Samburu National Reserve

Samburu National Reserve covers 165 square kilometres of semi-arid terrain along the Ewaso Ng'iro River in northern Kenya, a landscape of red-earth plains, doum palms, and dramatic kopjes that feels worlds apart from the green rolling hills of the Masai Mara. The reserve is named after the Samburu people — close relatives of the Maasai — who continue to herd cattle and goats on communal lands surrounding the protected area. Samburu's primary draw is the "Samburu Special Five" — five species found almost nowhere else on a standard East African safari circuit: Grevy's zebra (distinguished by narrow stripes and large rounded ears), reticulated giraffe (a mosaic of liver-coloured patches separated by sharp white lines), gerenuk (the long-necked "giraffe gazelle" that feeds standing on its hind legs), Beisa oryx (a large antelope with rapier-straight horns), and Somali ostrich (with blue-grey neck and legs). These species are adapted to the arid conditions of Kenya's northern frontier and give Samburu a distinctly different character from southern parks. The Ewaso Ng'iro River is the lifeline of the ecosystem, drawing elephants, buffalo, lion, leopard, and Nile crocodile to its palm-lined banks. The river also supports a diverse community of over 450 bird species, including the palm-nut vulture, Somali bee-eater, and vulturine guineafowl. Samburu gained international attention through the story of Elsa the lioness, made famous by Joy Adamson's "Born Free," and through the Save the Elephants research station, which has tracked the reserve's elephants using GPS collars and individual identification since 1993.