Samburu National Reserve is wildlife haven located in Samburu County 350 kilometers from Nairobi. It covers 165 km² of savannah grasslands and acacia woodlands in which an extensive array of wildlife resides.

This National Reserve has three prominent physical features that deprive its magnificence. These are the Koitogor and Ololokwe mountains and the Ewaso Ng’iro River. These features especially the Ng’iro River are the primary reasons as to why animals are attracted to this game reserve.

Samburu National Reserve harbors a variety of wildlife species in its delightful setting. The birds and animals present in this reserve are in plenty with lions, leopards and cheetahs as the highlight reel of this reserve.

It is a popular destination pinned by safari enthusiasts to this semi-arid terrain that has a hot and dry climate. The native inhabitants of this reserve, the Samburu people who are renowned pastoralists are quite hospitable and welcoming. Their cultures and traditions are unique, which they are very ok portraying to the world when asked to detail about it.

This game reserve falls under a large ecosystem with adjacent reserves, i.e. the Buffalo Springs National Reserve and the Shaba National Reserve. All sustainable tourism efforts these game gazettes depict on are supervised and managed by the Tourism Regulatory Authority.

 Here are some of the tourist attractions in Samburu National Reserve;

• The Grevy’s Zebra
• Herds of buffalos and elephants
• The Olive Baboon
• Rhinoceros crashes
• Bloats of hippopotamuses
• Endangered bird species.
• Nile Crocodiles.

Activities at Samburu National Reserve

Samburu National Reserve has a lot of activities that tourists can embark on while exploring the park. These activities give you the chance to observe the flora and fauna of this reserve in the most exhilarating of ways. These activities are well coordinated by Park guides and rangers (sometimes armed rangers) to keep you on track and secure you from any wildlife dangers.

Here are some of the top activities at Samburu National Reserve.

Things to Do in Samburu National Reserve

1. Game drives: Game drives are fun ways to explore Samburu National Reserve. These drives are done inside reliable all-wheel drive vehicles, capable of traversing through any type of terrain in this park. These cars often have pop up roofs and windows without tint to make the views of wildlife on this safari clear and unobstructed.

These safari drives are coordinated by an experienced guide or park ranger plus a skilled driver. These trained personnel provide all the biography on the encountered wildlife species you may need to know about on the Safari.

Safari game drives in this reserve are conducted in the early mornings and late afternoons. These timings are the best at observing wildlife as they are the renowned times for grazing, foraging and watering down at the Ng’iro River.

Expect to observe a mixed blend of wildlife on these prestigious drives highlighted by the fierce cats, i.e. the lion, cheetah and African leopard, plus the buffalos and elephants that make up the big five. A crash of black rhinoceroses awaits you on this safari drive too plus the olive baboon, impalas, bird species among others.

These adventurous drives that take you through this semi-arid topography are charged 75 USD for each adult tourist and 50USD for each infant tourist.

2. Hot Air Balloon Safaris: These safaris are Porsche experiences in a large Hot Air Balloon that sits a maximum of eight passengers including the tour guide. The flights are often launched in the early mornings not so high in the sky but above the tall vegetation in this national reserve. This time has the calmest weather and highlighted by the astounding experience of seeing the sun rise.

This Safari soars you above Samburu National Reserve giving you the opportunity to observe the topography of this pack in high definition. It will tail you above the Ng’iro River, Ololokwe and Koitogor mountains observing the terrain and the vast landscapes.

This well accommodated safari with on flight breakfast and refreshments is the best to record moments and snap pictures of wildlife on their treks, hunting tactics, breeding characters and solitary attributes.

The Hot Air Balloon Safari is charged 475 USD per person.

3. Guided nature walks: Guided walks in the Samburu National reserve are wonderful and memorable. They give you the opportunity to get detailed about the least and most information about this park. They are led by a knowledgeable guide or park ranger who is familiar with the geographical setting of the park.

Along the walks, the guide explains about the ways of life of the encountered wildlife species from the names to as far as their body attributes. Await an extensive array of plants, trees, small mammals like the aardvarks and the Kirk’s dik-dik.

The adventure gets amusing when you get to encounter the outstanding variety of bird species this haven inhabits. It’s a home to endangered bird species like the white-headed vulture and the yellow-billed Ox-pecker.

These walks will present you perfect photographic opportunities to take snaps around the wildlife encounter only at spots designated safe. Nature walks at Samburu National Reserve are free of charge.

4. River Ng’iro excursions: This activity along the river Ng’iro is conducted on canoes and motorized boats. These are sailed by experienced guides and expert water captains that tour you along the river as you observe the landscapes and wildlife from an entirely unique perspective.

The Ng’iro River is amazing and further beautifies this game reserve. Excursions on this river are a ticket to observing aquatic wildlife like crocodiles, hippos and floating birds.

The bird species on this guided excursion are of numerous species. Bird watchers should pin this activity as it’s a breathtaking encounter to view all the endangered species. Sailing as you snap the water waves plus the wildlife on the shores drinking, bathing and resting on the banks is absolutely amazing. When exploring this national reserve, this activity should be among the ones you intend to experience.

Besides the above interesting activities the Samburu Reserve coordinates a few more brilliant activities you shouldn’t miss out on encountering. These include;

• Horseback Safaris
• Masaai Village Visit
• Bush meals and Sundowners
• Photographic safaris
• Camping

Accommodation in Samburu National Reserve

You need to know about the state in which you are to reside as you take on the exhilarating activities Samburu National Reserve prepares for you. At this game reserve, a number of accommodation options are very ready to provide you the best abodes and recreation. These facilities are varied in three classes, i.e. the luxurious stays, mid-range stays and budget friendly stays. The experience at these stays is holistic but with differed amenities.

Best luxury lodge

The art of high end accommodation at this reserve is a series of top notch amenities and premium services. Saruni Luxury Camp happens to be the best luxury lodge at Samburu National Reserve. It is adjacent the reserve in the north, with serene atmospheres and utmost deluxe accommodation.

Saruni Samburu Luxury Camp is renowned for its high end amenities to its customers. It has elegantly fashioned suites that offer comfort and peace. The health club at Saruni is diverse with spa and wellness facilities among its offers. This lavish lodge has exclusive services like on sight meal plans, child care assistance, private balconies and so much more exclusives.

A well accommodated stay for a couple at Saruni Samburu Luxury Lodge costs 495 USD. Other great options to choose from the luxury lodges at Samburu National Reserve include Samburu Tented Camp, Samburu Sopa Lodge and Elephant Bedroom Camp.

Best midrange lodge

Ashnil Samburu Camp is arguably the best midrange stay at Samburu National Reserve. It is within the park and provides quick access to tourists having activities to do at the reserve.

This reserve has nice tents and sufficient rooms and suites. All their accommodation options are themed in a native setting that gives wildlife vibes inside and outside this game reserve, keeping guests closer to nature.

Its meal plans are quite nice, preparing both local and international dishes. It top its ideal recreations with modern amenities like fitness spas plus a clean suffice pool. Ashnil Samburu Camp charges 3763 USD for its full package accommodation per night for a couple.

Well you could choose to stay at Elephant watch camp or at Sasaab Camp lodge. These are the other nice accommodation options at this National Reserve.

Best budget friendly stay

The best budget friendly stay at this game reserve is Soroi Larsens Camp.

Best time to visit Samburu National Reserve

Planning your trip to Samburu National Reserve needs you to consider quite a number of aspects. Among the few aspects you should consider is what times of the year you should give this game reserve a visit.

Samburu National Reserve phases through two weather seasons, i.e. the wet season and the dry season. The wet season runs from November to May whereas the dry season runs from June to October.

In the dry season, Samburu National Reserve is often dry with less dense vegetation. Animals gather so many around River Ng’iro and other water sources to bathe and drink up because of the scorching sun. This makes it very easy for tourists to spot wildlife.

The skies are very clear with the sun vibrantly raying in the savannah grasslands of this park. The trails in the reserve are very smooth and dry making movements on all safaris easy, quick and enjoyable.

The wet season however is characterized by a bust of infant wildlife and plentiful bird species in this game reserve. The vegetation is lush green and densely vegetated with vibrant green.

The biggest challenge of this weather season is probably the muddy and almost unnavigable terrains of this game reserves after the heavy rain pours. Samburu National Reserve records high rainfall totals in this season that make park activities have a few inconveniences in their punctuality.

The skies are often dark because of the ever present nimbus clouds lashing a rain pour at any moment. This makes spotting of wildlife challenging, plus recording photographic memories is quite unclear too.

The dry season is statically the best time to visit Samburu National Reserve because of its so many advantages to its bio and its less flaws.

How to get to Samburu National Reserve

Travelers to this game reserve can arrive most conveniently by road, specifically through a trusted tour company. With a tour company safari, expect to pass through Kenyan traffic swiftly. These companies can cover this 321 km stretch from Nairobi to the park location in under 6 hours. The drivers are skilled and know whatever quickest routes to get to the park. Some of the routes these drivers may use are not traceable on GPS platforms.

Alternatively you can travel by self-drive through the smart road network from Nairobi to the Samburu County. For those unfamiliar with Kenyan roads, the GPS platforms are quite accurate and provide less traffic routes to the reserve. Going to this game reserve, you need an all-wheel drive vehicle to cruise through the mixed Kenyan roads terrain. Contact us today for the most reliable all-wheel drive vehicles at the fairest prices.

In conclusion, this game reserve is an astounding stop for wildlife enthusiasts. With the high level of significance it holds in the sustainable tourism efforts of Kenya.