The Samburu Special Five at a glance
The Special Five, also called the Samburu Five, are five species that visitors to Samburu National Reserve and the dry country around it look for: Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, Beisa oryx and Somali ostrich. Your chances of meeting several of them in one trip are good, but no guide can promise a full set.
The easiest way to build a trip around these animals is a guided drive from a lodge or camp near the river. See the Samburu safari options for day drives and fly-in trips. For all other animals, including the big cats, read the Samburu wildlife guide.
Grevy's zebra: the species that needs protecting
The one of the five with the most urgent story.
The Grevy's zebra is listed as Endangered by the IUCN. The worldwide population is about 3,042 animals, of which 2,812 live in Kenya and 230 in Ethiopia. The Kenyan estimate dates from 2018. It is not a count of the animals inside the reserve, and nobody can tell you how many you will see on your day.
Several pressures weigh on the species: loss and degradation of habitat, competition with livestock for grazing, limited access to water, infrastructure, disease and poaching. In practice this means that the zebras you meet in northern Kenya live in a landscape shared with herders and their animals. Photos from the reserve show them grazing alone on dry grass and in herds.
Lewa, a conservancy in the same region of Kenya, runs protection and monitoring work for the species. Read how it fits into a trip on the Lewa Conservancy page.
Our pick: a drive for the Special Five
This is a short drive in Samburu itself, aimed at the Special Five, for when you are already staying nearby and want a dedicated drive.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Samburu safaris and day trips
Game drives, fly-in safaris and combined trips in northern Kenya, with live prices and availability.
Reticulated giraffe and gerenuk
The reticulated giraffe, or Netzgiraffe in German, is the giraffe on the Special Five list. Photos from the reserve show it bending down to feed between green bushes and standing in shallow river water, so the river bank is a good place to slow down and look. Giraffes also appear at the edge of tracks in the neighbouring Shaba reserve.
The gerenuk, known in German as Giraffengazelle, is the species that gives the list its character. Photos show two animals stretching upright towards an acacia, and a female walking through yellow grass with a young animal. If you search for a gerenuk, scan the acacias as well as the ground.
Beisa oryx and Somali ostrich
The Beisa oryx is recognisable by its long, straight horns. Photos from the reserve show single animals standing in open bush, which makes them easy to pick out once you know what to look for.
The Somali ostrich is the bird of the five. Photos show one striding through bush with mountains behind it, one beside a sandy track and a group of three crossing dry grassland. Scan the open ground first, then look closer at the bushes.
How to look for the Special Five
Practical points for your game drives.
Ask your guide what to expect
Guides know where animals have been in the last days. Tell them which of the five you most want to see and let them plan the route.
Plan more than one drive
Sightings are not guaranteed. A trip of two or three drives gives you a fair chance at several species and leaves room for others, such as elephants at the river.
The Ewaso Nyiro River →Watch the water
Giraffes and other animals come to the river and its banks. Doum palms and acacias mark the line of the water in the dry landscape.
Keep your distance
The usual safari rules ask you to stay in the vehicle at sightings, not to feed animals and to keep at least 20 m from them. Follow your guide and the rules at the gate.
Bring binoculars
Animals at a distance are easy to miss and hard to tell apart. A pair of binoculars helps you identify a species before the vehicle moves on.
Where else to see them
The Special Five are not tied to one reserve.
Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba are three separate reserves along the same river, each with its own fees and administration. Giraffes at the edge of a track in Shaba and a Grevy's zebra in the Lewa conservancy show that the species also live beyond Samburu itself.
Read about the landscape and animals of the neighbouring reserve on the Shaba reserve page, and about the other animals of the area on the wildlife page. If you are comparing Kenya trips, the wildlife of the southern parks is covered in the Maasai Mara wildlife guide.
Samburu Special Five: frequently asked questions
What are the Samburu Special Five?
They are the Grevy's zebra, the reticulated giraffe, the gerenuk, the Beisa oryx and the Somali ostrich. Locally they are also called the Samburu Five.
Can I see all five on one trip?
Chances are good to see several of them on a few drives, but nobody can guarantee all five. Ask your guide which species are around and plan more than one drive.
What is a gerenuk?
The gerenuk is an antelope that stands on its hind legs to feed from acacia branches. In German it is called Giraffengazelle.
Are Grevy's zebras endangered?
Yes. The IUCN lists the Grevy's zebra as Endangered. A 2018 estimate puts about 2,812 animals in Kenya, out of about 3,042 worldwide.
Is this the official site of Samburu National Reserve?
No. This is an independent travel guide. It is not run by Samburu County, Isiolo County, the Kenya Wildlife Service or any safari operator.