Safari in Samburu National Park — A Journey Through Kenya’s Northern Frontier
Samburu County, Kenya — May 2008
The Road North
The journey began at 6:30 in the morning from the Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi — East Africa’s oldest hotel, opened in 1904, still carrying the weight of colonial-era atmosphere in its verandahs and gardens. I left early to avoid the city traffic and headed north toward Thika, where the land opens into pineapple and coffee farms before climbing toward the central highlands.
Past Karatina and Nanyuki, Mount Kenya appeared on the horizon — tall, snow-capped and unmistakable. Kenya’s highest mountain and Africa’s second highest after Kilimanjaro, it dominates the landscape for hours before you reach it and for hours after you leave it behind. From Nanyuki, the road continued into Laikipia — a region I would return to separately — and eventually to Isiolo, where I stopped for fuel and something to eat.
Isiolo and the Convoy
In 2008, the road north of Isiolo required travellers to join a convoy escorted by armed soldiers. The situation has since changed considerably, but at the time the wait at Isiolo was mandatory. While I waited, I spoke with Halima — a local fruit seller who was visibly surprised to encounter an Indian visitor in this part of Kenya. Her curiosity about where I had come from and why I was there made the delay more interesting than it might otherwise have been.
Eventually the convoy assembled and rolled out. We passed through Ngaremara Gate, at the edge of Buffalo Springs Game Reserve, and arrived at Samburu Serena Lodge by late afternoon — just in time for lunch.
Crossing into Samburu
After lunch, I crossed the Ewaso Nyiro River into Samburu National Park. The river — Kenya’s longest — is the park’s defining feature. Its water sustains the ecosystem through the dry months when everything else in the north retreats to dust. Samburu itself is part of a wider complex that includes Shaba and Buffalo Springs reserves, all sharing the same arid character and the same river.
What distinguishes Samburu from Kenya’s southern parks is its species composition. The Samburu Special Five — Grevy’s zebra, Somali ostrich, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx and gerenuk — are all endemic to the northern arid zones and not found in the Mara or Amboseli. Within minutes of entering the park, I had seen baboons and vervet monkeys along the riverbank, followed by herds of elephant, impala and gazelle moving through the late afternoon light.
The Elephant Encounter
A close encounter arrived unexpectedly. A vehicle from Serena Lodge had a flat tyre near the river, and we stopped to help — without realising we had parked directly on an elephant trail. A mother and calf emerged from the water behind us, startled by the noise of the tyre change. She stopped and assessed the situation. Her protective instincts were clearly engaged. A few loud engine revs from our driver gave her enough reason to pause, and she turned and disappeared into the bush with the calf. It was over in less than a minute, but the quality of attention it produced lasted the rest of the afternoon.
Secretary Bird and Cheetah
Later, a Secretary Bird crossed the open plains — tall, deliberate, its black crest catching the low light. Not long after, we found a cheetah and her cub resting in long grass. They were calm and watchful, the cub pressed against its mother in the last warmth of the afternoon sun. Samburu produces this kind of encounter regularly — not because the animals perform for visitors, but because the terrain is open enough and the visitor numbers low enough for the wildlife to simply go about its own business undisturbed.
By dusk, the landscape had turned the particular gold that the northern light produces at that hour. We drove back to the lodge with the Ewaso Nyiro glinting through the acacia below and the sound of birds settling for the night across the water.
Why Samburu Stays With You
Samburu is not the Mara. It does not offer migration spectacle or the density of vehicles that come with the most famous ecosystems in East Africa. Instead, it offers remoteness, a different species register and a quality of silence that the south rarely produces. The drive north takes time. That time is worth it. The landscape changes gradually but completely between Nairobi and the river crossing, and by the time you arrive you understand why Samburu feels like a different country from the Kenya most visitors see.
For Samburu lodge options: Luxury Samburu Safari Lodges
For Kenya planning: Kenya Safari Guide
To begin planning a journey: Contact Oloi Shorua
Kenya Wildlife Service — kws.go.ke