Samburu National Reserve
Samburu National Reserve
The official name for the 165 km² reserve on the Ewaso Ng'iro River — what it protects, how it is governed and how it fits into the wider Samburu ecosystem.
Samburu National Reserve is a protected area in Samburu County, northern Kenya, gazetted in 1985 on the northern bank of the Ewaso Ng'iro River. If you have seen it called Samburu National Park, that is the same place: "reserve" is the official legal designation, while "park" is the name most visitors, guidebooks and tour operators use in everyday conversation. Throughout the rest of this site we use both names interchangeably.
Reserve or park? What the designation means
In Kenya, a national park is gazetted and managed centrally by the Kenya Wildlife Service, with human settlement and livestock grazing excluded. A national reserve is managed by the county government on behalf of the communities who own the land, and limited traditional use may be tolerated around its margins. Samburu is a reserve: it is run by the Samburu County Government, entry fees are set by the county, and the revenue supports local schools, clinics and ranger teams alongside conservation work.
In practice this makes very little difference to your safari. Game drives, guiding standards and the camps inside the boundary are of the same quality you would expect in a national park. What it does mean is that your fees stay in northern Kenya, and that the reserve's future is tied directly to the Samburu people who live around it.
Official name
Samburu National Reserve
Gazetted
1985
Size
165 km²
County
Samburu County, northern Kenya
Managed by
Samburu County Government
Altitude
800 – 1,230 m
Distance from Nairobi
≈ 350 km / 5–7 hours by road
Adjoining reserves
Buffalo Springs, Shaba
The three reserves of the greater Samburu ecosystem
Samburu National Reserve is the best known of three adjoining reserves that share the Ewaso Ng'iro River and its wildlife:
- Samburu National Reserve (165 km²) — the northern bank of the river, with the densest concentration of camps and the most reliable game viewing.
- Buffalo Springs National Reserve (131 km²) — directly south across the river, in Isiolo County, named for its clear spring-fed pools. Open plains and excellent for Grevy's zebra and beisa oryx.
- Shaba National Reserve (239 km²) — to the east, more volcanic and rugged, with springs, lava flows and far fewer vehicles.
Wildlife moves freely between all three, and a single game drive can easily cross the river bridge from one to another. Beyond the reserves, the community conservancies of Kalama, Westgate, Namunyak and Sera — managed with the Northern Rangelands Trust — extend the protected landscape to several thousand square kilometres and are where walking safaris, night drives and camel treks take place.
Why it matters
What makes the reserve worth visiting
The reserve is semi-arid, low-lying and hot, which produces a completely different cast of animals from Kenya's southern parks. The Samburu Special Five — reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, gerenuk, beisa oryx and Somali ostrich — are all northern dry-country specialists you will not find in the Masai Mara. Elephants are the headline act, studied here for decades by Save the Elephants, and leopard sightings along the riverine forest are among the most consistent in Kenya.
Visitor numbers are a fraction of the Mara's, so sightings are rarely crowded. Over 450 bird species have been recorded, and the Samburu people's culture — the manyattas, the singing wells, the beadwork — is a genuine part of the experience rather than a staged add-on. See our month-by-month guide for when to travel and reserve fees for current entry costs.
Questions
Samburu National Reserve FAQs
Is it Samburu National Reserve or Samburu National Park?
Its official designation is Samburu National Reserve — a national reserve gazetted in 1985 and managed by the Samburu County Government rather than the Kenya Wildlife Service. 'Samburu National Park' is the name most travellers use, and both refer to the same 165 square kilometre protected area on the north bank of the Ewaso Ng'iro River.
What is the difference between a national reserve and a national park in Kenya?
National parks are managed centrally by the Kenya Wildlife Service and generally exclude human settlement and livestock. National reserves are managed by county governments on behalf of local communities, and limited traditional use such as livestock watering may be permitted at the edges. Revenue from a reserve flows to the county and its communities.
How big is Samburu National Reserve?
The reserve covers roughly 165 square kilometres. With the adjoining Buffalo Springs National Reserve to the south and Shaba National Reserve to the east, the three protect more than 500 square kilometres of northern Kenyan wilderness.
What does it cost to enter Samburu National Reserve?
Entry fees are set by Samburu County and are charged per person per 24 hours, with separate vehicle charges. Most camps and lodges either include the fee in their rate or add it to your bill — see our park fees page for current rates.
Where should I stay in Samburu National Reserve?
Camps inside the reserve sit along the Ewaso Ng'iro River and put you on the best game-viewing circuits at dawn. Properties in the neighbouring conservancies such as Kalama and Westgate offer walking safaris and night drives, which are not permitted inside the reserve itself.
Keep reading
Plan your reserve safari
Where to stay in Samburu National Reserve
Compare every camp and lodge inside the reserve and in the surrounding conservancies, then send one enquiry and we will do the rest.