Samburu County is a land of contrasts. It has mountain forests of cedar (in Maralal area) and wide plains of semi-desert and scrubland (in Baragoi – Barsaloi area, for example). The highest mountains are in the South Horr area and dominated by Ol Doinyo Ng’iru (Mt. Nyiru) at    m; but the most scenic and suitable for mountain walking are the Ndoto Hills.
It is very little known, but Samburu even has a small section of the extreme southeast shoreline of Lake Turkana —- a beautiful but rather inaccessible area.

Samburu has, historically, always lacked in infrastructure, particularly roads. Essentially, 2 main roads pass through it in a S – N direction. One in the extreme west passes through Suguta Marmar, Maralal, Marti, Baragoi and South Horr (and links the adjacent counties of Laikipia and Marsabit). The other in the extreme east, a modern tarmac highway, passes through Archer’s Post and Laisamis (and links Meru County to Marsabit County and the Ethiopian border).
The W –E roads have, until recent times, been few, poor in standard and liable to flooding and/ or mud and rock fall.

Despite these difficulties, Samburu County is well worth a visit. Samburu National Park, whilst relatively small, has a wide variety of large animals that are generally easy to spot as one drives through.

The moniker of Samburu County is “The Northerly Gem”.