A short drive out of Nairobi’s central business district is the Nairobi National Park. Wide open grass plains and backdrop of the city scrapers, scattered acacia bush play host to a wide variety of wildlife including the endangered black rhino, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, buffaloes, giraffes and diverse birdlife with over 400 species recorded. Visitors can enjoy the park’s picnic sites, three campsites and the walking trails for hikers.
Wildlife
Animals include buffalo, giraffe, lion, leopard, baboon, zebra, wildebeest and cheetah—100 mammal and 400 migratory and endemic bird species.
Attractions
The only Wildlife park in the world that is so close to the city
Black rhinoceros :which is an endangered species
The first park to be gazetted in Kenya on December 16, 1946
Major rhino sanctuary for breeding and restocking other parks
Diverse birdlife:Has over 400 bird species. At least 20 of which are seasonal European migrants.
Home to over 100 mammal species, four of the Big Five (lion, Buffalo, leopard and rhino)
Has a spectacular wildebeest and zebra migration
Large predators- lion, leopard, hyena and cheetah.
Aggregations of large herbivores- eland, buffalo, zebra and wildebeest
Masai Mara Game Reserve is one of the most popular tourism destinations in Kenya which is located in the Great Rift Valley in primarily open grassland.
The Masai Mara is regarded as the jewel of Kenya’s wildlife viewing areas. The annual wildebeest’s migration alone involves over 1.5 million animals arriving in July and departing in November.
There have been some 95 species of mammals, amphibians and reptiles and over 400 birds species recorded on the reserve.
Nowhere in Africa is wildlife more abundant, and it is for this reason a visitor hardly misses to see the big five (buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion, and rhino).
Wildlife
The Mara is known as one of the finest wildlife destinations in the World. There is an excellent chance of seeing the Big 5, cheetah, serval, hyena, bat-eared foxes, black-backed and side-striped jackals, hippo, crocodile, baboons, warthog, topi, eland, Thompson’s gazelle, Grant’s gazelle, impala, waterbuck, oribi, reed-buck, zebra.
Attractions
Wildebeest Migration – Happens every year around July to October starting from Tanzania’s Serengeti to Kenya’s Masai Mara where wildebeests, Zebra among other grazers travel in search of pastures.
Mara River – Pods of hippopotamus basking on the bank of the river with Nile Crocodile.
Hot Air Balloon Ride – have a birds eye view of the mara eco-system on a hot air balloon
Masai Village – Visit a masai village and experience the rich culture and history of the Masai tribesmen.
On the floor of the Great Rift Valley, surrounded by wooded and bushy grassland, is Lake Nakuru National Park with wildlife and birds in abundance.
Visitors can enjoy the wide ecological diversity and varied habitats that range from Lake Nakuru itself to the surrounding escarpment and picturesque ridges. Lake Nakuru National Park is ideal for bird watching, hiking,picnic and game drives.
Wildlife
Lion
Leopard
Rhino
Buffalo
Giraffe (Rothschild & Masai Species)
Zebra
Common Waterbuck
Impala
Grants Gazelle
Flamingo
Baboon
Attractions
Flamingo (Greater and Lesser) and other water birds including a variety of terrestrial birds numbering about 450 species in total.
Mammals: 56 different species including white rhinos,waterbuck etc.
View-points: Lion hill, Baboon cliff and Out of Africa
Hills: Enasoit, Honeymoon, Lion hill ridge etc
Waterfalls: Makalia.
Unique vegetation: About 550 different plant species including the unique and biggest euphorbia forest in Africa, Picturesque landscape and yellow acacia woodlands.
Crowned by Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, the Amboseli National Parks is one of Kenya’s most popular parks. The name “Amboseli” comes from a Maasai word meaning “salty dust”, and it is one of the best places in Africa to view large herds of elephants up close. Nature lovers can explore five different habitats here ranging from the dried-up bed of Lake Amboseli, wetlands with sulphur springs, the savannah and woodlands. They can also visit the local Maasai community who live around the park and experience their authentic culture.
Wildlife
Leopard, Cheetah
Wild dogs
Buffalo
Elephant
Giraffe
Zebra
Lion
Crocodile
Mongoose
Hyrax
Dik- dik
Lesser Kudu
Nocturnal Porcupine
Prolific birdlife features 600 species
Attractions
Large Herds of Elephants
Mt. Kilimanjaro
Big Five
Observation Hill which allows an overall view of the whole park especially the swamps and elephants,
Swamp below observation hill hosts many elephants, buffaloes, hippos and a variety of water fowls like pelican, Egyptian goose
Contemporary Maasai culture and indigenous lifestyle
From the sight of fifty million gallons of crystal clear water gushing out of from the under parched lava rock that is the Mzima Springs to the Shetani lava flows, Tsavo West is a beautiful, rugged wilderness.
The savannah ecosystem comprises of open grasslands, scrublands, and Acacia woodlands, belts of riverine vegetation and rocky ridges including the Poacher’s Lookout where visitors can see the teeming herds in the plains below.
Tsavo West offers some of the most magnificent game viewing in the world and attractions include elephant, rhino, Hippos, lions, cheetah, leopards, Buffalos, diverse plant and bird species including the threatened corncrake and near threatened Basra Reed Warbler.
Tsavo East National Park forms the largest protected area in Kenya and is home to most of the larger mammals, vast herds of dust–red elephant, Rhino, buffalo, lion, leopard, pods of hippo, crocodile, waterbucks, lesser Kudu, gerenuk and the prolific bird life features 500 recorded species.
The sight of dust-red elephant wallowing, rolling and spraying each other with the midnight blue waters of palm-shaded Galana River is one of the most evocative images in Africa. This, along with the 300 kilomtere long Yatta Plateau, the longest lava flow in the world, make for an adventure unlike any other in the Tsavo East.
Wildlife
The Park is home to most of the larger mammals, vast herds of dust –red elephant, Rhino, buffalo, lion, leopard, pods of hippo,crocodile, waterbucks, Lesser Kudu, Gerenuk and Hirola
Birds
The prolific bird life features 500 recorded species.
Attractions at Tsavo East National Park
The Yatta Plateau (300 Kilometers), Aruba Dam (attracts many animals & birds), Mudanda Rock, Lugard Falls(series of white water rapids on the Galana River)