KENYA NATIONAL PARKS & RESERVES

MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE

This is one of the most spectacular and most popular game reserves in Kenya. Rich in game, the rolling grasslands and acacia savannah have frequently been captured on film, with "Out of Africa" being the most famous. The reserve borders Tanzania and the two countries share the vast Serengeti plains, with wildlife free to roam between Kenya and Tanzania in search of food. The concentration of game in the Mara during the mass migration is mind blowing, and this is one of the few areas where you are likely to see the big five - buffalo, elephant, rhino, lion and leopard.

In fact lion are ridiculously common and as they have grown accustomed to cars, you are quite likely to see them feeding on a kill during your visit. This is also a good place to see cheetah, sitting majestically on a termite mound watching the world. Other animals include zebra, spotted hyena, black backed jackal, hippo, giraffe, eland and of course wildebeest. The Mara-Serengeti ecosystem is famous for the annual migration of over one million wildebeest and thousands of zebra. The incredible spectacle of them crossing the Mara river into Kenya happens in late July or August. Thousands of animals die in this dramatic crossing and predators and crocodiles have a field day. In October the animals return again.
 

The history of this area can be traced back at least 2000 years, when Neolithic man discarded pottery and arrow heads in the Lemek valley slightly north of the reserve. The Masai herdsmen have occupied the area since the 17th century, living in harmony with the wildlife as pastoralists and not hunters. These proud warrior people are still here today and the men often perform an amazing dance in the lodges. The Masai Mara does not have national park status, but instead is a reserve where the Masai can live and graze their animals.

There is a wide range of safari lodges and tented camps in the Mara, and to get there you can join an organized safari or make your own arrangements. By vehicle it takes six hours from Nairobi or by air just half an hour from Nairobi Wilson Airport.

AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK

One of the classic images of East Africa is that of a herd of elephant strolling across the plains with the snow-capped peak of Kilimanjaro in the background. It is to catch this sight on memory and on film that people flood to Amboseli National Park. While Kilimanjaro is actually across the border in Tanzania, Amboseli has a perfect view of this world's tallest freestanding mountain, at an impressive 5km above the plains. The best time to view the majestic mountain is at dawn and sunset, when the clouds lift and the light is lovely.

Amboseli is not a large park, but it offers you the best opportunity of seeing endangered black rhino, as well as a spectacular range of wildlife. Most of Amboseli is flat and dusty and the best spots for game viewing are the two swamps (see"Activities"). Unfortunately Amboseli's rich wildlife has also been its downfall. Too many minibus and jeep drivers veering off the roads in pursuit of a good look at the game have turned the delicate grass plains into a dust bowl. Stick to the roads to protect the park's fragile ecosystem and maybe others will follow your example. Amboseli is about 200km from Nairobi on fairly good roads.

Tsavo National park

Tsavo is Kenya 's largest safari destination and one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in the world! At 10 million square acres it is bigger than the island of Jamaica.

Tsavo West National Park is of recent volcanic activity and is covered in volcanic cones, rock outcrops and lava flows - the most spectacular being Shaitani, near Kaliguni Safari Lodge.

On safari in Tsavo you'll see large herds of pink elephants - not caused by too many Kenyan Tusker Beers, but by the thin red dust that is found in Tsavo. There are interesting geographical features in Tsavo including the Lugard Falls and the Mzima Springs, where an underwater observatory allows you to view the hippo, barbels and crocodiles. Mount Kilimanjaro dominates the western horizon and is a spectacular site from across the plains.

A Tsavo Safari is the ideal destination for people who seek solitude and privacy as well as the chance to explore the wilderness. With its proximity to Mombasa it is also an ideal safari for those staying on the coast.

Samburu

Samburu National Park is a journey of about 220 miles north of Nairobi in Kenya’s arid, northern scrub lands.  This tiny park is only 64 square miles but in its boundaries is the best game viewing the north country has to offer.

Some say “the animals in the north are more beautiful” – and while there’s certainly some regional pride in this statement, there’s also quite a lot of truth.  You will see species here you won’t see anywhere else and yes, they are uniformly beautiful.  Reticulated giraffe, boldly marked blocks separated by the finest of lines, delicately browse through acacia branches.  Grevy’s zebra, fine lined patterns that seem to merge to gray from a distance, is easily distinguished from its Burchell (common) zebra cousin – besides the finer patterning the Grevy is larger with more of a domesticated horse conformation; front and back ends seem more in balance.  Grevys also seem to have a bit more self possession, less of the Burchell’s spookiness, and maybe that comes from the higher self esteem good looks bring about?  One of our favorites is the gerenuk, the gracefully long-necked “giraffe” antelope, who’s perfectly capable of stretching full height on his hind legs to snatch an acacia morsel.  That strikingly marked huge antelope, Beisa oryx, lives here as well, as do elephant, lion and the occasional leopard.

Our tours that include Samburu schedule 2 nights here.  And it’s just barely enough.  Samburu is a place, like the deserts of the American Southwest, that inspires strong emotion, fierce feelings of connectivity with the land and its wildlife.  Samburu conjures a sense of place…a feeling that every scrubby acacia, every thorn bush, every tuft of desert grass or riverbank green has a secret story.  And if you’re lucky, you’ll be a part of some of them.

ABERDARE NATIONAL PARK

The Aberdare National Park is part of the Aberdare Mountain Range, a fascinating region of Kenya. According to traditional Kikuyu folklore they are one of the homes of Ngai (God).

Mountain ranges and peaks soar to around 14,000 ft. giving way to deep V-shaped valleys with streams and rivers cascading over spectacular waterfalls - this area is a must for landscape lovers. From its vital catchment area the Aberdare Rainforest feeds the entire local and Nairobi water supply. Above the forest is a belt of bamboo, a favourite haunt of the Bongo, a rare and elusive forest antelope. At 10,000 ft. the bamboo gives way to moorland, home to the eland, spotted and melanistic serval cats. Other features are the giant varieties of lobelia, groundsel and heather. Ideal for walking, picnics, camping and trout fishing in the rivers, the moorlands are reminiscent of the European Highlands.

Animals abound in the forest: elephant, buffalo, giant forest hog and Kenya's indigenous endangered Black Rhino. The entire forest is being fenced to protect settlement farmers from animal raids and to create a rhino and forest sanctuary. The Rhino Ark Trust organises fundraising events to raise the money to build this fence.

Gameviewing is very rewarding: lion. leopard, baboon, Black and White Colobus and Sykes monkeys are abundant. Rare sightings have also been made of the Golden Cat. Bird viewing is incredible with over 250 species recorded, including Jackson's Francolin, sparrow hawk, African goshawk, eagles, sunbirds and plovers.

There is a variety of accommodation. Treetops tree-house lodge and the Ark, a lodge built in the shape of Noah's Ark provide night game-viewing in the Salient area of the Park with excellent sightings of elephant, buffalo, lion and rhino, drawn to the waterholes and saltlicks each evening.

Overall within the Aberdare National Park, there are two lodges, three self-help banda sites, eight special campsites (requiring advance booking) and one public campsite (moorland).

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