Category: Kenya Game Parks and Reserves

Meru national park is 350km away from Nairobi and covers an area of 870 square kilometers. It has a wide range of animals present including lions, elephants, leopards, black rhino, cheetah, hippopotamus and some rare antelopes.

Meru national park is one of the most famous parks in Kenya because it is one of the two conservation areas that conservationists Joy and George Adamson raised Elsa the lioness. This was well highlighted and made famous in the best-selling book and award winning movie Born Free. Elsa is buried in this park and part of Joy’s ashes were scattered on her grave.

Tourist attractions include views of Mount Kenya, the home of George and Joy Adamson, Adamson Falls and Tana river.

Ol Pejeta Conservancy is located in Kenya’s Laikipia County, and is East Africa’s largest black rhino sanctuary. It’s the only place in Kenya to see chimpanzees and holds some of the highest predator densities in Kenya including lions, cheetah, leopard, hyena and wild dogs. It is a mosaic grass plains, wooded grassland, acacia woodland and evergreen Greenland extending over 350 square kilometers. See the big 5 and a combination of amazing wildlife and stunning views of Mount Kenya and the open plains, guaranteeing you an unforgettable safari experience.

Taita Hills Game Sanctuary borders Tsavo West National Park and gives shelter to many animals because there is plenty of water

The Taita Hills is a private game sanctuary separated from the vast Tsavo West National Park by a road. Taita Hills Game Sanctuary consists mainly of plains and woodlands, with typical riverbank vegetation along the water course and is home to over 50 species of mammals and 300 species of birds.

Taita Hills Game Sanctuary region is more remote than the most of the other visited parks and reserves in Kenya , the perfect destination for anyone looking for an opportunity to get away from it all and relax in the wild.

A variety of short excursions can be made from the Sanctuary. Towards the Tanzania border lie Lakes Jipe and Chala, the former, home of many water birds, while Lake Chala is the deepest crater lake in Africa.

The nearby Kaisugu Hills were the battle ground of the German forces and the British Army led by General Smuts in the 1914/18 war, and it is here that the formidable Lord Grogan (famous for his walk from Cape to Cairo for the love of a lady) built his home which is locally known as Grogan’s Castle.

Lake Baringo is a fresh water lake found in Rift Valley, 200km north of Naivasha. The lake is home to a huge mix of marine life and bird species.

Lake Baringo is the traditional home of the Njemps tribe, a unique people who are the only pastoral, cattle herding, tribe who also fish. Among other pastoral tribes such as the Maasai, eating fish is a taboo.

Lake Baringo offers an extraordinary variety of bird life (400 species recorded) and is known as the bird watching safari destination. Different species have been spotted on Lake Baringo. Flamingoes with a lighter shade of pink inhabit the lake along with the rare Greater Kudu.

The lake is also home to crocodiles and hippos. For viewing purposes, there exist boat trips that are efficient for going to the islands.

Lake Bogoria National Reserve lies about 220 km from Nairobi. The lake features jets of stream and boiling water shooting in the air. Thousands of both greater and lesser flamingoes migrate to Lake Bogoria which is a shallow soda lake when the water level in Lake Nakuru changes to extreme low or high. The greater kudu is best spotted here living on the Western shores of the lake.

The most dramatic yet the least-visited of the Great Rift Valley lakes, Lake Bogoria is a spectacular sight, reflecting searing blue skies and the rose pink of flamingo. It has significant ornithological interest with 135 species of birds recorded. Like Lake Nakuru, the alkaline waters of Lake Bogoria grow blue-green algae which seasonally attract thousands of flamingoes

On the western shores of Lake Bogoria you find hot geysers bubbling, to the east is the forbidding walls of the towering Siracha Escarpment, and to the south by gentle groves of fig trees and golden-green acacias, in whose shade linger Lake Bogoria’s herd of the rare Greater Kudu, buffalo, zebra, cheetah, baboon, warthog, caracal, spotted hyena, impala, dik dik and many small mammals.

Bogoria has around 200 hot springs in total but the largest and most spectacular collection erupts along the lakeside at Loburu, some 9 km from Loboi Gate.

The Masai Mara is the most popular game reserve in Kenya, and borders the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The landscaped is mostly open Savannah grasslands and acacia shrub land. Big cats occur in plenty in the Masai Mara reserve, the reserve also hosts the  annual wildebeests and zebra migration involving over 1.5 million animals. The migration begins between July and October.

Home to one of the wonders of the world, the great wildebeest migration, the Masai Mara is the premier game watching destination in the World. Established in 1961, it is globally known for its exceptional population of lions, cheetah, leopard, black rhino, elephant and the annual wildebeest migration that occurs between the months of July and October. It covers an area of 1,510 square kilometers and its plains are abundant with lots of other big and small game animals as well as a 470 species of birds.

Covering an area of 1,510 sq km and located 270 km away from Nairobi – 270 km away, the Masai Mara National Reserve was named for the Maasai people who inhabit the area, and for the Mara River, which flows through this great reserve. It shares a border with Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and is essentially a continuation of this park, forming the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.

The Masai Mara reserve is Kenya’s most popular Game Reserve as it hosts an amazing concentration of wildlife. You are almost guaranteed to see the Big 5 – Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Rhino and Elephant. Lions abound throughout the park as do leopards, cheetah, hyenas, giraffe, impala, wildebeest, topi, baboons, warthogs, buffalo, zebra, elephants, and of course hippos and crocodiles in the Mara River.

The Great Masai Mara Wildebeest Migration

The Masai Mara is home to an excellent year-round concentration of game and is renowned for its annual visit by the two million wildebeest Zebra and antelopes that make up the Great Wildebeest Migration Migration which happens between the months of July and October.

The Aberdare National Park, with an area of 767 Km2  covers the higher areas of the Aberdare Mountain Ranges of Central Kenya, from altitude of 1829M to 4001M above sea level.  The topography is quite diverse with deep ravines that cut through the forested eastern and western slopes. Animals easily observed in the park include; the Black Rhino, leopard, African hunting dog, baboon, black and white Colobus monkey and Sykes monkey. Rarer sightings include those of lions, giant forest hog Aberdare Cisticola, the golden cat and the bongo- an elusive forest antelope that lives in the bamboo forest. Animals like the eland and spotted and melanistic serval cats can be found higher up in the moorlands.

Visitors can also indulge in picnics, walking, trout fishing in the rivers and camping in the moorlands. Bird viewing is rewarding, with over 250 species of birds in the park, including the Jackson’s Francolin, sparry hawk, goshawks, eagles, sunbirds and plovers.

Covering an area of 767 square kilometers, Aberdares National Park is part of the Aberdares mountain ranges; the mountain range slopes on the western side of the the Great Rift Valley, 180 Km away from Nairobi.

Aberdares National Park lies mainly above the tree line running along the 10,000ft contour with some forest and scrub at lower altitude in the ‘salient’ area near Nyeri with the boundary running down to the 7,000ft contour. Aberdares National Park’s topography is diverse with deep ravines that cut through the forested eastern and western slopes and there are many clear streams and waterfall.

Safari Attractions in Aberdares National Park

All of Africa’s Big Five (Lion, elephant, buffalo, Leopard and Rhino) among other animals and bird species can be seen in Aberdares National Park.

Other attractions in Aberdares National Park include the Kimathi Hideout, Night viewing of wildlife at the Ark and Treetops, Lesatima peak, Kinangop peak, waterfalls, and walks in the moorlands, Twin hills, Elephant hills and Table Mountain

Nairobi National Park is a unique ecosystem by being the only protected area in the world close to a capital city. The park is located only 7 km from Nairobi city centre. The savannah ecosystem comprise of different vegetation types. Open grass plains with scattered acacia bush are predominant. The western side has a highland dry forest and a permanent river with a riverine forest.  To the south are the Athi – Kapiti Plains and Kitengela migration corridor which are important wildlife dispersal areas during the rain season. Man-made dams within the park have added a further habitat, favorable to certain species of birds and other aquatic biome.

Major wildlife attractions are the Black rhino, lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, buffaloes, Giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, elands and diverse bird-life with over 400 species recorded.  Other attractions include the Ivory burning site Monument, Nairobi Safari Walk, the Orphanage and the walking trails at hippo pools. This park also hosts the site of Kenya’s Ivory burning monument which was and still is Kenya’s symbol of and commitment to the fight against poaching and commitment to wildlife conservation.

A short drive out of Nairobi’s central business district is the Nairobi National Park. Wide open grass plains and backdrop of the city scrapers, scattered acacia bush play host to a wide variety of wildlife including the endangered black rhino, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, buffaloes, giraffes and diverse birdlife with over 400 species recorded. Visitors can enjoy the park’s picnic sites, three campsites and the walking trails for hikers.

Key features

Samburu National Reserve adjoins the Buffalo Springs in the south and the Shaba National Reserve ( Shaba takes its name from Mount Shaba – 1525 meters ABSL, a volcanic mountain that became extinct around 5,000 years ago and lies on the border of the reserve.) to the East. These game reserves are traversed by the Ewaso Nyiro River which meanders slowly between numerous acacia and doum trees, providing life support to the dry-land animals and a home to many crocodiles and Hippos.

Covering an area of 165 square kilometers, Samburu National reserve is located on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro river in Kenya’s Samburu County. In the middle of the reserve flows the Ewaso Nyiro river through doum palm groves and thick ravine forest. This river is the main source of water, and without it the game in this arid region would not survive. This park is world famous because is where born free Elsa the lioness was raised by George and Joy Adamson, and Kamunyak the lioness adopted an Oryx. Large game common in Kenya’s northern plains can be found in large numbers here including gerenuk, Gravy’s zebra, Beisa oryx and reticulated giraffe. All the three big cats can also be found here, lion, leopard and cheetah as well as elephant, buffalo and hippos. Also present are 350 species of birds and crocodiles which can be seen basking in the sun along the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro river.

Samburu, Shaba and Buffalo Springs National Reserves offer unique vistas of rounded and rugged hills and undulating plains. The mix of wood and grassland with riverine forest and swamp is home to a wide variety of animal and birdlife. Buffalo Springs records over 365 species of bird. Game viewing and visibility is excellent. Reticulated giraffe, Gravy’s zebra, elephant, oryx, Somali ostrich, hippo, crocodile, gerenuk, buffalo, lion, leopard, cheetah and hyena. Shaba National Reserve is home to Joy Adamson’s Monument.

Samburu Shaba and Buffalo Springs Reserves Safari Attraction

The Samburu region is the best place to find several endemic Northern species, including Gerenuk, the Reticulated Giraffe, and Gravy’s Zebra, the long horned Beisa Oryx and the Somali Ostrich.