Samburu National Reserve

North of the equator, the landscape turns drier and more rugged — and the wildlife changes with it. Samburu is home to species found almost nowhere else in Kenya: the reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, Somali ostrich, gerenuk, and Beisa oryx, collectively known as the 'Samburu Special Five'. The Ewaso Nyiro River threads through the reserve, drawing elephant herds and predators to its banks, while the local Samburu people maintain a rich pastoral culture along its edges.