Lake Nakuru National Park
Area:  - 188 sq km

Distance from Nairobi   - 160 km - 2 hours by road.

Lake Nakuru National Park is one of the smallest parks and the most beautiful park in the country. Lake Nakuru, a shallow, alkaline lake, occupies a third of the park. The blue-green algae flourish in the alkaline water of the lake forming the primary food source for the flamingo. The park is best known for its one and half million of greater and lesser flamingos, which is a third of the entire world population. Four hundred other species of birds have been recorded here. During winter in Europe, birds migrate to this park.

Vegetation in the park is mainly acacia forest. On the eastern side of the park is the attractive euphorbia forest. Baboon cliffs on the western side of the park give a panoramic view of the whole park.Several mammals have been introduced in Lake Nakuru and have proved to be very successful. Rothschild’s giraffe introduced from Kitale have increased to 60, black rhino from Solio Game Ranch have increased to 50 and white rhinos have increased to 23. To protect rhino from poachers, Lake Nakuru became the first park to be enclosed with an electric fence. Lions have also been introduced to control ever increasing number of waterbucks.

Other animals seen in the park: large herds of African buffalo, thousands of Defessa waterbuck, common zebra, Thomson’s and Grant gazelles, reedbuck, bushbuck, lion, baboon, genet, cheetah, black and white colobus monkey, eland, bat-eared fox, leopard, hippo, spotted hyena, black-faced vervet monkey.
 

Masai Mara Game Reserve

Area   - 1510 sq km
Distance from Nairobi   - 310 km - 5 hours by road
Distance from Nakuru    - 365 km - 5.5 hours by road

Masai Mara is the best, the most beautiful and the most visited wildlife reserve in Kenya. The Mara is popular for hosting all the big five and has the highest concentration of animals.

Masai Mara is the extension of Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Green grass in the Mara lures up to one and a half million wildebeests and zebras from the dry plains of Serengeti in the phenomenal Great Wildebeest Migration. The Migration arrives in Mara in July and returns to Serengeti in October.

From Masai Mara, you can make a visit to Masai Village where you will learn more on how a Masai family lives. Hot air balloon safari is an unforgettable experience which should not be missed in Mara visit. This is a one-hour early morning adventure over the reserve, which begins at dawn. You have excellent game viewing and photographic opportunities. On landing, a champagne breakfast is served.

Wildlife in the reserve: lion, cheetah, leopards, black and white rhino, hippo, African elephant, Cape buffalo, Masai giraffe, topi, gnu (wildebeest), Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, warthog, spotted and stripped hyena, common zebra, baboon, black-faced vervet monkey.
 

Amboseli National Park

Area   - 392 sq km
Distance from Nairobi   - 250 km - 3 hours by road

 Amboseli is a small and very attractive park. It lies at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro (5895m), Africa’s highest mountain, whose snow-capped peak dominates the park.

At sunrise and sunset, the mountain is clearly seen.

 Lake Amboseli floods in the rainy season. During dry season, wildlife concentrates around the lake making Amboseli a very popular tourist destination. Another significant attraction in this park is its large herds of elephant. Observation Hill allows an over all view of the whole park. The Masai people live next to the park, which makes it possible to experience their way of life.

Wildlife in the park: hundreds of African elephant, African buffalo, cheetah, Masai giraffe, fringe-eared oryx, gerenuk, zebra, wildebeest, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, leopard, bat-eared fox, spotted and stripped hyena. Among the reptiles seen here are python, black mamba, cobra and tortoise.

Samburu, Shaba and Bufallo Springs Game Reserves

Area  - 833 sq km (the 3 reserves combined)
Distance from Nairobi   - 340 km - 5 hours by road.

These three reserves lie adjacent to each other, and are located in the hot, arid northern region of Kenya. The three reserves are in the beautiful and still unspoilt country of the Samburu people. Proud, happy, friendly, they defy the modern world to go about their traditional business and still cherish the customs and colorful ceremonies of their ancestors. Ewaso Nyiro River goes through the three reserves. In fact this river forms the boundary between Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves. Each reserve is run separately.

As the area is so arid, game is concentrated along the banks of the river, making game viewing particularly good.

The reserves are within the land of Samburu cousins of the Masai and contain wildlife species rarely found else where including Grevy’s zebra, and the long necked gerenuk.

Other wildlife in the reserves: lion, herds of elephant, reticulated giraffe, leopard vervet and blue monkey, and Beisa oryx. The leopards are a very frequent sight in Samburu.

Bird life: Marshal eagle, pygny falcon, blue-legged Somali ostrich, hornbill and Egyptian geese.

Aberdare National Park

Area  - 767 sq km
Distance from Nairobi           - 180 km - 2.5 hours by road.

The park is in the Central Highlands on the eastern wall of the Great Rift Valley. Currently, a 380 electric fence is being erected to arrest human-wildlife conflict.

This park was named after Lord Aberdare, then the president of the Royal Geographical Society. In February 1952, Princess Elizabeth while staying at Treetops within this park became the Queen of England after the death of her father King George VI.

Aberdare is most famous for its lodges that specialize in nighttime game viewing – Treetops and The Ark.

Aberdare Ranges have two main peaks, Ol Donyo Lesatima (4001m) and Kinangop (3906m). The Aberdare Ranges form an important catchment area providing water to Tana and Athi Rivers and part of Central Rift and northern drainage basin. Aberdare forest is predominantly indigenous and there is concerted effort to replant the forest after many years of wanton destruction. Heavy rainfall occurs through most of the year with as much as 3000mm.

Wildlife in the park: Bongo, buffalo, black and white colobus monkey, African elephant, spotted hyena, impala, black-backed jackal, leopard, lion, black faced monkey, black rhino, suni.
 

Tsavo National Park

Area  - 21,000 sq km

Distance from Nairobi   - 280 km - 3.5 hours by road
Distance form Mombasa   - 300 km - 3.5 hours by road

Nairobi-Mombasa Highway divides Tsavo into West and East. The two parks combined form the biggest park in the world. The parks contain over 60 animal species and 400 bird species.

Tsavo West

Tsavo West National Park covers an area of 9000 sq km and is on the western side of Mombasa Highway.

Tsavo West is popular for its natural attractions of Mzima Springs, Shetani Lava Flows, Chaimu Crater and Roaring Rocks.

Mzima Springs is the main attraction in the park. It consists of two crystal-clear water pools: upper long pool inhabited by hippos and the lower broader pool mainly inhabited by crocodiles. Hippos in the upper pool can be viewed underwater through underground glass windows.  Subterranean rivers from Chyulu Hills and Mount Kilimanjaro feed Mzima Springs Molten lava that forms the Shetani Lava Flow was spewed from the earth about 200 years ago. Local people believe this to be the work of the Devil. Shetani is a Swahili word for Satan. They believe many of their people were buried alive by hot lava flow and their cries are heard at night. They appease these ghosts by offering them food.

Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary is another attraction, set up to offer safety to rhino threatened by poaching.  A visit to the sanctuary, which has 50 rhinos, assures one of seeing one.

Wildlife in the park: leopard, cheetah, buffalo, black rhino, spectacled elephant, Masai giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, lion, rocky hyrax, tree hyrax, lesser kudu, stripped hyena, side-stripped jackal, black faced monkey

Birds: 600 species recorded with some on migration from Europe and Middle East.

Tsavo East

Tsavo East National Park covers an area of 12000 square kilometer and is on the eastern side of Mombasa Highway. It enjoys the popular legend of “The Man Eaters of Tsavo”.

Daphne Sheldrick’s elephant orphans nurtured at Nairobi National Park are released to the natural environment here.

Mudana Rock, one of the major attractions in this park, is a rock outcrop 1.5 kilometer long and has a dam at its base. Animals can easily be seen as they come to drink water at the dam. Other attractions are Aruba Dam built in 1952 on seasonal Voi River and Lugard’s Falls on the Galana River, named after explorer Captain Lugard.

Tough anti-poaching measures have been successful and the number of rhinos and elephants has started rising.

Wildlife in the park: lion, Grant’s gazelle, large-spotted genet, gerenuk, Masai giraffe, East Africa hedgehog, rock hyrax, impala, lesser kudu, leopard, vervet monkey, fringe-eared oryx, black rhino, spectacled elephant, Grevy’s zebra.