Orientation
Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba on a map
Three reserves in a row along the Ewaso Ng'iro, with the river as the boundary between two counties and two sets of charges.
Reading this landscape
Everything here works off one river. The Ewaso Ng'iro runs west to east through dry country and carries water when the surrounding land has none, which is why the game concentrates along it and why the camps are strung out on its banks.
Samburu National Reserve lies on the north bank. Buffalo Springs lies on the south bank, directly opposite, with a bridge between the two. Shaba sits further east, downstream, on the far side of the A2. The three look like one place on a satellite image and are administered as two.
The rule that shapes your day
Crossing the bridge means leaving one county and entering another. Samburu National Reserve charges a non-resident adult $85 and the two Isiolo reserves charge $70, under separate laws, and no combined ticket has ever been published. A game drive that wanders across the river can cost you a second full entry.
Work out before you set off which side your camp is on and whether your route needs to cross. See the entry fees page for the amounts.