Meru National Park is the wilderness which became world famous as the place where Elsa, the lioness was released as described in the story of Joy Adamson in her book Born Free. The park is about 80 km east of Meru town and can be reached through a reasonable good road through lush, partly wooded and agricultural land. Of all the parks in Kenya, Meru National Park surely has the most diverse landscapes and habitats. Forest, swamp and savannah are fed by 15 rivers which all have their origin in Mount Kenya and lead to the Tana river. This river runs just south of the equator and forms the lower boundary of the park. This beautiful park can show you a large variety of animals of which some in large quantities. All of the Big Five can be spotted and Meru National Park is one of the best locations for observing cheetah's and leopards.
The following accommodations are recommended by Africa Miracles:
Meru National Park: Elsa's Kopje
Shimba Hills National Park: Shimba Hills Lodge and Kutazama
Kakamega Forest Reserve: Rondo Retreat
South of Meru and on the other side of the Tana River lays the Kora National Park. It is here that the famous George Adamson was murdered in his camp. Kora is full of Insel Mountains, rocks covered with vegetation and randomly scattered over the plains. Mammals which live here include elephants, lesser Kudu, wild dog, striped and spotted hyena's, leopards and cheetah's.
Another park in this part of the country is Rahole National Reserve, which habitats not only a wide range of plains animals but also hippos, crocodiles and many species of birds. Mwingi National Reserve (formerly North Kitui) has an amazing nature to show. Unfortunately, all these parks are difficult to reach and still not really developed. In the parks are no accommodations and the roads are of very poor quality.
The Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary is a part of the Shimba Hills ecosystem and as the name suggests a great location to see elephants. Every year the local farmers planted their crops along the elephants corridor and this led to human/wildlife conflicts between migrating elephants and the farmers. Slowly a very difficult situation was created and a quick and solid solution was necessary. Various organizations such as the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and Eden Wildlife Trust went to speak with the farmers to see if there could be a good a solution for everybody. From these discussions and talks the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary was created. A common goal was achieved, the preservation of elephants routes and having a good financial compensation for the community. Elephants are definitely the real "attraction" of the Mwaluganje and 150 of these magnificent animals have their home here. It's almost guaranteed that during your visit you come face to face with one or several African Elephants. Historically the Mwaluganje is an area for the bulls (male elephants). Here they grow up, together with other bulls, in order to prepare for life and reproduction. Twice a year (December and April) several families are joined together for a gathering and then spend a few days with each other, before returning to their own homes in the Reserve. These meetings are unique to see and many elephants form a huge herd of animals in various sizes, from young to old.
50 Kilometres north of Kisumu the only tropical rainforest in Kenya can be found, the Kakamega Rainforest. Millions of years ago the forest arose from the west of Africa, towards the areas of the Great Rift Valley. Since 1933 the forest is protected because of the unique ecosystem. The tall trees you can see in the park, can be more than a hundred years old. Monkeys glide from branch to branch, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys and the beautiful Colobus monkeys. There can be found various types of hardwood trees such as teak, ebony and iroko and many plants that the local population use for medicines. In the forest the rivers Yala and Isiukhu provide a lot of water in the reserve. In the Kakamega Rainforest you can hear a bird flawlessly imitate the melody of the guides. The park also habitats more than 50 snake species and half of all butterfly species in the world. If the sun shines through the foliage the forest is at his best and makes a really beautiful sight. The walk to Buyango Hill, the highest point of the rainforest, is absolutely worthwhile.
