Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve

Samburu National Reserve lies on the banks of Ewaso Nyi’ro River in Kenya. It’s bordered by the Buffalo Springs National Reserve in the Northern part of the country. The park covers an area of 165km2 and it’s about 350 kilometers from the capital city. The area is famous as its where the then famous conservationists, George Adamson and Joy Adamson raised Elsa. Elsa was the lioness that shot to fame and features in one of the best selling books and movies called Born Free.

Samburu National Reserve is the home of the famous Kumnyak, a lioness famous for adopting an Oryx calf. Oryx are like gazelles and they are good preys for the lions. The relationship between these two animals has attracted a lot of visitors to the region. The area has two main gates; the Ngare Mare and Buffalo Spring gates. River Ewaso Nyi’ro means a place of brown water. It empties into the famous Lorian Swamp. The area is inhabited by grassland vegetation, acacia, and thorn trees. There are several mountains around called Koitogor and Ololokwe.

Samburu National Reserve has a variety of wildlife and birds. Some of the animals found here include three big cats namely: Lions, Leopards and Cheetahs. There is a group of large herbivores like Elephants, Buffalos, Reticulated Giraffes and hippos. Other smaller animals strolling in the park include: Grevy’s Zebra, Waterbuck, Grant’s gazelle and many others. The birds include Somali Ostrich, Bee eater, Marabou Stock, Sunbird, Secretary birds and many more. The Rhino has since become extinct due to poaching.



Dickson is a professional tour guide located in Kenya. For more info on his work please visit his website at http://www.advenafrica.com. You can also contact him at http://www.advenafrica.com/gettingus.htm if you are interested in touring Kenya and Africa as a whole.