The
117km square Nairobi National Park is unique by being
the only protected area in the world with a variety of
animals and birds close to capital city. The park is principle
attraction to Nairobi visitors. The park has a diversity
of environments with characteristic flora and fauna. Open
grass plains with scattered acacia bush are predominant.
The bird has rich/diverse bird life with over 400 species
recorded. The park is also one of the most successful
Rhino sanctuaries. Black rhinos can be seen in their natural
habitat.
Major attraction sites are: annual wild beest migration,
Black rhinoceros, diverse bird life, Lions, cheetah, leopards,
hyena, buffalo, Zebra, ivory burning site monument, Nairobi
Safari walk & orphanage.
ACCOMODATION: Accommodation facilities
are available in the city; further, there is Masai safari
lodge near the park.
Also
known as Njorowa gorge. It covers 68.25 km and is situated
in the environ of lake Naivasha, about 90km from Nairobi.It
is characterized by diverse topography and geological
scenary. It is important home of the lammergeyer. Its
major attractions are game viewing, raptor nesting in
cliffs, birdlife, spectacular gorge walk, hot springs,
scenic landscape, the geothermal station and Maasai culture.
Other facilities available are campsites e.g. Oldubai
campsite, naiburuta, Endacha.Picnic sites e.g. Trail,
gorge, fishers tower, Obsidain cave. Walking is permitted,
making it ideal for hiking, biking, and rock climbing.
A boat trip on the lake is widely available, and is a
great way to spend an afternoon or morning.
Located 333 km from Nairobi, the Tsavo East National Park
is one of the largest national parks in Kenya. It covers
an area of about 11,747 square kilometers. The park contains
some fantastic terrain, including rivers, lakes, tarns,
glaciers, 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.
The park is also one of Kenya's oldest national parks
- it was opened in April 1948. Covering an area of about
40% of all land covered by Kenyan national parks, this
park is a popular safari destination, especially due to
easy accessibility from the coast. A number of tour guides
offer private safaris in the park. Camel safaris are another
unique feature of the park. Spectacular views are yet
another reason why droves of photographers frequent the
park. Visitors can stay at different types of accommodation
offered. There is a large lodge with about 104 beds, four
tented camps providing 92 beds, two more campsites providing
36 beds, a self-help banda site (12 beds) and nine more
campsites. The park authorities are planning further lodges
and tented camps. There are also 16 airstrips in the area.
Some of the popular destinations within the park include
the Mudanda Rock and the Yatta Plateau, which is the world's
largest lava flow. Luggard's Falls on the Galana River
include shapely water-worn rocks. Visitors can view a
variety of animals at the park, including elephant, rhino,
lion, leopard, crocodile, waterbuck, kudu, gerenuk, zebra
and Aruba Hunter's hartebeest. Visitors can try to observe
the large herds of elephants after their dust baths -
they glow red as they blow the red dust through the trunks.
There are also about 500 species of birds, including the
ostrich, and migratory birds like kestrels and buzzards.
It covers 360sq.km. It supports a wild range of wildlife.
Oversize tusk-carrying elephants mingle with the herds
of buffalo & parade to water in the late afternoon
at the crater, which forms part of the beautiful surround
of the lodge. There are also reticulated Giraffe, Baboons,
Bushbucks, Greater Kudu, Monkey, Oryx, Gazelles, and Zebra.
Lions, Hyenas, Cheetahs and Leopard.
ACCOMMODATION: Accommodation is available
at Marsabit Lodge Situated within Marsabit National Park.
The lodge has 24 fully refurbished guest rooms all with
private bathrooms and back doors giving access to the
balcony, which enjoys uninterrupted views, lies within
Marsabit Mountain Range, which rises from the expansive
chalbi desert
It is an easy two and a half hour flight in a light aircraft.
The Park lies on the eastern shores of Lake Turkana and
its northern boundary is only some 40 kilometers from
the Kenya/Ethiopia border. The Park covers an area of
1570 km2 and contains some of the world’s most important
palaeontological and archaeological sites. Although it
is one of the more remote and therefore less visited of
Kenya’s parks, Sibiloi has plenty to offer alongside
its rich palaeontological and archaeological heritage.
Central Island is an extinct volcano that rises out of
the middle of Lake Turkana. It is a scenic and dramatic
island, some 5 km2 in size. A footpath skirts the perimeters
of the three crater lakes and follows the shoreline in
places. The path also leads up the northeastern flank
of the volcano, past active sulfur and steam vents. Although
there is no risk of the volcano erupting today, the smells
of sulfur provides impressive indication of the volcanic
activity below.
The island is an important breeding ground for migratory
and other bird species. The crater on the northern part
of the island is appropriately named flamingo crater after
the colourful pink flamingos that are often found feeding
on the abundant green algae in its waters. Herons, egrets
and storks use the steep cliffs of this crater as their
nesting sites. The island still provides refuge to breeding
crocodiles, although the crocodile population has declined
on the island in recent years due to the increased presence
of fishermen. One of the three crater lakes is home to
an endemic subspecies of cichlid (tilapia) fish.
Ol Donyo Sabuk or Sleeping Buffalo, also called Kilima
Mbogo in Swahili meaning the Hill of buffalo, lies about
80 kilometers east of Nairobi and beyond Thika town on
the Thika-Garissa road. The Mountain was established as
a National park in 1967. The park covers the forested
slopes and the summit of the mountain (2,148 meters or
7,040 ft.), with outstanding scenic beauty and wonderful
views.
On clear mornings the view of the snow peaks of Mt. Kenya,
over 100 kilometers away add to the charming beauty of
the green grasslands and coffee estates below the mountain.
A nine kilometer motor track through the forest to the
summit, pass the graves of Sir William Northrup, a wealthy
American farmer and Lady McMillan who were buried on the
mountain. Sir William was knighted for his service in
the First World War.
A short distance before the entrance of the park are
the beautiful Fourteen Falls on the Athi River dropping
thunderously over a 27m (90 ft.) deep slope. Commonly
seen animals include buffalo, Bushbuck, Sykes monkey and
Black-faced vervet monkey. Black rhino and Leopard may
be seen
One of the most popular national parks in Kenya in the
Amboseli National Park, located 135 km from Nairobi. It
has been designated as an international biosphere reserve.
Amboseli offers an interesting contrast in appearance.
It has a somewhat dry and dusty appearance, which can
be attributed to the volcanic ash that came out of Mt
Kilimanjaro when it last erupted. It offers a variety
of accommodation for tourists. Visitors mainly come to
watch the huge herds of elephants. There are about 900
elephants in the park. The bull elephants have some of
the largest tusks in all of Kenya. Wildlife here includes
the zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, impala, caracal and serval
cat, lion, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, wild dog, and hippo.
There are also over 400 species of birds, including the
bee-eater, kingfisher, African fish eagle, marital eagle
and pygmy falcon. Visitors can also enjoy excellent views
of Mt Kilimanjaro and Meru.
The park lies about 348 km from Nairobi and covers an
area of about 870 square kilometers. It contains terrain
ranging between 1,000 and 3,400 feet above sea level,
and hence contains diverse vegetation - from open plains
and riverbanks dotted with doum palms to woodlands at
3,000 feet on the slopes of the Nyambeni Mountain Range.
No less than 13 rivers and other smaller streams crisscross
this beautiful terrain. It provides accommodation in the
eight special campsites, which must be pre-booked, a public
campsite, KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service) self-help banda
and Leopard Rock bandas. Visitors can view a wide variety
of wildlife at the park - large prides of lion, large
herds of buffalo, elephant, cheetah, leopard, lesser kudu,
duiker, dikdik, hippo, and crocodile. There are also 300
species of birds, including the Pter's Finfoot, Pel's
Fishing Own, kingfisher, roller, bee-eater, starling,
and weaverbirds. The park offers visitors spectacular
views of Mt Kenya
At 5,199m high, Mount Kenya is Africa's second highest
mountain. It offers easy or challenging ascents with scenic
beauty. Part of the mountain's fascination is the variation
in flora and fauna as the altitude changes. The lower
slopes are covered with dry upland forest, the true montane
(mountain) forest begins at 2,000m is mainly cedar and
podo. At 2,500m begins a dense belt of bamboo forest,
which merges into the upper forest of smaller trees, interpersed
with glades. In this area the trees are festooned with
high altitude moss. These forest belts are host to many
different animals and plants with at least 11 unique species.
There are Black and White Colobus and Sykes Monkeys, bushbuck,
buffalo, elephant and lower down Olive Baboon, waterbuck,
black rhino, black fronted duikers, leopard, giant forest
hog, genet cat, bushpig and hyena. More elusive is the
bongo, a rare type of forest antelope. A number of other
rare or endangered species can be found here: Sunni Buck,
Mount Kenya Mole Shrew, Skinks (lizard), and a variety
of owls. Occasional sightings have been recorded of albino
zebra. There is only one lodge inside the park (total
66 beds) seven climbers huts (total 82 beds) and three
self-help banda sites (total 136 beds). Just outside the
Park there are three lodges (total 456 beds) and another
self-help banda site (34 beds).
(Altitude 3,000 - 5,000ft., opened January 1976 covering
an area of 68 sq. kms.), 180 kms. From Nairobi. Its main
feature is the meeting of the tana and Thiba Rivers within
the reserve and the Kaburu and Masinga hydroelectric dams.
There are many of elephants in the Reserve. Other prevalent
game includes: buffalo, impala, hippo baboon, vervet and
sykes monkeys, warthog, bushbuck, waterbuck, hartebeest,
lesser kudu, jackal. Crocodiles are also found in dams
and rivers.
There is no hotel-type accommodation in these reserves
or parks. Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park has one campsite.
Mwea national Reserve has two picnic sites: Gichuki island
and Hippo Point.
Created as a reserve in 1966 to protect the only remaining
habitat of Roan antelope, the Park is in the Lambwe Valley
in Southern Nyanza, 140 kms. From Kisumu town. The 120sq.
km park is a mix of rolling savannah, woodlands, rivers
and hills. Its main attractions are game-viewing, birdwatching,
hiking and walking and fishing in the rivers. Game in
this park include Bohor's reedbuck, Rothschild's giraffe,
Jackson's hartebeest, Roan antelope, buffalo, leopard,
serval cat and hyena, as well as diverse birdlife. There
is no hotel/lodge accommodation in the park, but there
are two campsites.
Was opened in October 1992, to protect a herd of impala
and provide safe grazing grounds for hippo from the lake.
It is used as a holding point and sanctuary for "problem"
animals, such as leopard, hyena and baboon. It is close
to Kisumu town and occupies less than one sq. km.
Mombasa Marine Reserve was formed first, to protect the
precious coralheads and their resident marinelife from
damage by over-fishing and trophy collecting (relics,
shells, coral etc). Coral species include: branching (acropolra),
encrusting (turbinaria) and massive (porites). As the
original trading and slaving port of Kenya, the national
park opened recently with the support of local hoteliers
to prevent further stripping of natural treasures from
the reef in order to preserve its ecological and tourist
attraction. Beaches with marine park access: Nyali, Bamburi
and Shanzu.
Mombasa town is a fascinating mix of the traditional
and the modern. The 14th Century Fort Jesus and Old Town
are major sights. There are numerous hotels and restaurants
Shimba Hills National Reserve is an easy drive and offers
beautiful, lush scenery. It has a unique and botanically
rich coastal rainforest. Two of Kenya's most beautiful
orchids can be found here. Another rare species, unique
to the Reserve, is the Sable Antelope with its handsome
near-black coat. Buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, lions,
leopards and several primates are found here. The best
places to see wildlife are on the flat grasslands near
the spectacular Sheldrick's fall and on the Lango Plains
near Giriama Point with a tremendous view over rolling
parkland to the escarpment, from where you can look out
to the Indian Ocean. There are number of short walking
trails at Elephant Lookout and Pengo Fill and the falls.
There is one lodge with 31 rooms, one self-help banda
site with eight beds and two camps.
Engulfs the Mida Creek mangrove forest where young coral
begins its existence before the tides take it out to the
reefs beyond. The forests are rich in fish, crabs, prawns
and oysters and are also excellent for birdwatching. Tewa
Caves, near the mouth of the creek, are partly underwater
- here Giant Groupers (up to 800lbs) live with many other
exotic fish species. On land Giant Monitor Lizards, dik
dik, mongoose and monkeys. The coral reefs are home to
more than 140 species of hard and soft corals. Their symbiotic
relationship with the chlorophyll generating animals gives
the corals their spectacular nighttime phosphorescent
colours. The reef plays a diverse role. As well as bio-diversity
strongholds, they are breeding grounds for fish and other
marine life, a vital barrier against the force of the
sea, protecting marine organisms and tourist recreation,
they keep out dangerous sharks common to the deeper waters,
and their colour and the exotic coral fish they support
provides a major attraction for tourists. Historic Gede
Ruins and Lamu Islands offer exciting day trips.
Africa
Sights & Sounds
