Where to go on safari in Kenya Africa?
June 14, 2015
If you want to go on a safari, my advice is: go to Kenya! Kenya was my first safari ever and definitely the best. The amount of wildlife is amazing and the scenery is beyond expectations. Visit the following five national reserves and you have a good change to spot the Big Five!
Shaba National Reserve
Shaba National Reserve is a protected area in the north. It borders to the Samburu and Buffalo Springs national reserves. The Shaba scenery is stunning and dramatic. You will see large amounts of wildlife but even without seeing animals the nature is overwhelming: river-side forests, scattered woodlands and dry grasslands dominated by the Shaba Hill volcano. Here you can find the endangered Grevy’s zebra and the rare Williams’s lark.
Samburu
The Samburu National Reserve is located on the banks of the Ewaso Ng’iro river. On the other side of the river is the Buffalo Springs National Reserve. The Ewaso Ng’iro flows through the reserve providing water, without which the game in this arid region could not survive. It is amazing to see groups of elephants gather by the river. Many species of birds can be seen in Samburu, of wich the weavers are best known.
Mount Kenya National Park
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is named after Kenya’s national pride, Mount Kenya. This area is rich and divers: there are 81 plant species found only on Mount Kenya. An activity you can’t afford to miss, is the walking safari. Exploring Mount Kenya by foot gives you a good chance to see Black-and-white colobus, other monkeys and Cape Buffalo. I suggest you’ll stay in the Serena Mountain Lodge for at least one night, the view from the rooms is stunning. And you never know who will be peaking into your room!
Lake Nakuru
Nakuru means “Dust or Dusty Place” in the Masai language. It’s one of the Rift Valley soda lakes at an elevation of 1754 metres above sea level. Lake Nakuru is world famous thanks to the vast quantity of flamingos that turn the lake pink. In 2013, the lake received an alarming increase in the water levels that led to the migration of flamingos to Lake Bogoria in search for food supply. The abundance of the whole lake area is overwhelming: black and white rhinos, baboons an all larger mammals. I saw my first leopard here wich makes Lake Nakuru unforgettable to me!
Masai Mara
The Masai Mara National Reserve is one big area with the Serengeti National Park in Mara Region, Tanzania. If you want to see lions: this is the parc to visit! You also have a good chance to spot leopards and cheetahs. I was so lucky to visit the Masai Mara in october to see the Great Migration. This is what the Masai Mara is famous for: the annual migration of zebra, Thomson’s gazelle and wildebeest to and from the Serengeti. Make sure you also visit the Masai River to see hippos.
