Map of Kenya › Samburu

Samburu Mapped: Three Reserves Sharing One River

Samburu is not one park but three, all drawing from the same river. The Ewaso Ng’iro moves slow and muddy through dry scrubland, and Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba sit right against its banks, one per side. This Samburu map lays out how the three connect, where the gates and airstrip are, and why this dusty stretch of the north holds five species you won’t spot down in the Mara.

Interactive map of the Samburu reserves

The gold outlines mark the three reserves: Samburu on the north bank, Buffalo Springs on the south, and Shaba set apart to the east. The brown line tracks the A2 highway heading north out of Isiolo. The blue marker is the main airstrip. Tap any reserve to see its details.

One river, three separate reserves

Samburu National Reserve covers 165 km² and holds the forest along the river plus the bulk of the lodges. Buffalo Springs, 131 km² on the opposite bank, takes its name from clear pools fed by underground springs and hosts the same wildlife; a bridge by Archer’s Post joins the two reserves, and a single ticket usually covers game drives on both sides. Shaba, at 239 km² east of the highway, is larger, quieter and rougher country, lava outcrops and doum palm groves, and it’s the setting for the later chapters of Joy Adamson’s story.

The Special Five of Samburu

This is why guests who’ve already done a first safari come back and head north instead: the Grevy’s zebra (larger than the common kind, with narrow stripes and rounded ears), the reticulated giraffe patterned in sharp geometric blocks, the Somali ostrich recognisable by its blue-grey legs, the gerenuk that rises onto its hind legs to browse treetops, and the beisa oryx. Each is built for this dry northern terrain, and Samburu is Kenya’s surest bet for finding all five, sometimes within one drive along the riverbank.

How to reach Samburu

Driving covers roughly 320 km from Nairobi and takes six to seven hours, all on sealed road up the A2 through Nanyuki and Isiolo to Archer’s Post, the town at the reserve gate. Most visitors choose to fly instead, a 90-minute hop from Wilson Airport into the Samburu Oryx airstrip. Samburu combines easily with Ol Pejeta or Lewa on the way north, and our Map of Kenya lays out how the whole northern circuit connects.

Samburu map questions

Whereabouts is Samburu located in Kenya?

It sits in the northern rangelands roughly 320 km from Nairobi, past Isiolo, at the point where the sealed A2 road meets the Ewaso Ng’iro river near Archer’s Post.

What makes up the Samburu Special Five?

Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich, gerenuk and beisa oryx, five species adapted to dry country that you’re unlikely to come across in southern reserves such as the Mara or Amboseli.

What’s the best way to get to Samburu from Nairobi?

Take the A2 road for a six to seven hour drive, or fly the 90-minute route from Wilson Airport straight to the airstrip. Plenty of itineraries split the drive with a stop at Ol Pejeta or Nanyuki.

Are Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba three different parks?

They are, three distinct county-run reserves, though they share one river system and the same wildlife populations. A bridge connects Samburu and Buffalo Springs directly, while Shaba lies a short drive to the east.

Park and reserve boundaries © OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed under ODbL. Basemap © OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Satellite imagery © Esri. Terrain tiles by Mapzen and AWS Open Data. Boundaries for Shaba National Reserve from UNEP-WCMC and IUCN (2026), Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), Cambridge, UK. Available at protectedplanet.net.