Wildlife Tourism in Kenya
Kenya is a country in East Africa with coastline on the Indian Ocean. It encompasses lakelands, savannahs (large grasslands), the dramatic Great Rift Valley and mountain highlands. It is also home to wildlife like Lions, Elephants, Rhinos, Cheetah, Giraffe etc. Nairobi is the capital of Kenya. From the capital city, the Maasai Mara Reserve known for its annual wildebeest migrations, and Amboseli National Park, offering views of Tanzania’s 5,895m Mt. Kilimanjaro this country has a lot to offer.
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Masai Mara National Reserve
It is one of the most popular wildlife tourism destinations in Kenya – Africa.
The reserve is located in the Great Rift Valley primarily in open grasslands.
Western region of the park is more dominant in terms of wildlife.
The Masai Mara is regarded as the jewel of Kenya’s wildlife viewing areas. Annual wildebeest’s migration alone involves over 1.5 million animals arriving in July and departing in November which is considered to be the peak season for visiting Masai Mara National Reserve.
There have been some 95 mammal species, amphibians and reptiles and over 400 different species of birds recorded in the reserve.
Nowhere in Africa is wildlife more abundant, and it is for this reason a visitor hardly misses to see all the big five (Buffalo, Elephant, Leopard, Lion, and Rhino) and various other species.
Mara triangle
The Mara is known as one of the finest wildlife destinations in the World. There is an excellent chance of seeing the Big Five and various other species. Mara Triangle is a part of Masai Mara National Park and roughly includes one third of the park’s area (about 510 sq km).
Climatic conditions – Altitude 5,300 feet (1,600 metres). Rainy season from November through May, with peak rainfall in December-January and April-May. Dry season from June-November. Often sunny mornings with cloud build-up in the afternoons – during the rains this develops into thunderstorms in the afternoon and evenings providing a dramatic environment for photographers to capture the nature up and close. Max temperature rises up to 30°C and min temperatures dips around 20°C.
Wildlife – The Mara is known as one of the finest wildlife destinations in the World. There is an excellent chance of seeing the Big 5, cheetahs, serval, hyenas, bat-eared foxes, black-backed and side-striped jackals, hippos, crocodiles, baboons, warthog, topi, eland, Thompson’s gazelle, grant’s gazelle, impala, waterbuck, oribi, reed-buck, zebras.
During the migration (July to November) huge numbers of wildebeest move in.
Access – The Mara Triangle is serviced by two all-weather airstrips– Mara Serena and Kichwa Tembo. The main road access into the Triangle is through Narok and Sekenani Gate.
Best time to visit – Peak season is between July and October, during the migration. Early November and February can also offer excellent game viewing for the visitors..
Activities – Game viewing, camping, night game drives, visits to Masai cultural villages, balloon safari, bush dinner, lunch and breakfast.
Nairobi national park
It is unique by being the only protected area in the world with a variety of wildlife found so close to a capital city. The park is a principal attraction for visitors to the capital city of Nairobi.
Nairobi National Park is one of the most successful parks of Kenya’s Rhino sanctuaries which is generating a stock for reintroduction in the other upcoming sanctuaries.
Due to this success, it is one of the few parks where a visitor can be certain of seeing a black Rhino in its natural habitat.
Lake Nakuru
It was first gazetted as a bird sanctuary in 1960 and upgraded to National Park status in 1968.
The Park has Kenya’s largest population of Rhinos. The surface of Lake Nakuru occupies about a third of the park. It supports a dense bloom of the blue-green Cyanophyte Spirulina platensis from which it derives its colour and is a prime food source for flamingos.
During peak season over millions of flamingos and Pelicans congregate on the lake. It is considered to be a mesmerizing sight for nature lovers and photographers.
Amboseli National Park
Amboseli lies immediately north-west of Mount Kilimanjaro, on the border with Tanzania. The Park covers 392 square km, and forms part of the much larger 3,000 square km Amboseli ecosystem.
Large concentrations of wildlife occur here in the dry season, making Amboseli a popular tourist destination. It is surrounded by six communally owned group ranches.
The National Park embodies five main wildlife habitats (open plains, acacia woodland, rocky thorn bush country, swamps and marshland) and covers part of a Pleistocene lake basin, now dry.
Amboseli is famous for its big game and its great scenic beauty – and the landscape is dominated by the towering Mount Kilimanjaro.
Amboseli lies immediately north-west of Mount Kilimanjaro, on the border with Tanzania. The Park covers 392 square km, and forms part of the much larger 3,000 square km Amboseli ecosystem.
Amboseli is a popular tourist destination with large concentrations of wildlife occurring here in the dry season. It is surrounded by six communally owned group ranches.
The Park has five main wildlife habitats (open plains, rocky thorn bush country, acacia woodland, swamps and marshland) and covers part of a Pleistocene lake basin, now dry. There also is a temporary lake within this basin by the name Lake Amboseli, that floods during the time of heavy rainfall.
Major Attractions: Mount Kilimanjaro; 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 waterfowl like pelican; Egyptian goose; contemporary Maasai culture and indigenous lifestyle;. One of the most attractive sights in Amboseli is to see/capture elephants with the background of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Wildlife: Amboseli has over 80 different mammals to be found ranging from the tiny (and rarely seen) spectacled elephant shrew to the huge bulk of the African elephant. Few visitors will go home without superb elephant pictures with Kilimanjaro as a backdrop. There are over 400 bird species.