Best of Samburu

Photography notes

We shoot almost everything from the vehicle, so a beanbag over the window frame or door is your primary support, not a tripod — it steadies a big lens without the setup time you can't afford when a gerenuk stands up to browse or a vulturine guineafowl walks into good light. A 100–400mm or 150–600mm zoom is the workhorse here and covers most of what Samburu gives you: reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, Beisa oryx and Somali ostrich are often approachable enough that you'll want to pull back to place them in the arid, doum-palm-and-red-earth landscape that makes this reserve look like nowhere else in Kenya. Keep a 500 or 600mm (or a 1.4x converter) to hand for the smaller and more wary subjects — the barbets, woodpeckers and flycatchers on your target list, distant leopard, and the Ewaso Ng'iro riverine birds. A second body with a wider zoom (24–70 or 24–105) earns its place for the herd-in-landscape frames and for the scale of the country itself.

The reserve is close to the equator, so the light is hard and the day is short at both ends — our 6:30am and 4:30pm game drives are built around that. Mornings give you low, warm side-light and the coolest, most active hour before the heat pushes everything into shade; we rest through the midday glare and go out again as the sun drops, when backlit dust and the low sun through the acacias reward you for exposing for the highlights and letting the shadows go. October to February is the drier, more photogenic window: animals concentrate on the river and the remaining green, dust and heat-haze build the atmosphere, and the light stays usable longer at the edges of the day. Leopard is the patient game — they favour the rocky kopjes and riverine thickets, so we work known outcrops in the good light and are ready to shoot fast and at higher ISO if one shows in shade; a resting cat on a dramatic rock is the frame we're hoping for. Anticipate behaviour rather than chase it: gerenuk balancing on their hind legs to feed, oryx and Grevy's coming to water, guineafowl in that electric-blue morning light. Watch your shutter speed for birds in flight and for the constant heat shimmer, which will soften long-lens shots through the middle of the day more than any lens will.

What to bring

Camera equipment

• 100–400mm or 150–600mm zoom — the workhorse for Samburu's approachable plains game and the reach to reframe as animals move
• A longer 500/600mm or a 1.4x teleconverter for wary birds (barbets, woodpeckers, flycatchers), distant leopard and riverine subjects
• Second body with a 24–70 / 24–105 wide-to-standard zoom for herd-in-landscape frames and the arid scenery
• Beanbag for the vehicle — your main support over the window frame or door; a tripod is rarely useful here
• Plenty of memory cards, a laptop or portable drive and a routine of backing up every night
• Spare batteries and chargers — charging is generally from camp power, so top up whenever you're in
• Sensor-cleaning kit, blower and lens cloths — fine red dust gets everywhere; change lenses as little as possible
• A rain cover or dry bag for the short showers, and a polariser for cutting midday glare off water and foliage

Clothing

• Lightweight, breathable long-sleeved shirts and trousers in neutral, muted colours (avoid bright white and dark blue/black)
• A light fleece or jacket for the cool early-morning drive before the sun climbs — mornings are mild, not cold, but you'll want a layer
• Wide-brimmed hat, high-factor sunscreen and good sunglasses — the equatorial sun is fierce once it's up
• A light dust scarf or buff to keep grit off your face and gear on dusty tracks
• A light waterproof or packable shell in case of a short-rains shower
• Comfortable closed shoes for around camp and the odd short walk; nothing here demands hiking boots

Documents, health & practical

• A passport valid for at least six months with blank pages, plus a Kenya eTA / e-visa arranged before travel
• Antimalarial prophylaxis and a good insect repellent — speak to your travel clinic well ahead of the trip
• Check current vaccination advice with your clinic; yellow-fever certificate may be required depending on your routing
• Comprehensive travel insurance that covers photographic equipment and medical evacuation
• A small personal first-aid kit, any prescription medication in its original packaging, and rehydration salts for the heat
• Some US dollars in cash for tips and incidentals, and note that internet and phone signal in the reserve are limited