The Samburu Reserve lies 200 miles north of Nairobi on the hot and arid fringes of the vast northern region of Kenya. The Reserve is within the lands of the colorful Samburu people, close relatives of the Maasai, and is home to a number of wildlife species rarely found elsewhere in Kenya. These animals include: Grevy's zebra, the reticulated giraffe, and the Beisa oryx, all found only north of the equator. The long-necked gerenuk is a graceful antelope that spends much of its time in a bipedal stance seeking relaxation in the sparse scrub that grows in this harsh terrain. This dramatic landscape is blanketed by the hot equatorial sun for most of the year. Relief comes from the cool waters of the Ewaso Ngiro River which rises to the west on the foothills of the Aberdares and which vanishes beyond Samburu in the soggy expanse known as the Lorian swamp.