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KENYA NATIONAL PARKS AND
RESERVES
Virtually everyone who visits
Kenya goes to this 320-sq. km. of open grassland
dotted with flat-topped acacia trees. A visit to
Mara National Park is truly a staggering one, and
which is likely to have a profound effect on your
own feeling of insignificance. This is the Kenyan
section of the Serengeti and animals are in
abundant. All year round, the Masai Mara, a living
tapestry of grassy savanna, spreading thorn trees,
rounded hills and tall gallery forests with its
abundant wild life draw hundreds of thousands of
photographers and visitors from all over the
world. The Mara is home to millions of wild game
such as wildebeest and gazelle among others and
are continuously tracked by Africa's great
predators. The annual migration of these animals
is one of the most inspiring sights on earth, and
this is the dramatic life and death struggle that
tourists come to see. Other animals seen are lion,
elephant, cheeter, leopard, zebra, antelope,
impala, Thomson gazelle, topi, giraffe, baboon,
jackal, warthog, rhino and hyena.
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MASAI MARA GAME RESERVE
A visit to
the Masai village, located inside the reserve.
This is a cultural village of the Masai tribe's
people and it is an ideal place to take video
pictures, buy trinkets and beadwork. Ballooning
Safaris, Hot-air ballooning at dawn as you drift
quietly, is the best way of viewing the savanna
plains and the animals without the intrusion of
vehicles and the dozens of tourists.
Accommodation facilities in Masai Mara are
plentiful and range from luxurious 5-star
lodges to Spartan tented camps. Hot air
balloon excursions are available in the Game
Reserve.
LAKE NAKURU
NATIONAL PARK (THE PINK LAKE)
This is 200-sq. km shallow Soda
Lake lying in the volcanic strewn Rift Valley and
is one of a chain of lakes stretching the length
of Kenya from Tanzania to Ethiopia. It is world's
greatest bird spectacle with millions of pink
flamingos and pelicans, birds of prey like
vulture, eagle and such animals as waterbuck and
black rhino, buffalo, Reedbuck, gazelle, leopard,
hyrax, hippos, velvet-monkey, Rothschild giraffe
and baboon. This is an ideal place for
ornithologists and photographers.
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Lake Nakuru National Park lies in
the heart of Rift Valley. The Park was gazetted in
1967 as the first bird sanctuary in Africa. Lake
Nakuru has been described as a "bird watchers'
paradise", and is acknowledged to be the greatest
ornithological spectacle on earth. Millions of
flamingoes flock here throughout the year and
transform the shores of the lake to a pink
'carpet' over 300,000 birds can be seen at one
sighting. Besides the flamingoes, Lake Nakuru
National Park provides habitat for over 400 bird
species.
Lake Nakuru National Park, which
surrounds the Lake, was established to protect the
colony of Flamingoes as well as to provide a
sanctuary for such endangered species as the White
Rhino and the Rothschild Giraffe. The animals have
been placed behind an electrical fence for their
safety and surveillance.
The Park abounds with other
wildlife, notably; Buffalos, Hippos, Giraffes,
Zebras, Primates, and many species of Antelope.
LAKE NAIVASHA
This is one of the Rift Valley's
fresh water lakes with different ecology from that
of the soda lakes. It is also home to a large
variety of bird species. Main activities are
fishing (both sport and commercial fishing). The
Crater Lake found here is magnificent with lush
green vegetation at the bottom of a beautiful
volcanic crater. HELL'S GATE Located in Naivasha
area, is one of the lowland parks on the country
which you can walk through. The looming cliffs and
the Hell's Gate gorge itself are spectacular and
home to a variety of birds and such animals as
zebra, baboons, Thomson gazelle, antelope,
cheeter, and leopard. Another main attraction is
the Fischer's Tower 25-m high calcium of volcanic
rock. The Olkaria Geothermal power station, which
uses one of the hottest sources of energy in the
world, is also a spectacular site, with plumes of
steam rising into the air .
KAKAMEGA FOREST RESERVE
Kakamega Forest is a superb slab
of virgin tropical rainforest the heart of an
intensely cultivated agricultural area. It is the
home to a huge variety of birds and animals and it
is real a must see. Here you will find exotic
species like the rare De Brazza's monkey, other
forest primates include the red-tailed monkey the
colobus and blue monkey. In the night you will see
the hammer-headed fruit bat or a flying squirrel
The biggest attraction to this
reserve is the abundant bird life the best months
being June, August and October when many migrant
species arrive. More than 300 species of birds
have been recorded, you are most likely to see
black and white casqued horn bill, Ross's Turaco,
greater Turaco. Wild flowers and butterflies are
wonderful in October.
 
This is an excellent place for
walking, trails are the best way to appreciate the
forest and there are established trails.
Places to stay in Kakamega
include the Rondo Retread, which was opened
recently to visitors, 3km from the main road. This
is a church group owned place and they mainly use
it for their missionaries in the initial stages
but now it has become popular and it is a
wonderful top end accommodation in self-contained
bungalows. The gardens are very beautiful just the
place to go for solitude away from it all.
There are also some bandas
operated by KWS and a campsite at Buyangu or one
could hope to stay in town hotels.
SAMBURU AND SHABA NATIONAL RESERVES
Samburu and Shaba National
Reserves, situated in the sparsely populated
semi-desert region of Kenya, form one of the most
interesting game viewing areas in the country.
Samburu National Reserve adjoins
the Buffalo Springs National Reserve in the South
and Shaba National Reserve to the East. The Game
Reserve is traversed by the gentle Ewaso Nyiro
river, which meanders, slowly between numerous
acacia trees, providing life support to the
dry-land animals and a home to many crocodiles and
Hippos. The two National Reserves are the
exclusive home of some unique wildlife that
include the reticulated Giraffe, the Gravy's Zebra
and the Beisa Oryx. It is only in these game
sanctuaries that you will find the graceful
Gerenuk (sometimes called Giraffe Gazelle), a
long-necked Gazelle that stands on its hind legs
to nibble on high bushes leaves, and the rare
blue-necked Somali Ostrich.
 
Other animals commonly seen in
Samburu and Shaba National Reserves include the
Leopard, Cheetah, Elephant, Eland and a small
number of lions. There are over 100 species of
birds. Large flocks of Guinea fowls are a common
sight. Shaba was the home of Joy Adamson, the
world-renowned author, conservationist and artist,
together with her lioness Elsa. In Samburu
National Reserve lives Larsen, the strange lioness
who has, completely out of character, attempted
several times to adopt antelope babies.
LAKE BOGORIA AND LAKE BARINGO
NATIONAL RESERVES
About 125 km North of Nakuru town
lies Lake Bogoria, one of the most beautiful and
spectacular of the Rift Valley lakes. It is a
shallow soda lake and one ideal for the production
of blue-green algae, the stable food for the
flamingoes migrate to this lake from Lake Nakuru
and elsewhere for breeding.
But perhaps more interesting is
the breath-taking view of stem jets with boiling
geysers which bubble out of natural underground
rock. It is a geological wonder one cannot afford
to miss. These springs are hot enough to boil an
egg within minutes! About 50km in the North is
Lake Baringo, a fresh water lake without a surface
outlet. Lake Baringo has over 400 bird species.
Boat rides past schools of Hippo and a visit to
islands on the Lake are popular activities.
MOUNT KENYA AND THE ABERDARES
NATIONAL PARKS.
Mount Kenya (5,199m) is the
second highest mountain in Africa after Mount
Kilimanjaro.
Mount Kenya National Park was
established in 1949 to protect the mountain
forests and bamboo thickets with their varied
wildlife, the alpine moorlands, and the glaciers.
The park includes all the mountains area above the
tree line. Mount Kenya National Park offers game
viewing, mountain climbing, and beautiful scenery
with interesting variations of flora and fauna at
different altitudes. Wildlife found in this Game
Park include Buffalos, Elephants, Rhinos,
Leopards, Primates and many species of Antelope,.
Sightings of albino Zebras have been recorded in
this sanctuary.
One interesting establishment
close but outside the Game Park is the world
renowned Mount Kenya Safari Club whose attractions
include a game breeding ranch and the William
Holden wildlife Education center. About 95 km to
the west of Mount to the West of Mount Kenya lies
the Aberdares National Park. The park was set up
for the protection and preservation of the
indigenous forests as a water catchments area, the
prolific wildlife, the moorlands, and for mountain
climbing adventures. The most common wildlife in
Aberdares National Park include the Elephant,
Buffalo, Leopard, Giant Forest Hog, Spotted Hyena,
Eland, and Bush Duiker. The rare and beautiful
forest antelope, the Bongo, inhabits the higher
bamboo zone.
The most common wildlife in
Aberdares National Park includes the Elephant,
Buffalo, leopard, Giant Forest Hog, Spotted Hyena,
Eland, and Bush Duiker. The rare and beautiful
forest antelope, the Bongo, inhabits the higher
zone. The Aberdares' two famous lodges-The Ark and
the Treetops- are specifically designed to enable
the residents view the animals after dark, both
offer floodlit saltlick and ponds that can be
observed from some secure areas in the lodges.
It was while a guest at the
Treetops that Queen Elizabeth 11 of England
ascended to the British throne. It is also at the
nearby town of Nyeri that lie the remains of Lord
Baden Powell, the founder of the boys Scouts
movement.
AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK
Amboseli National park is one of
the most popular wildlife sanctuaries in Kenya. It
is situated close to Kenya. It is situated close
to Kenya- Tanzania border, The Park lies at the
foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in
Africa (5,896m) whose snow-capped summit presents
a splendid view on clear days.
 
Amboseli National Park is often
referred to as "The home of Elephants' some of the
largest Elephant herds are found here. The Game
Park also contains vast groups of Zebras,
Wildebeests, Giraffes, Buffalos, Hippos and
Antelopes. Also to be found in Amboseli are lions,
leopards, Cheetahs, Rhinos and many species of
plain game.
TSAVO EAST AND TSAVO WEST NATIONAL
PARKS.
Tsavo lies mid-way between
Nairobi and Mombasa. Tsavo National Park,
measuring approximately 22,000sq kms, is believed
to be the largest game sanctuary in the world. For
administrative purposes, the game park has been
split into Tsavo East National Park contains the
Yatta plateau, one of the world's largest lava
flows, and the lugard Falls, a favorable haunt for
the sunbathing Nile Crocodiles. Outstanding
features in Tsavo West National Park include the
8km long Shetani (devil) lava flow and the
fabulous Mzima springs, an oasis that has no
comparison. Here, a subterranean river of
crystal-clear water from Kilimanjaro melting snow
gushes out of the ground. The water is so clear
and cool that you watch teeming tropical fish,
hippo and the crocodile eyeball to eyeball while
sitting in the safety of an underwater glass
window observatory. There is also Chyulu Hills
beneath which lies one of the biggest cave system
in the world.
The fascinating physical
landscape and its proximity to Kenya’s coast makes
Tsavo a popular safari destination. On account of
it’s size this National Park does not have the
traffic experienced in other game sanctuaries.
Tsavo accommodates a huge population of “red
Elephant”-red coming from the rich red earth of
the park. Also of great attraction are the
maneless Tsavo lions, descendants from the
infamous “Man Eaters of Tsavo”-lions that wrecked
havoc in the work campus of coolies building the
Kenya-Uganda railway at the beginning of the 20th
century. Other animals to be found in Tsavo
include Buffalos, Rhinos, Leopards, Hippos,
Zebras, Giraffes, Primates and Antelopes.
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