi-nomadic pastoralist community living in northern Kenya. Closely related to the Maasai, they share similar traditions but maintain a distinct identity.
Cattle, goats, and camels are central to their way of life, symbolising wealth and status. The Samburu wear colorful clothing and elaborate beadwork, each pattern and color representing age, status, and clan.
Their society is structured by age sets, with elders holding decision-making power. Ceremonies, music, and dance play a vital role in their culture. Deeply connected to their land and traditions, the Samburu have preserved their heritage despite modern pressures and challenges.
Tours That Take You To Samburu
Northern Kenya – Experience Remoteness
Places Solio Game Reserve, Samburu National Reserve, Ol Pejeta Conservancy
from 1,610 USD (based on 7 persons)
Spectacular Landscapes
The landscape here is strikingly different from the lush savannahs of southern Kenya. Expect rugged hills, volcanic rock formations, vast open plains, and the life-giving Ewaso Ng’iro River that cuts through the reserve. This river attracts a wide variety of wildlife, especially during the dry season, making it an excellent area for game viewing.
Doum palms line the riverbanks, and the contrast between the arid terrain and green waterways creates dramatic scenery ideal for photography.
The reserve’s remoteness means fewer visitors, offering a raw and unspoiled experience. Samburu is not only about wildlife, it’s also about the silence, the space, and the powerful sense of being deep in wild Africa.
Wide, rust-red shimmering savannah dotted with dark-green shrubs create a stark contrast against the clear blue sky. It almost feels as if we see our surroundings through rose-coloured glasses – the landscapes seem pastel-coloured.
Wide and seasonally almost dried up river beds wind through the landscape, lined by two-trunked doum palms. The Air is hot and the earth is cracked, elephants march from one bank to the other, then a kudu appears out of nowhere.
We hardly ever see other vehicles in Samburu National Reserve. It is pure, unadulterated wilderness that surrounds us. In this wild haven, we are all by ourselves on our Kenya safari.
The silence is broken only by birdsong and the rustle of wildlife. Offering an intimate, undisturbed, and truly authentic safari experience.
Extraordinary wildlife – like nowhere else in Kenya
Samburu is home to unique wildlife species rarely seen elsewhere in Kenya. Known as the Samburu Special Five, they include the Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich, beisa oryx, and gerenuk. These arid-adapted animals thrive in the region’s dry climate, offering safari-goers truly distinctive and memorable sightings.
It feels enchanted, this region in northern Kenya. Shrubs, mountains, paths appear like out of a painting. And then, suddenly, an animal appears which we haven’t seen anywhere else: a gerenuk, an antelope with a giraffe like neck.
With its long neck, the gerenuk feasts on leaves other antelopes would never be able to reach. Genius. It often stands upright on its hind legs, balancing gracefully to browse high branches. This unique feeding behavior allows it to thrive in arid environments where food sources are limited and competition is high.
Behind the next bend, we discover a herd of oryx antelopes. You’d normally expect to find this big antelope with its long and pointy horns in Namibia, but not on a Kenya safari. Well, in Samburu National Reserve, everything is a little different than in the rest of the country. Oryxes are at home here.
A short while later, we come across a zebra. But it’s not just any zebra, it’s one of the rare Grevy’s zebras. Its big, fluffy ears and solo run set him apart from its striped relatives roaming the steppe in large herds. Its narrower stripes and white belly are unmistakable features.
Grevy’s zebras are more solitary and prefer drier habitats, making sightings like this even more special. Their population is endangered, with only a few thousand remaining in the wild. Watching this majestic animal move gracefully across the arid landscape feels like a true privilege of being in Samburu.
Antelopes and zebras – is that really so exciting? Absolutely! Our guide Simon shares fascinating insights into their behaviour, social structures, and how they’ve adapted to life in this arid region. We slow down, take our time, and truly observe. On this Kenya safari, every moment reveals something new if you look closely enough.
Almost as if in passing, we also spot elephants, lions, buffaloes, giraffes, kudus, and so much more – each encounter adding another layer to this rich wilderness experience.
It’s not just about ticking off the Big Five, but about understanding the rhythm of life out here, the way the animals move, interact, and survive.
Slowing down allows us to connect more deeply with the landscape and its inhabitants. And that’s what makes this safari truly unforgettable – it’s not just about what you see, but how you experience it.
Of course, even the giraffes in Samburu look different from those you might see elsewhere in Kenya. Their striking, rusty-red coats and sharply defined, net-like patterns make the reticulated giraffes instantly recognisable. These elegant creatures are a distinct subspecies, found only in northern Kenya and parts of southern Ethiopia and Somalia.
Compared to the Masai giraffes of the south, reticulated giraffes have much tighter, more regular markings and a sleeker overall appearance. Watching them move gracefully through the dry acacia woodlands of Samburu is a true highlight.
Their ability to browse on thorny trees and survive in arid conditions is remarkable. And when you see one silhouetted against the golden evening light, its long neck reaching skyward, the moment feels almost magical – uniquely Samburu.
Campsites – in the middle of nature
Admittedly, public campsites in East Africa are not always as idyllic as you might hope. However, in Samburu National Reserve even the campsite is as magical as the rest of the park.
Nestled beneath towering trees and just a stone through away from the river, the site offers front-row views of passing wildlife. At night, the sounds of nature surround you—lions roaring in the distance, elephants rustling nearby, and a sky full of stars.
We pitch our tents directly at the river bank. The tall trees provide much welcomed shade, their leaves dancing in the wind. We have arrived in nature, have arrived in the wild of Kenya, have left the rest of the world behind us. Taking the deepest breath we have taken all year – our Kenya safari has begun.
Cooking over the campfire, eating dinner under a sky full of stars, wrapped in the quiet embrace of the African night—this is camping safari at its finest.
Tonight, only one other group shares this hidden corner of Samburu with us. There’s no noise, no rush—just flickering flames, the scent of woodsmoke, and the distant call of a hyena.
It’s simple, raw, and deeply moving. This is how you do a camping safari in Kenya: not from behind glass, but with your feet in the dust, your food cooked by fire, and your heart wide open to the wild. Moments like these stay with you long after the journey ends, etched into memory by starlight and silence.
Conclusion
Samburu National Reserve is one of our favourite spots for a Kenya Safari. It offers a truly unique experience, home to rare wildlife species like the Grevy’s zebra and reticulated giraffe. With fewer tourists, stunning landscapes, and rich Samburu culture, it’s an off-the-beaten-path gem that showcases Kenya’s diverse and untouched wilderness.
We are on the ground in Kenya and when you book with us, our expert team will guide you through every step along the way, join us on an adventure in one of our favorite spots in Kenya.
Get in touch with us for a no-obligation consultation today!
