Nairobi to Samburu
Nairobi → Thika → Nanyuki → equator crossing → Isiolo → Samburu National Reserve gate, travelling north through Mount Kenya's foothills into Kenya's semi-arid Northern Frontier District.
Approx. 5–6 hours including equator stop and lunch break
Your journey to Samburu takes you north from Nairobi into a completely different Kenya — drier, wilder, and home to a unique suite of wildlife found nowhere else in the country. Depart Nairobi between 07:00 and 08:00, heading north on the A2 highway through Thika, famous for its pineapple plantations and the Blue Posts waterfall at the meeting of the Tana and Thika rivers. Beyond Thika the road climbs through the Kikuyu highlands, past Mount Kenya's foothills — the equatorial snow capped peak visible on clear mornings rising dramatically to 5,199 metres. You'll cross the equator at Nanyuki, a highland market town on Mount Kenya's western shoulder, where you can straddle the equator line for photographs and watch the classic Coriolis effect demonstration. Continuing north from Nanyuki, the landscape shifts dramatically: the green highland tea estates give way to dry-land acacia savannah, then to semi-arid thorn scrub as you descend toward the Northern Frontier District. Doum palms and dry luggas (seasonal riverbeds) indicate you are entering Samburu territory — the land of Kenya's northern frontier tribes. Lunch is enjoyed en route before you cross into the reserve for an afternoon drive on arrival. The remoteness of northern Kenya, the reddish soil, and the unique northern specialist wildlife create an atmosphere entirely different from the southern parks.
Arriving at Samburu National Reserve in the early afternoon, your guide heads straight into the reserve for a game drive along the banks of the Ewaso Ng'iro River — the lifeblood of this arid ecosystem. Samburu is famous for its "Samburu Special Five": Grevy's zebra (the world's largest and most endangered zebra species), reticulated giraffe (the tallest of all giraffe subspecies), Beisa oryx, gerenuk (the long-necked gazelle that feeds standing on its hind legs), and Somali ostrich. Elephant herds are enormous in Samburu — the cross-border population is one of the largest in Kenya — and the riverbank is perpetually busy with family groups coming to drink. Crocodile bask on the sandy banks alongside terrapin, while leopard are regularly seen resting in the doum palms. Lion prides are resident throughout the reserve, and the reserve has been the site of landmark elephant research by Save the Elephants.
The Ewaso Ng'iro River at sunset is Samburu at its most beautiful — the golden light catches the orange riverbanks, doum palms rustle in the evening breeze, and the calls of Abyssinian ground hornbills echo across the landscape. Dinner at your riverside camp or lodge, with the sounds of hippos and elephants moving through the night.
