Kenya safaris are world-renowned due to their wildlife-packed natural habitats—national parks, game reserves, sanctuaries, diversity of culture and scenery.
Introduction to various reserves of interest.
Masai Mara Game Reserve.
The world-renowned Maasai Mara Game Reserve is a northern extension of the Serengeti National Park, which is located in Tanzania. Maasai Mara covers an area of 1510km². The Maasai Mara ecosystem is composed of two rivers. Both the Talek River and the Mara River, are the main water supplies for the ecosystem. The Mara River is a huddle for wildebeest migration, as the wildebeests have to cross the river from Serengeti. Most of them perish altogether in the jaws of crocodiles and big cats.
In the western part of Maasai Mara lie the Siria escarpment and Loita plains, and the rest is Masai pastoral land. The Maasai Mara game reserve is owned and run by the county council of Narok. This is the richest county council in Kenya due to the revenue collected as park entrance fees. Part of the Maasai Mara, which is called the Mara Triangle, is contracted out and privately run. Park fees are paid by the number of nights one spends in the Mara Conservancy.
The Maasai Mara lies at an altitude of 1500 to 2100 metres. It rains twice a year in the game reserve that is during the long rains that fall between March and May. The short rains that fall in October, November, and part of December.
Seasons
June and July are the coldest months, and January and February are the hottest months. Temperatures during the day rarely exceed 30°C (85°C), and during the night it hardly drop below 15°C (60°F). Maasai Mara is a mosquito-prone area, but campsites are sprayed with mosquito repellents, and the tents have treated mosquito nets.
Maasai Mara has a large population of wildlife. All the big five can be seen in this reserve, and a large number of ungulates are also easily visible; they include the wildebeest, Thomson gazelles, grant gazelles, buffalos, rhinos, impalas, topis, elands, zebras, giraffes, and duikers. The common predators include lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, jackals, and foxes. Maasai Mara has over 450 identified bird species. Some common birds include the common ostrich, secretary bird, Kori bustard, hornbills, storks, eagles, and vultures.
Migration
The wildebeest migration happens annually, this spectacle is considered one of the 7th wonders of the world. More than a million wildebeests, accompanied by topis, zebras, gazelles, and elands, make their journey from Serengeti National Park to Masai Mara Game Reserve. Many of them perish while crossing the Mara River, where crocodiles and big cats make a kill on the vulnerable ungulates.
The migration happens every year during the month of July, after the long rains. The grass is big and plenty, and for the next three months, the wildebeests will clear the lush grass of the Maasai Mara. The migration varies annually due to climate change. If the climate changes and it doesn’t rain as usual, the wildebeest may delay crossing over or cross over and go back since there isn’t grass to feed on.
The Maasai
The Masai people, by definition, speak the Maa language, hence the name. Maasai have held on to their culture even in these times of modernization. A Maasai’s home is called a manyatta, where he lives with his wives and children. From childhood, boys are obligated to look after their fathers’ cows, while girls are obligated to do house chores, fetch water, and milk the cows.
After every fifteen years, there is an initiation where boys are circumcised and they become young morans, and the existing morans graduate to junior elders. The Maasai enjoy eating meat, and milk mixed with blood during rituals such as initiation and marriage. The use of herbs as medicine is still embedded in their day-to-day life. The Maasai are an attraction in Kenya since they have managed to stick to their culture.
Lake Nakuru National Park.
Lake Nakuru is one of the alkaline lakes of the Great Rift Valley. The lake is also known as “Pink Lake” or Africa’s Bird’s Paradise. The lake is ideally located in central Kenya, within Lake Nakuru National Park. The park occupies an area of 188km² while the lake occupies an area of 62km². The lake is famous for the millions of flamingos that flock to the lake, although flamingos are unpredictable birds and are not always to be found in the lake in such vast numbers.
From a distance, i.e. the baboon cliff, the lake looks pink in colour due to the flamingos. The topography at Lake Nakuru is comprised of grasslands alternating with rocky cliffs and outcrops, acacia woodlands, and a forest made up of Euphorbia trees. In the early 1960s, Tilapia Grahami was introduced to the lake, and it flourished despite the alkaline nature of the lake.
Flamingoes
There are two species of flamingos, namely lesser flamingos and greater flamingos. They feed on algae, which flourishes due to the warm, alkaline waters of Lake Nakuru. It is believed that flamingos consume about 250,000 kg of algae per hectare of surface area per year. The abundance of algae in the lake is what attracts millions of flamingos to Lake Nakuru.
Besides flamingos, other bird species include ducks, pelicans, cormorants, plovers, vultures, eagles, and buzzards. Over 50 animal species, which include hippos, reedbucks, waterbucks, Rothschild giraffes, baboons, black and white Columbus monkeys. Also, hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, lions, gazelles, and impalas, are found in this park.
Lake Bogoria National Reserve.
Lake Bogoria covers an area of 32 square kilometres (12 square miles). Lying in a trough below the Ngendelel Escarpment, a sheer wall is 600 metres (2,000 feet) high. The lake is geothermically active on the western shore, as a result has geysers and hot springs. The geologist J.W. Gregory described the lake in 1892 as “the most beautiful view in Africa.”. Lake Bogoria was formerly known as Lake Hannington.
Lake Bogoria is dominated by the countless hot springs that pour boiling water into the sterile lake. Sterile, except for the massive flocks of Lesser Flamingos that flood into Bogoria each year. Millions of them have been recorded at peak times of the year, and hundreds of thousands are common. The lake is alkaline, feeding blue-green algae, which correspondingly feeds flamingoes. Raptors such as tawny eagles prey on the flamingoes. The reserve has a herd of the relatively uncommon Greater Kudu. Other large mammals include buffalo, zebra, cheetah, baboon, warthog, caracal, spotted hyena, impala, and dik-dik.
Lake Baringo National Reserve.
Lake Baringo is one of the Rift Valley lakes, located north of Lake Nakuru. The lake has a surface area of about 130 square kilometres (50 square miles) at an elevation of about 970 metres (3,180 ft). The lake is basically fed by several rivers, El Molo, Perkerra, and Ol Arabel, and has no obvious outlet. The waters are assumed to seep through lake sediments into the faulted volcanic bedrock. It is one of the two freshwater lakes in the Rift Valley in Kenya, the other being Lake Naivasha.
The acacia woodland has a lot of bird species. The lake also provides invaluable habitat for seven freshwater fish species, including the Nile Tilapia, which is endemic to the lake. Lake fishing is important to local social and economic development. Additionally, the area is a habitat for many species of animals, including the hippopotamus, crocodile, and many other mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates. The lake used to boast of a large Goliath Heron nesting colony, which has disappeared, although Goliath Herons are still breeding around the lake.
In addition to bird-watching walks and boat trips, with the guidance of a professional ornithologist, the lake offers a range of activities, which include fishing, water sports (skiing, wind-surfing), camel rides, day trips to the nearby Lake Bogoria National Reserve, or visiting a Njemps village, where you can get a sip of the local handicrafts and dances.
Samburu National Reserve
Samburu National Reserve is the most popular of the northern frontier fauna sanctuaries. The game park occupies an area of 165km². The driving distance from Nairobi is 350 km and 65km from Isiolo town to Archer’s post gate. The park lies on the northern bank of the Uaso Nyiro River, the river serves as the only source of water without which the game in the reserve could not survive in the arid country.
Samburu National Reserve was one of the two areas in which conservationists George Adamson and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness who became famous in the best-selling book and award-winning movie Free. The Samburu National Reserve is also home to Kamunyak, a lioness famous for adopting oryx calves. Samburu’s topography is composed of the river Uaso Nyiro, which flows from the Kenyan highlands. It flows into the Lorian swamp. The vegetation is scattered acacia, riverine forest, thorn trees, and grassland. The climate in Samburu is hot and dry, with cool nights. With an average annual maximum temperature of 30 °C (86 °F). A minimum annual temperature of 20°C (68 °F).
Flora and Fauna
There is a wide variety of animal and bird life seen at Samburu National Reserve. Several species are considered unique to the region, including its unique dry-country animal life. All three big cats—lion, cheetah, and leopard—can be found here. as well as elephants, buffalo, hippos, olive baboons, gerenuk, warthogs, Grant’s gazelle, Kirk’s dik-dik, impalas, waterbucks, Grevy’s zebra, Beisa oryx, reticulated giraffe and over 350 bird species.
Samburu is also a Maasai land, and the Maasai people, who by definition speak the Maa language, hence the name Maasai, have held on to their culture even in these times of modernization. A Maasai’s home is called a manyatta, where he lives with his wives and children. From childhood, boys are obligated to look after their father’s cows, while girls are obligated to do house chores, fetch water, and milk the cows.
After every fifteen years, there is an initiation where boys are circumcised and they become young morans, and the existing morans graduate to junior elders. The Maasai enjoy eating meat, and milk mixed with blood during rituals such as initiation and marriage. The use of herbs as medicine is still embedded in their day-to-day life. The Maasai are an attraction in Kenya since they have managed to stick to their culture.
Lake Naivasha
Lake Naivasha is at the highest elevation of all the Kenyan Rift Valley lakes, standing at 1,890 metres (6,200 ft). The lake is fed by two rivers, namely the Malewa and Gilgil rivers, and has no visible outlet. It covers an area of 140 km² but this varies annually due to the rainfall. The lake has an average depth of 8 metres, and it is a freshwater lake. Much of the lake is surrounded by forests of the yellow-barked Acacia Xanthophlea, known as the yellow fever tree. These forests abound with birdlife, and Naivasha is known as a world-class birding destination.
The lake is home to schools of hippos and many bird species. The most common is the fish eagle. A wonderful way to spend the afternoon or morning is to take a boat ride.
Amboseli National Park
Amboseli National Park is located south of Nairobi, 140 kilometres (3 ½ hours drive). The park occupies an area of 392km². The ecosystem is made up of a seasonal lake called Lake Amboseli, where the park derives its name from, swamps, open plains, acacia woodland, rocky outcrops, thorn bushes, and marshes.
The landscape is dominated by the backdrop of the majestic snow-cap of Mount Kilimanjaro the highest mountain in Africa. The snow cap is visible when the clouds are clear, mainly in early mornings and late evenings. These scenes allow one to capture wonderful memories on camera for friends and loved ones back home.
Amboseli National Park is considered Kenya’s second best after the Maasai Mara game reserve by many tourists. It is the only national park in Kenya that has the biggest population of elephants. The ecosystem of Amboseli, though small compared to other parks, sustains a large number of bird species and game.
Amboseli offers some of the best opportunities to see African animals. The reason is that its vegetation is sparse due to the long, dry months. The park is considered ideal for writers, filmmakers, and researchers. The Maasai are the local habitat of this area, which they call Empusel, meaning “dusty place”.
Other ethnic communities have moved to Amboseli in search of greener pastures. Besides game viewing and the ecstatic views of Mount Kilimanjaro, one can visit a local Maasai village to learn about their way of life and to interact with the locals.
Tsavo West National Park.
Tsavo West National Park covers an area of 9,065Km². It is located in south-eastern Kenya, 240 km from Nairobi or 250km from Mombasa to Mtito Andei Gate. The park has magnificent scenery, Mzima Springs, rich and varied wildlife, a good road system, a rhino reserve, rock climbing at Kichwa Tembo Cliffs, and guided walks along the Tsavo River. The park borders the Chyulu Hills National Park and the Mkomazi Game Reserve in Tanzania.
Tsavo West National Park has a variety of wildlife, such as black rhinos, cape buffalo, elephants, leopards, and Maasai ostriches. There are also other smaller animals that can be spotted in the park, such as the bushbaby, hippo, hartebeest, lesser kudu, and Maasai giraffe. Mzima Springs is a natural reservoir under the Chyulu Hills to the north.
Chyulu range
The Chyulu range is composed of volcanic lava rock and ash, which is too porous to allow rivers to flow. Instead, rainwater percolates through the rock and may spend 25 years underground before emerging 50 kilometres away at Mzima Springs. The spring produces 450 million litres of water in a day that serves the Tsavo ecosystem, and some of the water serves the coastal region through a pipe.
In the spring, you will find schools of hippos, crocodiles, fish, and water birds like cormorants. During the night, hippos come out to graze, and during the day, they just laze in the full or half-submerged.
The Shetani Lava Flow is black, 8 km long 1.6 km wide, and 5 metres deep. The remains of volcanic eruptions were the subject of tales among local communities. They named the flow “shetani,” meaning evil in Kiswahili, after it spewed from the earth 240 years ago.
Climbing the flow is not an easy task. The thick, black soil is composed of uneven chunks of solid magma. The cave is located near the centre of the outflow and has two large openings. One ancient tree is growing between them. Although the cave is only a few metres long, the exit is not accessible (though it can be seen) as the place is too narrow.
Roaring rocks
The Roaring Rocks will give you magnificent panoramic views. This view is usually only seen by the eagles and buzzards flying around. These cliffs are over the plain called Rhino Valley and the Ngulia Hills (1,821 m). Roaring Rock is located near the Rhino Sanctuary. This has been, for a long time, an observation and surveillance point for the protection of black rhinoceros and the fight against poaching. The eerie Roaring Rocks are named after the buzz of cicadas that inhabit them. The howl of the wind hits the bare rocks, thereupon producing a roaring sound.
Tsavo East National Park.
Tsavo East National Park is coupled with being one of the oldest and largest parks in Kenya. It covers an area of 11,747 square kilometres. The park is located near the village of Voi in the Taita-Taveta District of Coast Province. It is divided into east and west sections by the A109 road and a railway. The climate in this area is warm and dry.
One requires a smart card to access the park, and the card can be topped up at Voi gate. Attractions in Tsavo East National Park include “The Red Elephants.” This effect is achieved by the wallowing and rolling in the Galana River and the spraying of the red soils of Tsavo.
Aruba Dam.
The beautiful Aruba dam is located on the north bank of the seasonal Voi River. Certainly, it is visited by thousands of animals. Accordingly, it is a great game viewing point.
The Mudanda Rock.
The Mudanda Rock is a 1.6-kilometre inselberg of stratified rock that acts as a water catchment that supplies a natural dam below. It offers an excellent vantage point for the hundreds of elephants and other wildlife that come to drink during the dry season.
Yatta Plateau.
The Yatta Plateau, the world’s longest lava flow, runs along the western boundary of the park above the Athi River. It is 290 km in length. It was subsequently formed by lava from Ol Doinyo Sabuk Mountain.
Lugard Falls.
Lugard Falls, named after Frederick Lugard. These are moreover a series of whitewater rapids on the Galana River
Tsavo East has vast amounts of diverse wildlife that can be seen, including the famous ‘big five.’ This consists of the lion, black rhino, cape buffalo, elephant, and leopard. The park is also home to a great variety of birdlife, such as the black kite, crowned crane, lovebird, and sacred bird.
Meru National Park.
Meru National Park is a Kenyan national park located east of Meru, 350 km from Nairobi. Covering an area of 870km², it is indeed one of the most famous wilderness parks in Kenya. It has abundant rainfall, 635–762 mm in the west of the park and 305–356 mm in the east. The rainfall eventually results in tall grass and lush swamps. It has a wide range of wild beasts like elephants, hippopotami, lions, leopards, cheetahs, black rhinoceroses, and some rare antelopes.
Meru was one of the two areas in which conservationists George Adamson and Joy Adamson raised “Elsa, the Lioness.’’ In due time, it became famous in the best-selling book and award-winning movie “Born Free”. Elsa the Lioness is buried in this park, and part of Joy’s ashes are scattered on her gravesite.
The park was targeted by poachers and was considered unsafe. The KWS Kenya Wildlife Service, helped by the IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare), restored Meru National Park. It was almost ruined but to become one of the most promising tourist destinations in Eastern Africa, solving the park’s poaching problem.
IFAW donated $1.25 million to this major restoration project. This money specifically aided in improving the basic infrastructure and provided essential equipment and vehicles for law enforcement activities.
