Located in the northern region of Kenya, Samburu National Reserve is one of the country’s 56 protected areas.
Its abundance of flora and fauna has made it famous. Situated on the flood plains and land of the Waso Nyiro drainage system within the Great Rift Valley, it spans an area of 390 km2 and reaches a height of 2,785 feet above sea level.
More than two dozen plant communities have been identified by botanists; however, thorny scrubs, of which Acacia elator, Acacia tortolise, Salvadora pesica, and Down palms are the most prevalent and cover most of the reserve.
More than 160 early human fossils, including those of Homo Habilis and Homo Erectus, were found in the 1960s and 1970s, tracing the evolution of humanity back three million years. Here have been found over 4,000 fossilized mammal specimens and artifacts from the Stone Age.
Together with the Big Five, the reserve is home to more than fifty different species of wild animals, such as the rare Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, besia oryx, grater and lesser kudu, gerenuk, somali ostrich, and pancake tortoise, among others.
The Waso Nyiro River is home to over 450 species of birds and aquatic organisms.
