Samburu National Reserve lies in the Northern part of Kenya and is one of 56 protected areas. It is famous because of the richness of flora and fauna. Lying on the flood plains and land of the Waso Nyiro drainage system in the Great Rift Valley, it rises to an altitude of 2785 ft above sea level and covers an area of 390 km2.

Botanist have identified more than 2 dozen plants communities, but thorny scrubs cover much of the reserve, the most common being Acacia elator, Acacia tortolise, Salvadora pesica and the Down palms.

In the 1960s and 1970s more than 160 fossil remains of early man including Homo Habilis and Homo Erectus were discovered, putting man's origins back three million years. More than 4,000 fossil specimens of mammal and Stone Age artefacts have been discovered here.

As well as the Big Five, there are over 50 species of wild animals in the reserve including unique species of Grevy's Zebra, Reticulated Giraffe, Besia Oryx, Grater and Lesser Kudu, Gerenuk, Somali ostrich, pancake tortoise and others. There are over 450 species of birds identified and aquatic species in the Waso Nyiro River.