Is Samburu Game Reserve Safe For Tourists?

Is Samburu Game Reserve Safe For Tourists? Samburu National Reserve situated in the northern Kenya is a popular Kenya Safari destination and home to a rich variety of wildlife with abundance in rare northern specialist species such as the Grevy Zebra, Somali Ostrocih, Reticulated Giraffe, Gerenuk and the Beisa Oryx – also known as The Samburu Special Five.

Also, Samburu National Reserve is home to large herd of elephants and four of the big five. The reserve offers excellent wildlife viewing throughout the year and most big safari animals are easily spotted.

As you a tourist planning a safari to Samburu Game Reserve, personal security is the most important aspect and as evidenced, it is one of the most frequently asked question being “is Samburu a safe place to visit?”.

Samburu Game Reserve is a very safe destination to visit, the park is well protected by professionally – trained park rangers and wildlife wardens and is located hours away from the urban areas of Kenya where safety is more of a concern. Below are some of the reasons why Samburu Game Reserve is one of the safest places to visit for a safari in Kenya.

Location

Samburu National Game Reserve is tucked away from towns and cities at the southeastern corner of Samburu District, this area is basically in the wilderness hence naturally peaceful and with a low human population. It is also worth noting the Kenya is generally a safe country to visit and travel advisories usually mention exercising caution in parts of urban cities such as Nairobi and Mombasa.

  National Importance

With tourism being one of the leading sources of revenue in Kenya as a country, the Kenyan Government as a priority has put in measures to ensure the personal safety of tourists visiting Kenya national parks and reserves. Samburu National Game Reserve is a premier reserve in Kenya attracting a huge number of tourists from all across the world and making it a big income earner for the country. Therefore, it receives keen attention in terms of security from the Government of Kenya.

Management of the Reserve

 Samburu Game Reserve is professionally managed by a combination of local County administrations which in turn have deployed highly trained park and wildlife rangers, some of whom may be armed. Teams of these personal patrol the reserve on a constant basis, to further ensure your safety, virtually all the hotels, camps and lodges in the reserve have their own guards around the clock monitoring movement of wild animals in and around their properties as well as ensuring the safety of their guests/tourists.

As wild animals can be dangerous, there are a set of part rules and regulations which visitors are asked to adhere to for their own safety, one of these being to stay in your vehicles at all times, unless at designated picnic or walking areas. Driving in the dark is also not allowed in the reserve and all the visitors must exit the reserve or return to their camps or lodges by dusk usually 6:30 pm.

Night game drives are also not allowed inside the main reserve.

Every year, about thousands of tourists visit and stay overnight in Samburu National Reserve and it is rare to come across any safety or security related incidents. These statitics indicate how safey the park.

Best time to visit Samburu Game Reserve

Samburu Game Reserve is a year – round safari destination but wildlife viewing is usually best in the dry months from June to October and December to March. Dry season is the best time to see wildlife in Samburu as animals tend to congregate along Ewaso River to drink and eat and its easier to spot them.

It is best to avoid the reserve during the wet season (November, April and May) as the high grass will make animal spotting very challenging. However, if you are a bird lover, then the wet season is perfect to enjoy bird watching as many migratory birds come here during the dry season.