Samburu, where the species change.
North of Mount Kenya the country turns arid and theatrical, and five animals appear that you will not see anywhere further south.
Three nights on the Ewaso Nyiro and in the community conservancies — five species you will not see further south, and the best walking in Kenya.
- From
- $5,200 pp
- Duration
- 3 nights
- Best months
- Jun–Oct, Dec–Mar
- Party size
- 2 – 6 guests
The five, the river, and a great deal less traffic
Cross the equator north of Nanyuki and Kenya changes character entirely: red earth, doum palms, lava ridges and a light that photographers talk about for years. Five species replace their southern cousins here — reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, gerenuk, beisa oryx and Somali ostrich — and all five are easy to find within a morning.
The Ewaso Nyiro is the whole logic of the place. It is the only permanent water for a very long way, so every animal in the region comes to it, which makes game viewing a matter of patience at one location rather than driving between many. Leopard hunt the riverine forest at dusk with unusual confidence.
The community conservancies to the north — Kalama, Namunyak, Sera — are where the interesting conservation is happening, and where wild dog and the country’s first community-run rhino sanctuary are. We use them for at least one of your three nights.
- The northern five, all findable inside a single morning
- Leopard along the doum palms at dusk, with very few other vehicles
- A night in a treehouse reached on foot, above a dry lugga
- Camel-supported walking on Kalama conservancy
- Samburu moran as walking guides — paid properly, through people we know
- Wild dog and the Sera community rhino sanctuary, when the timing works
Ideal traveller
Second-time visitors, photographers, and anyone who found the Mara crowded. Superb for walking. Hot in the middle of the day, which some guests underestimate.
The itinerary
Nairobi to Samburu
A 70-minute flight north over Mount Kenya, landing on a strip in the reserve. Afternoon along the river: the northern five, elephant coming down to drink, and crocodile in numbers.
River, and the moran
Dawn along the Ewaso Nyiro when the leopard are still moving, then breakfast on a rock above the water. Afternoon walking with Samburu moran, who read this landscape at a level that is genuinely humbling.
The community conservancies
North into Kalama or Namunyak — camel-supported walking, a visit to the rhino sanctuary at Sera when timing allows, and the emptiest country on this journey. The treehouse night is here.
Homeward or onward
A last drive at first light, then the flight south. Many guests continue directly to Laikipia, forty minutes away, rather than returning to Nairobi.
Two riverside camps and a treehouse
Our standard is a six-tent camp set back from the Ewaso Nyiro under acacia, on a Samburu community lease. Fans rather than air conditioning, an outdoor shower at every tent, and a cook who does remarkable things with very little.
The treehouse — two rooms, no walls on one side, reached on foot with your bags carried up — is the night guests write to us about. It is not for everyone; there is a ladder, and elephant walk beneath it.
A third option, a small lodge on Namunyak with a swimming pool, is the sensible choice for families or anyone travelling in February when the heat is at its most serious.
What the price covers
- Three nights as described, all meals and house drinks
- A private guide and vehicle throughout
- Return flights Nairobi–Samburu, or an onward leg to Laikipia
- Reserve and community conservancy fees, and the conservancy levy
- Guided walking with Samburu moran, and camel support where used
- Airport meet-and-greet, fast-track and day rooms
- 24-hour Nairobi concierge, answered by a person
What it does not
- International flights and visas
- Travel insurance — required; we will help you compare
- Helicopter legs to Lake Turkana or the Suguta valley
- Sera rhino sanctuary tracking fee ($150 pp) when included
- Gratuities, at your discretion
June to October is dry, cooler and the easiest travelling. December to March is hotter — often 36°C by noon — but the game viewing is excellent and the light extraordinary. Avoid the long rains in April and May, when tracks along the river become impassable.
Shall we hold the dates while you think?
Tell us the month and we will send a costed draft of this journey, with the camps held provisionally at no charge. A written reply within one working day, from the specialist who will run it.
On Samburu
Is Samburu worth it if we have already booked the Mara?
It is the single best contrast available in Kenya — different species, different landscape, different people, and a fraction of the vehicles. If you have a spare three nights, we would spend them here rather than adding to the Mara.
How hot does it get?
Thirty-two to thirty-six degrees between eleven and four, most of the year. Camps are built for it and the schedule works around it: out early, back by ten, out again at four. If heat troubles you, travel between June and September.
Is it safe this far north?
The reserve and the community conservancies we use have been secure throughout our trading, and are patrolled by conservancy rangers. Areas further north towards Turkana require different planning, and we will tell you plainly what we do and do not recommend that month.
Can we walk?
Extensively — this is one of the best walking regions in Kenya, on community land where it is permitted and with Samburu guides who grew up in it. Minimum age twelve for the longer routes.