Going on Safari: Kenya National Parks

Kenya is the home of the Safari, the home of Out of Africa, a place where setting out on an adventure into the wilderness became an age old tradition.The spirit of the Safari lives on today. The romance of sundown drinks, of evenings around a campfire and nights under canvas with the distant roar of a lion in the African night can still be found in Kenya.

Hell's Gate National Park
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: Game viewing, Raptor nesting in cliffs, Spectecular Gorge walk, Hot springs, The Olkaria Geothermal Station, The Mervyn Carnelley Raptor Hide, Fischer’s Tower, Tourist circuits, nature trails and picnic sites. Wildlife include Buffalo, zebra, eland, hartebeest, Thomson’s gazelle and giraffe, babooms, serval cat and klipspringer antelopes. Prolific birdlife features 103 species.

Aberdare National Park
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: Lesatima peak, Kinangop peak, waterfalls, walks in the moorlands, Twin hills, Elephant hills and Table mountains, Second largest population of black rhinos in Salient and Northern Aberdare, Queen Elizabeth learned of her accession to the throne at Tree-tops Lodge, The Kimathi Hideout/Mau Mau caves. The park is home to most of the larger mammals, having a large population of black rhino. The park is home to most endangered species which include: the rare Bongo, Giant Forest Hog, Packs of the now very rare Wild dogs and Endemic mole rate and mole shrew. Other game include: Leopard, Serval cats, Endemic bird species, reptiles, insects.
Amboseli National Park
MAJOR 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. Wildlife include Leopard, Cheetah, Wild dogs, Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra, Lion, Plains Game, Crocodile, Mongoose, Hyrax, Dik- dik, Lesser Kudu, and Nocturnal Porcupine. Prolific bird life features 600 species

Arabuko-Sokoke National park
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: Endemic Bird species, Butterflies, Remnant coastal forest, It is the largest existing fragment of the tropical forests that covered much of the East African coast and is an important Kenya safari habitat for endemic/endangered birds, insects, butterflies and mammal species. It is also an important monument as remnants of the coastal tropical forests, A couple of reptile species (in addition to other species living here e.g. butterflies, Beetles) are found here among them Boomslang, Green Mamba, Rock Python, Forest Cobra, Sand Lizard and Day Geullo. It is a great reserve for birdwatching and among the bird species includes Sokoke Pipit, Amani Sunbird, Fischers Turaco, Clarkes weaver, Golden Wooodpecker and many others .

Kora National Park
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: Pristine wilderness, Inselbergs, Tana River with Adamson's Falls, Grand Falls and Kora rapids, diverse birdlife George Adamson's grave. Activities include game viewing, rock climbing, fishing in River Tana.

Lake Nakuru National Park
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: The fabulous flamingo, An orthologist’s paradise with 450 species of birds, Kenya’s first rhino sanctuary, Waterfall : Malaikq, View –points: Lion hill, baboon cliffs and Out of Africa, Hills :Enasoit , lion hill, honeymoon e.t.c Wildlife include Thomson’s and Grant,s gazelle, the long-eared leaf-nosed bat, colobus monkey, rock hyrax, hippo, leopard, lion, rhino, waterbuck. Impala, striped hyena,bat-eared fox, wildcat, reedbuck, striped hyena,golden cat, black and white rhinos. Prolific birdlife features 450 species ans upto 1.5 million flamingos.

Marsabit National Park & Reserve
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: Land of Gofs, Magical Lake paradise, A dynasty of giants, Last refuge of the huge-tusked bull elephants, Prisrine Forest, Diverse birdlife, The greater Kudu, Realm of raptors, Bird life. Wildlife include Elephants, buffalo, greater Kudu, hyena, Grevy’s zebra, Kirk’s dik-dik, reticulated giraffe, lion, leopard and baboon.

Meru National Park
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: Former home of Joy and George Adamson and Elsa the lioness, Views of Mt Kenya, Rivers and riverine habitats, Tana river, Adamson's falls. Wildlife include Grevy's Zebra, Elephants, Eland, Bush Pig, Waterbuck, Cheetah, Leopard, Reticulated Giraffe, Hippopotamus, Bohor Reedbuck, Hartebeest, Python, Puff Udder, Cobra, Buffalo, more than 300 recorded species of birds.

Mt. Elgon National Park
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: Caves, Salt Mining Elephants of Kitum Cave, Spectacular Waterfall, Game Viewing around the Mountain, Birdwatching, Viewing the mountain. Wildlife include Elephant, leopard, giant forest hog, bushbuck, buffalo, duiker, black and white colobus, blue monkeys and golden cat, among others, more than 240 bird species in the area, including the African crowned eagle, Ross’ turaco, and red-fronted parrot.

Mt. Kenya National Park
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: Pristine wilderness, lakes, tarns, glaciers and peaks of great beauty, geological variety, forest, mineral springs, rare and endangered species of animals, High altitude adapted plains game, Unique montane and alpine vegetation with 11 species of endemic plants. Wildlife include Elephants, tree hyrax, white tailed mongoose, suni, black fronted duiker, mole rat, bushbucks, water buck and Elands. Animas rarely seen include leopard, bongo, giant forest hog and rhino.

Mt. Longonot National Park
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: Extinct volcano and crater forest, Scenic Landscape, Views of lake Naivasha and the Great Rift Valley. The park is a paradise for birds of prey. Wildlife include Buffalos, Gazelles, Impala and girrafe

Nairobi National Park
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: The only Wildlife park in the world that is so close to the city. It is the major rhino sanctuary for breeding and restocking other parks e.g the black rhinoceros; which is an endangered species. Animals include buffalo, giraffe, lion, leopard, baboon, zebra, wildebeest and cheetah 100 mammal species, 400 migratory and endemic bird species.

Ndere Island National Park
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: Ndere Island and activities such as walking, game viewing

Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: Montane landscape, An unusual burial site, McMillan grave, Wildlife Watching, Abundant forest birds, Fourteen Falls, Scenic views of Mt.Kenya from the summit. Wildlife includes; buffalo, leopard, mongoose, bushbuck, olive baboon, colobus monkey, vervet monkey, Sykes' monkey, Kirk's dik-dik, bush pig, common duiker, reedbuck, rock hyrax, bushbaby, tree and ground squirrel, aardvark, porcupine, python and monitor lizard. More than 45 species of birds have been recorded.

Ruma National Park
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: Roan antelope which is found nowhere else in the country.Wildlife include the roan antelope, leopard, buffalo, hyena, Rothschild giraffe, oribi, Jackson and lelwel hartebeest, impala, bohor reedbuck, serval cat, topi, baboons, vervet monkey, honey badgers, bush pig and many more. The Park is an IBA area with over 400 species of birds recorded. It is renowned amongst ornithologists for its rare intra - African migrant, the blue swallow.

Saiwa Swamp National Park
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: The endangered Sitatunga Antelope, Bird watching, Nature board walk & tree top house. Wildlife includes sitatunga, monkey, otter, genet cat, serval cat,mongoose, bushbuck and ratel.

Sibiloi National Park
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: Origin of man: Koobo For a museum and research base, The tempestuous ‘jade sea’, Petrified forests, Prolific birdlife, Crocodile Kingdom. Wildlife include the zebra,Grant’s gazelle, reticulated giraffe, beisa oryx, topi, greater kudu, hippo, lion, cheetah, leopard, striped hyena and silver-backed jackal. The world’s largest Nile crocodile population breeds on Lake Turkana Central Island.

Tsavo East National Park
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: Elephant in Eden - 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 of Africa, Aruba Dam - The beautiful Aruba dam located on the north bank of the seasonal Voi River, is visited by thousands of animals and a great game viewing destination, Mudanda Rock - This whale –backed Rock towers above a natural dam, which acts as a draw to thousands of Elephants, The longest lava flow in the world- at 300 kilometers in length, the heat shimmering edge of yatta plateau is the longest lava flow in the world and an ornithological paradise that attract migrating birds from all over the world, Lugards Falls - Named after Captain Lugard, the first proconsul to East Africa, the falls feature bizarrely eroded rocks through which the waters of the Galana River plunge into foaming rapids and crocodile –infested pools. 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, Kudu, Gerenuk and Hirola.

Tsavo West National Park
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: Recent Volcanoes, lava flows and caves with potential for geological and cave exploration and hiking. Mzima Springs & underwater hippo and fish watching. Wildlife include the Leopard, Cheetah, Wild dogs, Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra, Lion,Crocodile, Mongoose, Hyrax, Dik- dik, Lesser Kudu, and Nocturnal Porcupine. Prolific birdlife features 600 species.

Featured Kenya National Parks 
 
Hell's Gate National Park
Aberdare National Park
Amboseli National Park
Arabuko-Sokoke National Park
Kora National Park
Lake Nakuru National Park
Marsabit National Park & Reserve
Meru National Park
Mt. Elgon National Park
Mt. Kenya National Park
Mt. Longonot National Park
Nairobi National Park
Ndere Island National Park
Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park
Ruma National Park
Saiwa Swamp National Park
Sibiloi National Park
Tsavo East National Park
Tsavo West National Park

Contacts: Kenya Wildlife Service

Phone 1: +254 (20) 600800
Phone 2: +254 (20) 602345
Mobile: +254 726610508/9
Fax: +254 (20) 607024
Email: kws@kws.go.ke

For more information visit our website