DESTINATIONS
Samburu, land of the Special Five
In the north of Kenya, Samburu opens onto wide plains, rocky outcrops and skies that stretch to the horizon.
The Ewaso Ng’iro River runs through its heart, and in the dry months elephants, big cats and many other animals gather along its banks.
Samburu is home to rare species found mainly in the north, known as the Samburu Special Five: Grévy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich, beisa oryx and gerenuk. It is also the homeland of the Samburu people, whose culture and traditions remain deeply connected to the land.
Wild, remote and uncrowded, Samburu shows a different Kenya.
165 km²: Compact and full of wildlife, Samburu National Reserve sits among the dry plains and rocky hills of northern Kenya.
Semi-nomadic herders, the Samburu people move with their livestock across this land. Their colourful beadwork is a language of its own.
350 km distance: Samburu lies about 350 km north of Nairobi, where the highlands give way to dry plains.
More than 450 bird species have been recorded around Samburu, enough to keep a birdwatcher looking up all week.
Samburu has its own Special Five: Grévy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich, beisa oryx and gerenuk.
In 2002, a lioness named Kamunyak, “the blessed one” in the Samburu language, became world famous for adopting baby oryx, the very animals lions usually hunt.
Researchers from Save the Elephants have followed Samburu’s elephants since 1997, and they are now among the best-studied elephant populations in Africa.
Around 3,000 Grévy zebras remain in the wild, and northern Kenya, Samburu included, is their stronghold.
Over 40 community conservancies, most of them in northern Kenya, help local people protect wildlife and share in the benefits.
Wild, remote and wonderfully uncrowded, Samburu is northern Kenya at its most untamed.
Meet the Samburu people, listen to their stories and learn how generations of herding have lived with this land this land.
To redefine safari travel as a force that supports wildlife and the communities who protect it, built on deep, respectful connections.
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