Game Parks and Reserves

Aberdare National Park
Lying in the Aberdare Mountains, 10 Kms. from Nyeri Town, this park covers an area of 77 sq. kms. stretching from the peak of Ol Doinyo Lesatima (4006 m.) in the north, to Nyandarua (3909m.) 65 kilometres to the south - a mixture of mountain rain forest, moorland, thick bamboo forests and sub-alpine plants. Giant Heath and Tussock grass cover the moorlands which are crossed by wandering trout-filled streams that cascade in beautiful waterfalls, Karura and Guru being the two larger ones. The eastern wall of the Great Rift Valley forms the western rim of the park which due to its steepness deters wildlife, that however, will be found in large numbers on the eastern side of the Aberdares. The wildlife comprises of Rhino, Buffalo, Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Serval Cat, Giant Forest hog, Eland, Red Duiker, Bushbuck, the rare Bongo, Colobus and Sykes monkeys. Access to the park is from Naivasha, Nyeri and Mweiga.
Accommodation:
Outspan Hotel (Nyeri) for Treetops;
The Aberdare Country Club (Mweiga) for The Ark

Amboseli National Park
250Kms. from Nairobi (by road), Amboseli National Park covers an area of 3200 sq. kms. and stands at 1743m above sea level at the foot of Africa's highest mountain, the snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro (5895m.). Providing a breath-taking view, Kilimanjaro looms large 40 Kms. to the south, creating the finest photogenic backdrop to a game park anywhere in the world. Apart from a few patches of acacia forest, Amboseli's parklands comprise of only scrub and very fragile saline grass-dry volcanic ash. The melting snows of Kilimajaro feed rivers and springs that supply water to the swamps and Lake Amboseli, which is usually completely dry, flooding only in the rainy seasons. Attracted to the swamps are a large variety of wildlife comprising of Antelope, Wildbeeste, Giraffe, Zebra, large herds of Elephant, Rhino and Buffalo, and the predators, the Lion, Cheetah and occasionally the Leopard. Much apart of the Amboseli scenery are the Maasai tribesmen that graze their cattle here, for this is also their home.
Accomodation
Ol Tukai Lodge
Amboseli Serena Lodge

Lake Nakuru National Park
Located 155 kms. From Nairobi and 8Kms, south of Nakuru Town covering an area 200 sq. kms. this park is unquestionably "the greatest ornithological spectacle on earth" - the congregation point of an estimated 100,000 to 2 million flamingoes and over 400 species of birds. With the park greatly enlarged since its creation in 1961, and extensive ecological cleaning up of the area, wildlife of a wide variety can now be seen in the Park including the Waterbuck, Reedbuck, Zebra, Impala, Grant's Gazelle, Lions, Leopards, Buffalos, Hippos, and Rhinos, especially in the olive tree forest towards the south west.
Accommodation
Lake Nakuru Lodge
Sarova Lion Hill Lodge

Maasai Mara National Reserve
Maasai Mara is considered by many to be Kenya's leading game reserve. It is an extension of the Serengeti plains, it lies on the border with Tanzania, 265 kms. to the west of Nairobi at 1588m above sea level. The park covers an area of 1800 sq. kms. of rolling grasslands dotted with acacia, hazy forested hills and riverine bush where the Mara River and its tributaries meander. The gentle rolling grasslands offer ideal game viewing and photographic opportunities. Among wildlife sanctuaries Maasai Mara must be one of the world's best with an abundance of wildlife; there are large herds of plains game - Gazelle, Zebra, Wildbeeste, Topi which are rarely seen in other parks; the predators - the black-manned Lions, Cheetahs and Leopards; hundreds of Elephant and Buffalo; Hippos, and Crocodile. A spectacle to be seen at least once in a lifetime is the annual migration from bordering Serengeti of hundreds of thousands of Zebra and Wildbeeste and accompanying predators.
Accommodation:
Keekorok Lodge
Mara Fig Tree Camp
Mara Safari Club
Mara River Camp
Mara Serena Lodge
Mara Sopa Lodge
Sarova Mara Camp
Mara Simba Lodge

Balloon Safaris in the Mara
The early morning calm of the Mara has made possible the introduction of Balloon Safaris. Early in the morning (depending on wind and weather) colourful hot air balloons fire up and drift over unsuspecting game offering a unique viewing and photographic experience. At the end of the flight a champagne style breakfast is served after landing.

Mount Kenya National Park
With the 11,000 feet contour as its boundary, the park rises through upper level forest, bamboo jungle, Afro-Alpine moorland (Giant Heather and groundsel), thirty-two lakes and tarns, fifteen glaciers and the three peaks of Lenana (4986m.), Nelion (5188m.) and Batian (5199m.) During the two dry seasons (mid-December to mid-March and July to September, with the weather holding good and necessary precautions taken to avoid mountain-sickness, Point Lenana can be reached by any normally fit person using any of the three available routes - Naro Moru, Sirimon or Chogoria. Nelion and Batian, however, should be attempted only by the experienced. Below the moorlands the forest teems with wildlife including Elephant, Buffalo, Rhino, Bongo, Duiker, Suni, Giant Forest Hog, Warthog, Bushbuck, Black and White Colobus monkeys, Sykes monkeys, Leopard, and a few species of birds.
Accommodation
Mount Kenya Safari Club
Mountain Lodge
Mountain Rock Hotel (Nanyuki)
Naro Moru River Lodge (Naro Moru)
Sweetwaters Tented Camp

Nairobi National Park
With it's main gate 5 kms. from Nairobi, this is the smallest (and oldest) of Kenya's Game Parks covering an area of only 120 sq. kms. Three sides of the park are fenced with an open southern side providing animals access to and from the 320 sq. kms. of the Kitengela Plain and Ngong Conservation Area. Except for a small forest area in the northern part, the park vegetation comprises mostly of open grassy plains that abounds with herds of plains game comprising of Wildbeeste, Coke's Hartebeeste, Impala, Eland, Zebras, Grant's and Thomson's Gazelles, Giraffes; a large variety of birds (especially around the marshy reservoirs created by damning the seasonal swamps); Hippos and crocodile at the Hippo pool; and occasionally Lions and Cheetahs.Situated at the main gate on the Lang'ata Road, the Nairobi Animal Orphanage is a compartmented wire enclosure for the young, sick and stray animals that are nursed back to fitness before being allocated to the wilderness. Well worth a visit and a donation which the authorities need for the running of this animal hospital.

Samburu-Buffalo Springs - Shaba National Reserves
Similar in the flora and fauna the three reserves of Samburu, Shaba and Buffalo Springs are situated around the Uaso Nyiro River (covering an area of 300 sq. kms.) 330 kms. from Nairobi and 52 kms. from Isiolo township the park lies in a semi-arid, open savannah plain broken occasionally by small rugged hills, its altitude is 1088m. Permanent waters of the Uaso Nyiro River have blessed the park with an abundance of the tiny Dik Dik, Rhino, Buffalo, Elephant, Cheetah, Leopard and Lion. Peculiar to this area are the Reticulated Giraffe, Grevy's Zebra, the long necked Gerenuk and the Beisa Orxy. Crocodiles are present on the sandy stretches of the river and there are over a hundred species of birds including the Somali Ostrich.
Accommodation:
Buffalo Springs Lodge
Samburu Interpids Club
Samburu Lodge
Samburu Serena Lodge
Sarova Shaba Lodge

Tsavo National Park
The world's largest wildlife sanctuary, Tsavo National Park covers an area of 20,700 sq. kms and stands at 465m above sea level. It is located 290 kms from Nairobi and 210 kms from Mombasa. Tsavo West stretches the main Nairobi-Mombasa Road down to the Tanzanian border and Tsavo East northwards up to the borders of the Ukambani region.
More popular of the two is the wilderness of Tsavo West with its fine extensive plains, lava flows, steep rocky hills and the famous Mzima Springs. A natural wonder, this oasis in an arid lava plains pours out daily 2,250 million litres of water that has traveled 48 kms. under the ground from the Chyulu Hills. Hippos, Crocodiles and a wide variety of fish can be seen in this crystal clear water from a sunken observation tank. The world's greatest concentration of Elephants are the dominant animals of this park,. Also seen wandering in varying numbers are the Buffalo, and plains game including the Lesser Kudu, Gerenuk, Eland, Impala and Maasai Giraffe. The Black Rhino, once in their hundreds, can also occasionally be spotted. Lion and Cheetah are not rare either but difficult to spot in the high grass. Crocodiles at Lugard Falls in River Galana and birds of which over 400 different species have been recorded in the park.
One of the great geological spectacles of Tsavo East National Park is the mudanda Rock, 24 kms. north of Voi Safari Lodge between the Voi and Manyani gates. The 1½ km long outcrop of stratified rock is a water catchment area supplying a dam at its base - a congregation point, during dry seasons, for hundreds of Elephant, Buffalo and other game which can be viewed a vantage point halfway up the rock.
Accommodation:
Kilaguni Lodge
Ngulia Safari Lodge
Voi Safari Lodge