Category: Kenya Game Parks and Reserves

One of the great soda lakes in the Rift Valley, its ecosystem comprises of the lake surrounded by mainly wooded and bushy grasslands. It supports a wide ecological diversity with greater and lesser flamingos and other water birds being the major attractions. The park is also famous for its healthy population of mammals, 56 in total including the white rhino, buffaloes, lions, cheetah, leopard and a wide variety of terrestrial birds with 450 species recorded so far.

Lake Nakuru is a shallow strongly alkaline lake set in a picturesque landscape of surrounding woodland and grassland. The landscape includes areas of marsh and grasslands alternating with rocky cliffs and outcrops, stretches of acacia woodland and rocky hillsides covered with a Euphorbia forest.

Lake Nakuru National Park is situated approximately 164 kilometers from Nairobi in the Great Rift Valley, in Kenya, near Nakuru town.

Lake Nakuru is a world class bird watching safari destination home to millions of Flamingos (greater and lesser), the fish eating pelicans as well as over 450 other species of birds. In addition to being a sanctuary for rhinos and the reticulated giraffe, Lake Nakuru National Park is also home to a variety of wildlife such as the lion, leopard, rhino, giraffe and buffalo.

Lake Nakuru National Park Topography Lake Nakuru’s landscape includes areas of marsh and grasslands alternating with rocky cliffs and outcrops, stretches of acacia woodland and rocky hillsides covered with a Euphorbia forest on the eastern perimeter.

Amboseli National Park , Kenya’s Second Most Popular National Park after the Masai Mara National Reserve is 260km (160 miles) from Nairobi, on the border with the neighboring country of Tanzania. Its magnificent situation at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, combined with its excellent opportunities to view Kenya’s animals, make it one of the most-visited safari parks in Kenya.

It is located in Loitoktok District, on the floor of the Rift Valley. It is mainly a savannah grassland ecosystem and is famous for being the best place in Africa to get close to free-ranging elephants among other wildlife species. Other attractions in the park include the views of the magnificent and majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa and the tallest free standing volcanic mountain in the world. The big cats and other plains game are abundant and common in Amboseli as well.

Covering 392 km2 and forming part of the much larger 3,000 Km2 Amboseli ecosystem, Amboseli National Park lies immediately North West of Mount Kilimanjaro, on the border with Tanzania. This Kenya safari attraction is located 250km from Nairobi and 310 Km from Mombasa.

Amboseli National Park’s ecosystem embodies 5 main wildlife habitats (open plains, acacia woodland, rocky thorn bush country, swamps and marshland) and covers part of a lake basin. The vegetation is varied but dominated by savannah which allows easy game spotting.

Wildlife in Amboseli National Park

Amboseli National Parks home to lions, leopards, zebra, hyena, impala, giraffe, cheetah and over 400 bird species among other animals. Amboseli is famous for its huge elephant herds, big game and its great scenic beauty – the landscape is dominated by Mount Kilimanjaro.

Tsavo West National Park is a popular safari destination on account of its magnificent scenery, Mzima Springs, rich and varied wildlife, good road system, rhino reserve, rock climbing potential and guided walks along the Tsavo River.

Covering an area of 7,065 square kilometers, Tsavo West is a savannah ecosystem that comprises of open grasslands, scrublands and acacia woodlands, belts of ravive vegetation and rocky ridges. Animals present in this park include rhino, lions, cheetah, leopard, hippos, buffalo, and over 600 diverse bird species including the threatened corncrake and the near threatened Basra Reed Warbler.

Distance: Located 240 km from Nairobi, 250km from Mombasa and covering an area of 9,065 square kilometers, Tsavo West National Park covers 30% of total Kenyan land under National Parks.

Tsavo West National Park’s landscape consists of open plains alternating with savannah bush and semi desert scrub, acacia woodlands, rocky ridges and outcrops and more extensive ranges and isolated hills; belts of riverine vegetation; palm thickets and on the Chyulu Hills, mountain forest.

Tsavo West National Park safari attractions

Tsavo West National Park is a popular Kenya safari destination on account of its magnificent scenery, Mzima springs, rich and varied wildlife, rhino sanctuary, good road system, rock climbing and guided walks potential along the Tsavo River. The Big Five can be found in the park along with a fine range of antelope species, elephants and a huge number of bird species. Other places of interest to visit include the Chaimu Crater and the Roaring Rocks.

Tsavo East National Park is located 333 km from Nairobi and approximately 160 Km from Mombasa, it is one of the largest national parks in Kenya.
The park contains some fantastic terrain, including rivers, lakes, tarns, glaciers, and peaks with a wide variety of vegetation, including grasslands, acacia vegetation, open plains and savanna. It is therefore recognized as one of the world’s leading bio-diversity strongholds. Some of the popular destinations within the park include the Mudanda Rock.

The joint mass of Tsavo East and Tsavo West forms one of the Largest National parks in the world. Tsavo East covers an area of 13,747 square kilometers. It is a vast and untouched area of arid bush and it is drained by the Galana river which meanders across the park. It is guarded by the never ending lava reaches of the Yatta plateau, the longest lava flow in the world, and its wilderness is roamed by some of the biggest herds of ‘red’ elephants in Kenya. Also present in the park are lions, buffalo, leopard, cheetah, hippo, crocodile, lots of other plains game and 500 recorded species of birds.

Kenya’s oldest and largest National Parks, Tsavo East National Park is a famous and home to some of the largest herds of elephant in Kenya, the elephants glow red after dust baths, blowing the vivid red dust through their trunks over their bodies, large prides of lion are sighted regularly and another great sight is the spectacular herds of up to 1000 buffalo.

Tsavo East National Park covers an area of about 11,747 sq and is located 333km south-east of Nairobi, and 173km north-west of Mombasa .Tsavo East National Parks consists mostly of miles and miles of dry flat thorn-bush, semi-arid acacia scrub and narrow woodland dominated by acacia.

There is a wide variety of animals to be seen in Tsavo East National Park: lion, leopard, cheetah, zebras, giraffes, serval cats, antelopes, kongoni, lesser kudu, oryx, klipspringer, impala, stripped hyena, gazelles, buffalos and elephants. Some 500 bird species have been recorded in the area, including ostrich and some migratory kestrels, while buzzards stop at Tsavo-East during their long flight South.

Safari Attractions in Tsavo East National Park

• Lugard’s Falls is a series of rapids on the Galana River where crocodiles love to bathe.
• Yatta Plateau is the world’s longest lava flow at 290km long.
• Mudanda Rock is a 1.6km outcrop of rock, with a dam at its base. This is a popular drinking place for animals.
• Aruba Dam also attracts animals and birds looking for a place to drink.

Tsavo East and the mane-less man-eating lions

In 1898, long before Tsavo National Park was created, a pair of mane less male lions terrorized the area. They reputedly killed 135 railway workers who were building the Kenya-Uganda railway. These man-eating lions dragged men from their tents, despite the thorn fences (bomas) built to keep them out. The mane less lions evaded traps and ambushes and were finally shot by Lt. Col. John Henry Patterson.