National Parks and Game Reserves in Kenya

Welcome to Kenya’s most accessible yet incongruous safari experience. Set on the city’s southern outskirts, Nairobi National Park (at 117 sq km, one of Africa’s smallest) has abundant wildlife that can, in places, be viewed against a backdrop of city skyscrapers and planes coming in to land – it's one of the only national parks on earth in a capital city. Remarkably, the animals seem utterly unperturbed by it all.  The park is home to the world's densest concentration of black rhinos (more than 50). The park’s wetland areas sustain approximately 400 bird species, which is more than in the whole of the UK. read more read less

The drama of the beautiful wilderness and exciting Wildlife at all times of the year, is the experience you get during Maasai Mara Game Drives. Known for its Big Cat, sightings are generally very good here. It is an African Gem of WIldlife viewing.  This huge expanse of gently rolling grassland – specked with flat-topped acacia trees and trampled by massive herds of zebras and wildebeest – is the ultimate African cliché. But for once the reality lives up to the image and the Masai Mara, which comprises not just the famous reserve but also around a dozen community conservancies, several group ranches and numerous Maasai villages, is for many people not just the highlight of their Kenyan adventure but the very reason they came in the first place. read more read less

Blistered with termite skyscrapers, cleaved by the muddy Ewaso Ngiro River and heaving with heavyweight animals, this triumvirate of national reserves has a beauty that is unsurpassed, as well as a population of creatures that occur in no other major Kenyan park. These species include the blue-legged Somali ostrich, endangered Grevy’s zebra, beisa oryx, reticulated giraffe and gerenuk – gazelles that dearly wish to be giraffes. Despite covering just 300 sq km, the reserves' variety of landscapes and vegetation is amazing. read more read less

Amboseli belongs to the elite of Kenya’s national parks, and it’s easy to see why. Its signature attraction is the sight of hundreds of big-tusked elephants set against the backdrop of Africa’s best views of Mt Kilimanjaro (5895m). Africa’s highest peak broods over the southern boundary of the park, and while cloud cover can render the mountain’s massive bulk invisible for much of the day, you’ll be rewarded with stunning vistas when the weather clears, usually at dawn or dusk. Apart from guaranteed elephant sightings, you’ll also see wildebeest and zebras, and you have a reasonable chance of spotting lions and hyenas. The park is also home to over 370 bird species. And with chances to delve a little deeper into the world of wildlife conservation, it all adds up to one of Kenya’s premier wildlife experiences. The name "Amboseli" comes from a Maasai word meaning "salty dust", and it is one of the best places in Africa to view large herds of elephants up close. Nature lovers can explore five different habitats here ranging from the dried-up bed of Lake Amboseli, wetlands with sulphur springs, the savannah and woodlands.  They can also visit the local Maasai community who live around the park and experience their authentic culture. In 1974 a little more than 10% of the reserve was established as the Amboseli National Park, with an area of 151 square miles (392 square km). Centred on Lake Amboseli, normally dry with a flat basin of alkaline soils, the park encompasses three of the original seven habitats: open plains, thornbush country, and acacia woodland. A great variety of wildlife inhabits the park. Important fauna includes baboons, lions, cheetahs, elephants, black rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, Maasai giraffes, buffalo, oryx, wildebeests, gerenuk, impalas, and gazelles. There are also a number of excellent accommodation options for you to consider. Check our recommended list here. read more read less

Boasting a large number of elephants as well as black rhinos, Aberdare National Park lures those who want more than just a safari. With dense forests, 300m-high waterfalls and amazing hikes, this park is as much about the flora as it is the fauna. While trekking, keep an eye open for bush pigs, rare black leopards and buffaloes. Highlights The higher slopes of the Aberdare Mountains make up the bulk of the relatively small Aberdare National Park, just north of Nairobi in Central Kenya. You’ll find lots of dense forest, deep ravines and accompanying waterfalls. The diverse topography makes it hard to spot the elusive bongo forest antelope, which lives in the bamboo forest, or to find the resident pride of lions. Black rhinos, leopards and other primates such as Sykes’s and black-and-white colobus monkeys are often seen. Strange forest or melanistic (black) cats have also been seen, including both black serval and black leopard. Open moorlands and dense forests characterize the vast park coupled with a deep lush of clean crisp air perfect for a break away from life in search of relaxation, peace and tranquillity. The picturesque mountainous scenery is one of the highlights of a visit to this wonderland. The Waterfalls The park is renowned for its torrential waterfalls plunging from cloud-shrouded heights to spray-filled ravines. The magnificent Karuru waterfalls, whose ice-cold crystal clear waters drop an impressive 300meters, the spectacular Gura waterfalls which torrent from the opposite side of the same gorge, the sheer drop of the Chania waterfalls, and the enchanting Magura waterfalls which cascade across the yawning mouth of the Queen's Cave. Other picturesque and unique attractions include; the dragon teeth, which is a volcanic, rock formation assuming the rugged look of a set of teeth sitting on a jaw. They are located in the northern moorlands part of the park, south of the equator. Getting There Aberdare National Park is located about 150km (93 miles) east of Nairobi and is easily accessible from Nyeri and Naro Moru. The Park is 87 km (54 miles) from Naivasha. Most tourists travel by road with a tour operator. Airport - There are two airstrips located near the Aberdare Headquarters at Nyeri and Mweiga. read more read less

Visit the park that inspired the Disney Animation, the Lion King. Hell's Gate National Park is between Lake Naivasha and the Longonot and Suswa volcanoes. It is covered by ashes from the Longonot eruption which occurred 100 years ago, the park is famous for its geothermal station, Lower Gorge, and spectacular sceneries of towering cliffs, scrub-clad volcanoes, water-gouged gorges, and plumes of geothermal steam. The name Hell’s Gate is derived from the most impressive feature in the Park, the Ol Jorowa Gorge, which runs through the middle of the park. The gorge formed the overflow of Lake Naivasha between lower and middle Cambrian times. There are significant geomorphological and biological resources. These resources include the Ol Jorowa gorge (caused by the volcanic disturbances of the Great Rift Valley), Obsidian caves, Fischer’s and the central towers, which are the physiographic basis of the park; the floral and faunal communities, and its fragile soils. The fact that you won’t see predators is the park’s secret advantage: the lack of predators means you can take in savannas and come face to face with giraffes, zebras, antelopes, and warthogs on your own two feet—or better yet, on bicycle wheels. Hell’s Gate is one of the only places in East Africa where you can hike the totality of a park. You can even go on a biking safari—a far cry from peeping animals through a safari vehicle’s roof. Wildlife of Hell's Gate National Park African buffalo, zebra, eland, hartebeest, Thomson's gazelle and baboons are common. The park is also home to klipspringer antelope and Chandler’s mountain reedbuck Prolific birdlife – there are over 100 species of birds in the park, including vultures, Verreaux's Eagles, augur buzzards and swifts. Spectacular scenery including the towering cliffs, water-gouged gorges, stark rock towers, scrub-clad volcanoes and belching plumes of geothermal steam make it one of the most atmospheric Parks in Africa. read more read less

Lake Nakuru National Park is one of Kenya's best national parks because it has one of the Rift Valley soda Lakes, i.e., Lake Nakuru. The park has 3 main gates and once you get into the park you will enjoy a wide variety of wildlife species especially the Flamingoes which make the lake look pink. Lake Nakuru is among Kenya's finest national parks. Flanked by rocky escarpments, pockets of acacia forest and at least one waterfall, the park is gorgeous year-round and home to black and white rhinos, lions, leopards, hippos and endangered Rothschild's giraffes. Visitors can enjoy the wide ecological diversity and varied habitats that range from Lake Nakuru itself to the surrounding escarpment and picturesque ridges. Lake Nakuru National Park is ideal for bird watching, hiking, picnics and game drives. History of Lake Nakuru National Park Lake Nakuru National Park is the park most famous for the colonies of flamingos that live on the shores of the park’s Lake Nakuru. Lake Nakuru Park Kenya is a premium game park, one of only three in the country and one of the most visited game parks in Kenya.  Lake Nakuru Park is known as a bird lover’s hub because of the numerous birds that make a home in this park. Lake Nakuru Kenya Park is home to over 400 bird species including the flamingos that live on the lake and in the park’s savannah grasslands. The bird species include but are not limited to African Fish Eagle, Slender-billed greenbul, Long-tailed widowbird, Rufous-throated wryneck, Montane white-eye, Red-capped lark, Northern puff back, Rüppell’s robin-chat, Shining sunbird and many more   Nakuru National Park though famous for its numerous birds, it’s also a wild game destination for animal lovers and wildlife explorers.  Lake Nakuru Park is a habitat to over 100 endangered  Rhinos distributed between the black and white rhinos; the park is also home to the endangered Rothschild’s giraffe and 50 or more animal species that include buffalos, waterbucks, lions, impalas and many more.  read more read less

Africa’s second-highest mountain might just be its most beautiful. Being the second tallest mountain in Africa, the scenery surrounding this designated world heritage site is breathtaking. The wilderness is perfect and Mount Kenya peaks are of great beauty. It is pristine with lakes, tarns, glaciers, dense forest and mineral springs. The montane and alpine vegetation here is unique, with a wide variety of wildlife which include elephants, tree hyrax, white tailed mongoose, black fronted duikers, bushbucks, waterbucks, leopards, black rhino and buffaloes. It is as well an excellent destination for bird watchers. read more read less

Tsavo is one of Kenya’s larger national parks (9065 sq km), covering a huge variety of landscapes from swamps, natural springs and rocky peaks to extinct volcanic cones, rolling plains and sharp outcrops dusted with greenery. This is a park with a whiff of legend about it, first for its famous man-eating lions in the late 19th century and then for its devastating levels of poaching in the 1980s. Despite the latter, there’s still plenty of wildlife here, although you’ll have to work harder and be much more patient than in Amboseli or the Masai Mara; the foliage is generally denser and higher here. Put all of these things together, along with its dramatic scenery, fine lodges and sense of space, and this is one of Kenya’s most rewarding parks. read more read less