All 3 in 3 days here: ~50%
Samburu National Reserve
🇰🇪 Kenya
East Africa, Kenya 1152 spp. recorded
Samburu National Reserve is a protected tropical savanna situated in northern Kenya, defined by arid scrublands, open grasslands, and the vital winding waters of the Ewaso Ng'iro river. Unlike greener southern parks, this harsh terrain features dusty riverbanks and acacia thickets that shape a rugged, sun-baked landscape.
0.619° N 37.554° E
🦜 Nature
479 Species sighted
63,861 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Nov Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 631 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
All 4 in 3 days here: ~20%
All 5 in 3 days here: <5%
Recent sightings in Samburu National Reserve
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
64Jan
63Feb
64Mar
71Apr
56May
67Jun
66Jul
63Aug
64Sep
64Oct
73Nov
65Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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0.611° N, 37.544° E
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Northern Red-billed Hornbill~80%≈
Kirk's Dik-dik~80%≈
Grant's Gazelle~70%≈
Vulturine Guineafowl~70%+10%
Superb Starling~70%-10%
Yellow-necked Francolin~70%-10%
Impala~70%-10%
Desert Warthog~70%≈
Unstriped Ground Squirrel~70%≈
White-headed Buffalo-Weaver~60%-10%
White-browed Sparrow-Weaver~60%-10%
Namaqua Dove~60%≈
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Buffalo Springs NR
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- White-browed Sparrow-Weaver~70%≈
- Superb Starling~70%-10%
- Northern Red-billed Hornbill~70%-10%
- Grant's Gazelle~70%-10%
- Yellow-necked Francolin~70%-10%
Vervet Monkey~70%≈- Impala~60%-10%
Olive Baboon~60%≈
Donaldson-Smith's Sparrow-Weaver~60%≈
Fork-tailed Drongo~60%≈- Unstriped Ground Squirrel~60%-10%
- Kirk's Dik-dik~60%-20%
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Ashnil Samburu Camp
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Park gate
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- Grant's Gazelle~90%+10%
- Desert Warthog~80%+10%
- Unstriped Ground Squirrel~70%≈
- Impala~70%-10%
Waterbuck~70%+10%- Kirk's Dik-dik~60%-20%
- White-headed Buffalo-Weaver~60%-20%
Reticulated Giraffe~50%≈- Superb Starling~50%-30%
- Northern Red-billed Hornbill~50%-30%
Parrot-billed Sparrow~50%-10%- White-browed Sparrow-Weaver~50%-30%
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Larsens Tented Camp
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
Low
Typical stay
2–3
daysTrails
Easy
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 World-class
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.3
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 780
🐒 Mammals 230
🦎 Reptiles 119
🐸 Amphibians 23
1152 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
45 Threatened 7 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
5.0
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
74% 📊
Coverage (278 species at ≥5% of 1152 in the inventory)
24% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (6 bird, 6 mammal)
67% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
199 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
36 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
56 🏕️
Experience
ExcellentHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.8
Climate Pleasant High
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Low High
Trails Easy High
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
We also saw each of the special 5 species (Beisa oryx; reticulated giraffe; Somali ostrich; Grevy's zebra and Gerenuk).
On the two game drives I went on we saw lions (multiple times), cheetah, eland, Masai giraffe, Coke's Hartebeest, Burchell's Zebra and much more.
The first thing we saw were some ostriches and a lone zebra.
We didn't have time to see much more than a few more elephants when our drive was cut short--and the heat mercifully broken--by a real gully washer of a rainstorm.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Samburu National Reserve?
1,152 species
Samburu National Reserve has 1,152 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Northern Red-billed Hornbill (about 80%), Superb Starling (about 80%), Kirk's Dik-dik (about 80%), Yellow-necked Francolin (about 80%) and Grant's Gazelle (about 80%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Nile Crocodile (about 60%).
When is the best time to visit Samburu National Reserve for wildlife?
March–April and October
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day, against about 60% in May. Those are among Samburu National Reserve's wettest months, with about 60 mm of rain a month against 5 mm in September.
Can you see a Grévy's Zebra in Samburu National Reserve?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Grévy's Zebra sighting in Samburu National Reserve on a given day, based on 175 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is March (about 70%).
Can you see a Reticulated Giraffe in Samburu National Reserve?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Reticulated Giraffe sighting in Samburu National Reserve on a given day, based on 241 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February (about 80%).
Can you see an African Bush Elephant in Samburu National Reserve?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report an African Bush Elephant sighting in Samburu National Reserve on a given day, based on 289 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February and July (about 80%).
Can you see a Grant's Gazelle in Samburu National Reserve?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Grant's Gazelle sighting in Samburu National Reserve on a given day, based on 143 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February–March, June–October and December (about 80%).
Is Samburu National Reserve good for wildlife watching?
4.8 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Samburu National Reserve rates 4.8/5: 24th of 316 parks worldwide and 16th in Africa. 76 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
