Samburu National Reserve

Samburu National Reserve, situated in Kenya’s Rift Valley, is well-known for its excellent opportunities to spot leopards and wild dogs. It’s home to the Special 5, including the Gerunuk, Grevy’s Zebra, Reticulated Giraffe, Somali Ostrich, and Beisa Oryx. While it boasts four of the “Big Five” animals, it doesn’t have rhinos. The reserve has two prominent mountains, Koitogor and Ololokwe, and lies along the banks of the Ewaso Ng’iro River.

Samburu National Reserve covers around 165 square kilometres (64 square miles). In addition to the special wildlife, visitors might spot cheetahs, hyenas, wild dogs, zebras, hippos, crocodiles, and various antelopes. The reserve is home to over 450 bird species and at least 900 elephants. Since 2005, it’s been recognized as part of a Lion Conservation Unit, showing its importance in protecting it. The reserve includes several conservancies and group ranches bordering the main reserve, such as the Kalama Conservancy, West Gate Community Conservancy, and Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy. An interesting fact about Samburu is the famous lioness, Kamunyak, who adopted a baby Oryx and lives in the reserve.