Great Adventure Trips

Kenya

Safaris - Prices / Family Safaris - Prices / Weddings
Combination Kenya-Tanzania Safaris - Prices / Park Info

Kenya Park & Reserve Info

The boundless wilderness and big game of Kenya have long attracted adventure seekers from all over the globe. No other African country can boast such an incredible range of landscapes, unique geographical features and species. Kenya offers the visitor a chance to experience a natural world unchanged by the passage of time. The Kenyan wilderness is home to an endless array of ecosystems, the staging ground for natural cycles of life, death and regeneration as old as the planet itself. This great range of natural habitats means that there is plenty to explore, and plenty of species to encounter.

Kenya offers 59 national parks and reserves, including marine parks, combined with hundreds of private sanctuaries and game ranches. Together, they offer one of the world's widest spectrums of wildlife habitats, each one with its own unique range of species. These habitats include open savannah, deep forest, soda (alkaline) and freshwater lakes, alpine meadows, coral reefs, caves, beaches and river deltas. Kenya maintains five parks and reserves protecting undersea life along its shores on the southeastern Indian ocean seacoast. Diving and snorkeling is permitted in the coral reefs where dolphins, turtles, giant morays and mantas cavort.

Some hotspots include:

Maasai Mara Game Reserve. The most popular wildlife reserve in Kenya, the Maasai Mara offers the best animal viewing in the country. It lies in southwest Kenya and is an extension of the Serengeti Plains. The Mara comprises 583 sq. mi./1,510 sq. km. of open plains, woodlands and riverine forest. The grassland plains host herds of zebra, giraffe, gazelle, and topi. The Acacia forest is home to an abundance of birdlife and monkeys. The most popular wildlife safari experience arrives in Kenya every July-September. During the migration, 1.5 million wildebeest migrate north from the Serengeti intermingled with zebra and prides of lion with a dramatic crossing of the Mara River. The Mara has been called the Kingdom of Lions and these regal and powerful hunters dominate these grasslands. The Mara is probably the best serviced of all Kenyan parks and reserves with a wide range of accommodations. The reserve is a popular attraction with safari operators and is ideal for game drives, and some lodges and camps offer treks and balloon safaris.

Tsavo National Park. Covers more than 8,035 sq. mi./20,812 sq. km. It is Kenya's largest national park—about the size of Jamaica—and is split into Tsavo East and Tsavo West by the busy Mombasa/Nairobi Highway and the railroad.

Lake Nakaru is a "soda" (alkaline) lake in the Great Rift Valley of central Kenya whose waters are often covered by up to an estimated two million flamingos at one time. The lake is surrounded by forest and plains that are home to lion, rhino, leopard and large herds of waterbuck.

Amboseli. For the visitor most interested in the elephant, a wildlife safari into Amboseli is the ultimate experience. The park consists of wide open plains crowned by Mount Kilimanjaro over the border in Tanzania. It is easily accessible from Nairobi and its relatively small size and open plains make game viewing excellent.

Laikipia in Central Kenya is a game rich area known for the seclusion and privacy of its game sanctuaries. This region was once a series of large private cattle ranches and traditional grazing land that has been turned into a collective wildlife preserve. It is one of the best examples of wildlife conservation and ecotourism movements in Kenya. Many of the area's ranches incorporate a range of varied habitats and as a result, an equally diverse range of species can be found. Most of these contiguous properties allow migratory herds to move unobstructed from one ranch to the next. This has resulted in large, healthy populations of game.

Samburu, Shaba and Buffalo Springs are three reserves in the northcentral Rift Valley area. It is a contrasting arid wilderness where the waters of the Ewaso Nygiro River create a green oasis that attracts an abundance of game including elephants, leopards, oryx and giraffe. Lions, cheetah and African hunting dogs are also seen. Mighty Mount ol olokwe forms a backdrop. This river flows through three great northern reserves — Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba where Joy Adamson, author of Born Free spent her final years. More recently, Shaba served as the location for the hit series Survivor Africa (see Lesson one, Famous Names).

Nairobi National Park. Just 20 minutes from Nairobi, it's Kenya's first national park that hosts herds of zebra and giraffe, prides of lions and rhinos. It's a good spot for big cats, but no elephants are allowed to live there. Primarily savanna or plains, it also includes areas of highland forest, acacia, and riverine environments. Few people realize that the park is not entirely enclosed and that animals migrate into and out of the park with the rainy seasons. The park maintains an animal orphanage and a nearby butterfly house, one of the largest in the world, recently opened.

Meru. This remote park in eastern Kenya is the country's newest wildlife attraction and its least visited. Surrounding the waters of the Tana River, this wilderness was the area where the lioness Elsa in Born Free lived. Lion prides, large herds of buffalo and elephant, giraffe and oryx are abundant.

Mount Kenya. The forests around the base of Mount Kenya are rich in big game. Buffalo and elephant are often seen. The area is also known for sightings of black panthers. On the higher slopes, there are hyraxes and birds of prey. Rhino, lion and plenty of smaller game inhabit the area. The forest canopies are home to Colobus, Vervet and sykes monkeys. It is possible to climb to the peak of Mount Kenya with some technical climbing assistance.

Mount Elgon. The forests around Elgon are a haven for monkeys, as well as elephant, buffalo, and leopard. The higher moorland plains are popular with grazing game. The mountain is deservedly famous for its elephants, which enter the caves for the salt walls.

Lamu. The palm forests and wetland areas are excellent spots for finding coastal waterfowl and other birds. On the stretches of beach around the shore, large populations of crabs can be seen. On the arid mainland opposite Lamu, there is a surprising abundance of wildlife in the Dodori National Reserve, including buffalo, lion and leopard. The mangrove channels here are also good for birding and spotting an occasional crocodile.

South Coast. Game viewing is superb in the Jadini Forest, which borders the beach by Diani. This area is good for birding, but especially good for primates. The forest is home to baboon troops, and Vervet and Colobus monkeys. These mangroves are excellent for birding and are also home to large populations of crocodiles.

North Coast. Vervet monkeys live along this coastal area and in the bush and forests surrounding Bamburi. The Bamburi Nature Trail is a former disused quarry that has been reborn as a small private thriving game sanctuary fully stocked with giraffe and hippo. At Nyali, the Mamba Village Crocodile Farm is open to the public. There are plenty of crocodiles on display and daily feedings. The complex also has a restaurant and popular nightclub.

Shimba Hills. A quiet place set in cool highland overlooking the ocean. There is plenty of game out on the open plains, including the sable. The cool of the forest is also very good birding country. The Shimba Hills Lodge is set around a salt lick and waterhole in the forest. The nearby Mwalunganji Elephant Reserve is a recently established sanctuary for several large herds of elephant.

Taita and Chyulu Hills. Its proximity to both Tsavo and Amboseli make them exceptionally rich in game. The Taita Hills sanctuary is privately owned. Some of the Taita lodges and camps offer short bush walks to look for game or birdlife. This is your best chance of seeing the very rare Taita falcon and Taita thrush.

Aberdares. This forest is rich in big game. Large herds of buffalo and elephant are often seen, especially at the salt licks and waterholes of the forest lodges. Rare species include giant forest hog, leopards rhino, and Bongo antelope. In the treetops around the lodges, Colobus monkeys are often seen, while at night bushbabies and genets slip quietly through the rafters.

Lake Turkana. Kenya's ultimate destination for the adventurous wildlife safari. The lake supports the largest population of Nile crocodiles in al of Africa at about 22,000, and a large hippo population. Boat trips are the best way of seeing hippo and crocodiles. The rocky Central Island is a nesting place for many waterbirds, and home to some very large crocodiles. Sibiloi National Park on the northwestern shore supports seasonal populations of Grevy's zebra, gerenuk, giraffe, kudu, ostrich, lion, hyena and cheetah.

Lake Magadi. Large seasonal populations of flamingo come here to nest within the safety of these desolate salt flats. The freshwater springs in the north attract a host of other birdlife. On the plains, further away from the salt flats, other game including giraffe, eland and baboons can be found.

Lake Victoria. Ruma National Park, outside Homa Bay, is a remote and seldom visited park. In the thick bush of Ruma rare species include large roan and the tiny oribi antelope, Rothschilds giraffe and Jackson hartebeest. Just outside Kisumu, a sanctuary has been created for several large populations of impala. The three islands of Mfangano, Rusinga and Takawiri feature hippos. The island lodges organize nature and bird walks.

Kakamega. Jungle atmosphere with a forest canopy supporting troops of monkeys. The treetops also hold giant forest squirrels, and many birds, bats, giant flying foxes, leaping bushbabies, flying squirrels, and rare flora pangolin and potto.

Lake Naivasha. Some areas of the lakeshore have recorded more than 400 bird species. The acacia forests teem with birdlife. The water is dotted with pelicans and African fish eagles. The lake is also famous for its 400-strong hippo population.

Lake Nakaru. World-famous for its flamingos, it's also a sanctuary for rhino both black and white. Nakuru means 'place of the waterbuck' and is well named with buffalo, zebra, rare Rothschild Giraffe and other plains game. Lion are often seen, as are leopards, resting in trees under the Baboon Cliffs.

Lake Bogoria. More remote than Naivasha, Nakuru or Baringo, this soda lake also features geothermal springs. Lake Bogoria's flamingo population is often greater than Lake Nakuru. Zebra and gazelle are seen along the shore and the higher forested areas reveal buffalo or the rare Greater Kudu. There is also a large population of African fish eagles.