|
Africa Game Parks, Africa National Parks,
Africa Wildlife Sanctuaries
KENYA NATIONAL PARKS AND RESERVES
MASAI MARA GAME RESERVE
Virtually everyone who visits Kenya goes
to this 320-sq. km. of open grassland dotted with flat-topped
acacia trees. A visit to Mara 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.
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.
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.
LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK
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.
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.
|
