Your tour opens in the Samburu National Reserve where you divide your stay between two camps-Saruni Samburu and Saruni Rhino. There are mornings and afternoon game drives to look forward to as well as guided nature walks, star gazing, night drives and cultural experiences – the emphasis is on as wide an experience as possible. It is big game country – home to elephant and lion – and part of your time is spent tracking the highly endangered black rhino. There is also plenty of time to look for Samburu’s more unusual animals that are absent from the Masai Mara: keep an eye out for the long-necked gerenuk, the sabre-horned oryx gazelle and the dazzling Grevy’s zebra.
Accommodation on this safari takes the form of elegant tent camps with facilities such as swimming pools, spa treatments and private dining– perfect for couples and honeymooners.
Nairobi
Land Cruiser 4×4 or Mini Bus
After the briefing with our staff, your safari adventure will begin as you depart by road driving across the equator from the Southern to the Northern Hemisphere, and onwards to the semi-arid region of the Samburu Game Reserve.
The name Samburu is of Maasai origin, a ‘samburr’ is a traditional leather bag the Maasai use for carrying honey and milk. This region is characterized by vast, open landscapes, dried riverbeds and its red volcanic soil. Rock outcroppings contrast against the dense woodland vegetation along the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River, the river that gives life to the reserve. The area is home to the Samburu tribe, who are ‘cousins’ to the Maasai people with their own distinct cultural traditions.
You will spend the next 3 days in the Samburu Game Reserve searching for the big five, the Samburu five and observing the vast unspoiled scenery during morning and afternoon game viewing drives. The park is plentiful with crocodiles that bask on muddy riverbanks and velvet monkeys that frolic in the late afternoon sun. Samburu is renowned for its rare species of fauna known as the ‘Samburu five’.
These five particular animals are usually only found north of the equator – the long necked gerenuk, the reticulated giraffe which is characterized by its liver-colored geometric patches defined by narrow white lines, the Grevy’s zebra which is smaller than the common zebra and looks more like a horse, the beisa oryx with black horizontal stripe running across its lower flank and the Somali ostrich males which have blue-grey necks and thighs. A camel-back safari is a specialty in Samburu, as well as a cultural visit to the Samburu people.
You will have early morning game viewing drive is planned for you,. Breakfast will be served at the camp then depart to Nairobi.
