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Kenya Attractions

Samburu National Reserve

Samburu National Reserve is a premier game reserve in Northern Kenya, covering about 165 square kilometers along the banks of the Ewaso Ng'iro River, which is the area's only permanent water source. The reserve is part of a larger ecosystem including Buffalo Springs and Shaba National Reserves, f...

Samburu National Reserve is a premier game reserve in Northern Kenya, covering about 165 square kilometers along the banks of the Ewaso Ng'iro River, which is the area's only permanent water source. The reserve is part of a larger ecosystem including Buffalo Springs and Shaba National Reserves, forming a vast wildlife habitat in a semi-arid, dry, and warm climate.

Location and Landscape
Situated about 315 km north of Nairobi, near the equator, at altitudes between 800 and 1,230 meters.

Features rugged hills and inselbergs like Ololokwe and Koitogor mountains, with acacia woodlands, thorn trees, doum palms, and riverine forests lining the river.

The Ewaso Ng'iro River flows through the reserve, supporting wildlife and creating lush areas amid the dry landscape; it sometimes floods or dries seasonally.

Wildlife Highlights
Famous for the "Samburu Special Five": Reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, Somali ostrich, Grevy’s zebra, and gerenuk (giraffe-necked antelope).

Hosts large populations of elephants (around 900), lions, leopards (notably good for leopard sightings), cheetahs, and wild dogs.

Other animals include buffalo, hippopotamus, olive baboons, warthogs, Grant's gazelle, impala, waterbuck, and reintroduced black rhinoceros.

Rich birdlife with over 350 to 450 species, including kingfishers, sunbirds, bee-eaters, vultures, and the rare vulturine guineafowl.

The river supports Nile crocodiles and hippos.

Conservation and Community
Samburu Reserve forms part of a larger conservation ecosystem with neighboring conservancies like Kalama, West Gate, and Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy.

The area is the traditional homeland of the Samburu people, who maintain their pastoral lifestyle and cultural heritage, including unique practices like the "Sarara Singing Wells" water collection ritual.

Tourism and Safari Experience
The reserve is less crowded than southern parks, offering a more remote and serene safari experience.

Best visited during dry seasons (June to October and January to mid-March) when animals concentrate near the river, making wildlife viewing rewarding.

Accommodation often includes riverside lodges with views of Mount Kenya and the surrounding landscape.

Visitors can combine visits to Samburu with Buffalo Springs and Shaba reserves due to their proximity and shared ecosystem.

Samburu National Reserve is renowned for its unique dry-country wildlife, stunning landscapes, cultural richness, and excellent opportunities to see rare species not commonly found in Kenya’s southern parks.


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Top Kenya Tours

$2600 Per Day

6 Days Kenya Safari & Beach Holiday

Day 01 Mombasa

Tsavo East Safari starts with pick up from a Mombasa after breakfast or from Moi International Airport off morning flight. Depart Mombasa after safari briefing by Footprint Safari representative and drive north arriving arriving Tsavo East in time for lunch. Lunch and leisurely afternoon before enjoying scheduled evening game drive. Tsavo East National Park is the remaining true wilderness, biodiversity strongholds, paradise for professional bird watchers and wildlife photographers with common herds of dust – red elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion, leopard, pods of hippo, crocodile, waterbucks, lesser kudu, gerenuk and hirola among the wildlife found here. It is also one of the largest protected areas in Kenya occupying 4% of Kenya's total land area. Dinner and overnight at the Voi Wildlife Lodge.

Day 2 – Tsavo East
After breakfast enjoy full day in Tsavo East with scheduled morning and evening game. Lunch, dinner and overnight at Voi Wildlife Lodge.

Day 3: Tsavo East - Mombasa
Early morning wake up before heading for an early morning game drive in search of the nocturnal wild animals just before they give way to the day. Return to the lodge for breakfast before driving back to Mombasa arriving in the early afternoon hours for lunch at a local Mombasa restaurant area,drop off to Sarova White Sands beach hotel.

Day 04&05;.Mombasa
Spend the full day at leisure on the beach with optional activities. Lunch on own account. Dinner and overnight at Hotel. Sarova White Sands beach hotel

Day 06: depart
Check out at hotel after breakfast, (Lunch en-route own account) for your transfer to Moi International Airport for your flight to Nairobi, meet on arrival and assisted to connect to your onwards flight to your country.

COST PER PERSON $2600

Price Includes:
- 02 Nights Full board accommodation on safari.
- 03 Nights' Half board accommodation in Mombasa
- One way ticket Mombasa- Nairobi
- Park fee
- Transport in a comfortable six-seater safari minivan with a pop-up roof
- Game drives as specified in the itinerary
- English speaking Driver/Guide
- Travel insurance & Flying doctors evacuation cover
- 1litre bottle of Mineral water per day while on safari
- Airport transfer in Mombasa
- Government taxes and levies

Prices excludes:
Tips and gratuities
Personal items
Any other thing not mentioned above.

Note:
Rooms & flights are subject to availability upon booking confirmation.
Air fares are subject to change

$1585 Per Day

6 Days/5 Nights – Maasai Mara / Lake Nakuru / Lake Naivasha / Amboseli

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Nairobi – Amboseli
After your breakfast, you will be picked by the driver and immediately head to Amboseli. You will arrive just before lunch time. Check in at the lodge, have lunch and relax before an afternoon game drive at 1600hrs. Return later to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 2: Amboseli – Lake Naivasha
Leave Amboseli at 6.30 a.m. and depart for Lake Naivasha arriving in time for lunch. Have lunch then you can relax by the lodge or have a boat ride to Crescent Island at an extra fee of $60 per person.

Day 3: Lake Naivasha – Lake Nakuru
Have breakfast and depart for Lake Nakuru. Arrive in Lake Nakuru and have a game drive en route to the lodge for lunch. Have lunch and relax before enjoying an afternoon game drive.

Day 4: Lake Nakuru – Maasai Mara
After breakfast, you will be picked up and depart for the 8th World wonder “The Masai Mara” passing through the floor of the Great Rift Valley. You will arrive in the Mara by Lunch time. Have a game drive en route to the lodge or camp. Look out for the ‘Big Five’ including lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo and rhino. There are also other species including the wildebeest, zebras, giraffe, gazelles and warthogs just to name a few. Have an afternoon game drive.

Day 5: Maasai Mara
On each of the two days, have breakfast and carry lunch boxes for a full day game drive in the vast Maasai Mara. Have a stop-over for picnic lunch before afternoon game drive. You will be drive to the Mara River, a spot to watch the wildebeest migration.
You can also opt for a visit to the Maasai Village on one of the afternoons.

Day 6: Maasai Mara – Nairobi
Have an early morning game drive before breakfast. Return to the lodge for breakfast and depart for Nairobi later arriving in time for lunch at Carnivore Restaurant. Thereafter, be transferred to the airport for your home-bound flight or to a hotel of your choice.

Cost:
In a Land Cruiser: $1,900 per person
In a Minivan: $1,585 per person


Cost is Inclusive of;
- All park entrance fees
- Transport throughout the safaris on a customized safari minivan with a pop-up roof to facilitate game viewing and sightseeing
- Accommodation and all meals as mentioned above (Meals on Full Board Basis)
- Comprehensive game drives
- Services of professional tour guide driver (English speaking)
- Driver’s allowance
- Lunch on the day in Nairobi

Exclusive of:
- Tips or gratuities
- Boat ride fee and entry fee to Crescent Island
- International airfares and departure taxes
- Passport and Visa fees
- Travel and trip cancelation insurance

$300 Per Day

Nairobi National Park, Giraffe Centre, Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage.

This tour takes you to very unique and fascinating places in Nairobi.


We first visit the Giraffe Centre where you are guaranteed to see, feed, handle and even kiss the tallest species in the world.

Our next destination is the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. This is a very successful facility that cares for orphaned baby elephants whose mothers have died from various reasons. The calves are brought  to the facility where they are seriously taken care of before being released to the wild after getting survival skills.

We then go to Nairobi National Park. The park offers some of the best place to see the black rhinos, prides of lions, cheetahs hunting and many other animals. We will have our picnic lunch in one of the picnic sites in this park.