Samburu National Reserve

The Samburu National Reserve is a 165 km² nature reserve in the centre of Kenya. It is located in Samburu County on the Uaso Nyiro River, about 350 km north of Nairobi and borders the Buffalo Springs National Reserve, with […]

The Samburu National Reserve is a 165 km² nature reserve in the centre of Kenya.

It is located in Samburu County on the Uaso Nyiro River, about 350 km north of Nairobi and borders the Buffalo Springs National Reserve, with which it forms a unit. The Shaba National Reserve a few kilometres to the east belongs to the same ecological area. The Samburu National Reserve rises from 850 m in the west to 1250 m in the east.

It is characterized by drought with an annual precipitation of less than 400 mm. Dry bush land and open grasslands are the predominant vegetation forms. Only the Uaso Nyeru is lined by a narrow gallery forest. There are some mountains overgrown by dry bushes.

Characteristic are species of very dry habitats, such as oryx antelopes, gerenuks, Grant gazelles, two dikdik species and grevyzebras. Also typical for the region are the reticulated giraffes, which differ from other giraffe subspecies by their particularly contrasting colouring. Other hoofed animals of the reserve are eland and waterbuck. Among the predators, lions, leopards, cheetahs and striped hyenas are particularly noteworthy. Especially leopards are less shy here than elsewhere because they have been lured with bait for a long time. Birds here include vulture guinea fowls and ostriches. In addition, the park is characterized by large herds of elephants and numerous other game species, such as waterbucks and Nile crocodiles.