Top 5 wildlife destinations in Kenya
Kenya’s vast expanses provide many different areas for wildlife viewing, however there are 5 top wildlife destinations that are considered world-class national reserves and offer the best game viewing opportunities.
1. Maasai Mara: Cat Territory
The Mara, as it is endearingly called, is undoubtedly the most talked about, most visited and most popular park in the country. With an abundance of wildlife in high concentrations, this is a premier park that is featured in most safari itineraries. With predators including lion, cheetah and leopard and populations of rhino, elephant, buffalo and more, this is the reserve that has it all.
It plays host to one of the planet’s greatest wildlife spectacles: The Great Migration, where approximately 2 million creatures migrate to greener pastures and iconic dramatic river crossings grace the stage.
Located in Maasai land, in the scenic Great Rift Valley, this world-class reserve is rich with breathtaking scenery and beautiful panoramas, and has been made famous by many BBC and National Geographic documentaries, which also makes this park one of the top destinations in the world for wildlife viewing and photography.
Mara, in the Maa language, means spotted, or dotted across the landscape. Located at the northern region of the Serengeti Ecosystem, the land is characterized by endless plains, expansive grasslands, and iconic lone acacia trees dotted across the savannah.
A 4–5 hour drive or a 1-hour flight from Nairobi will get you there, and you can be sure there’ll be many animals to greet you upon entry.
2. Amboseli: the Land of Elephants
The place to see large herds of elephants set against the backdrop of a snow-capped Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain. Set in the south of the country, this place is the land of elephants. These large tuskers share the savannah with other wildlife including lions, hyena, wildebeest and zebra and hundreds of bird species.
Amboseli means ‘white dust’ in Maa, and true to its description, the land is often covered by blankets of white dust created by the ash fall and erosion of the giant mountain. Often the wind will pick up and create small white dust storms as they glide effortless across the plains- a visual treat that compliments any scene.
The park houses a fascinatingly large variety of habitats, from desert to marshes and swamps, to savannah and grassland. The seasonal lake of Amboseli produces sits across from permanent, evergreen swamps, and attracts an abundance of wildlife year-round.
Amboseli is roughly a 4-hour drive or a 40-min flight from Nairobi.
3. Lake Nakuru: A Lake Paradise
In close proximity to Nairobi, this idyllic lake provides a home for lions, leopards and a vast diversity of other wildlife. Surrounded by marshes and grasslands, acacia woodlands and hills covered with Euphorbia forest, Lake Nakuru is a picturesque reserve that is home to black and white rhino, antelopes, buffalo and giraffe, including the endangered Rothschild’s, colobus monkeys and an abundance of birdlife.
The stunning scenery created by the lake, the undulating hills and the yellow fever acacia woodlands creates a spectacular environment to view wildlife in their natural habitats.
Situated about 2 hours from Nairobi, its close proximity makes Lake Nakuru one of the most accessible wildlife reserves in the country and a great park to visit enroute when travelling between Maasai Mara and Amboseli.
4. Tsavo West: Expansive Wilderness
Famous for its main-eating lions back in the 1800s, this is one of the country’s largest parks. The vast expanses is home to plenty of wildlife, however due to its size it means you’ll need to cover more ground to see wildlife. But when you do, you’ll be treated to large elephants dusted in red-ochra soil, and a large diversity of wildlife including lion, leopard, cheetah, zebra, giraffes, servals, crocodiles, hippo, antelopes, buffalo. There’s a good chance of seeing rarer species that are adapted to the dry country, including the fringe-eared oryx.
The dry and flat plains are dotted with acacia scrub, and the flowing Galana River that runs through the park, nourishes the land and gives life to the lush riverine forest along its banks. The scattered doum palm trees and short vegetation makes for stunning scenery. The diverse terrain includes Mudanda Rock, which sits atop a watering hole and is a favourite dam for large herds of elephant, buffalo, and other mammals to drink from and wallow in. During the darker hours, leopards frequent the dam. The rocky banks and rapids of Lugard Falls are another natural attraction of the park; as well as the ancient Yatta Plateau, the largest lava flow in the world.
Tsavo’s vast expanses and semi-arid plains create a remote atmosphere that you really are in the heart of the wilderness.
5. Samburu: Remote Beauty
Further away from Nairobi than most parks, Samburu is a place of untouched beauty. Samburu is a semi-arid savannah that is graced with the stunning Ewaso Nyiro river that runs through its core. The dry, desert-like terrain creates an atmosphere of remote wilderness.
Along the banks of the river are doum palms and acacia woodlands that attract a wealth of wildlife for water and shade, as well as being home to large populations of crocodile often seen lying on the sandbanks. Giant acacias, figs and duom palms create shade for the wildlife that comes to the water, including lion, elephant and hippo.
Home to large herds of elephant, lion, cheetah and leopard, a wealth of dry-country adapted species that can only be found in the northern parts of the country also provides fine game viewing, with commonly seen populations of Grevy’s Zebra, gerenuk, beisa oryx, Somali ostrich and the reticulated giraffe.
An abundance of diverse birdlife can be found throughout the park, with common sightings of barbets, hornbills, weavers and large raptors making for spectacular viewing and an abundance of photographic opportunities.
Summary
Every reserve has its own character, terrain and diversity of wildlife- whichever park you go to, you’ll be sure to have an unforgettable experience.
